Remove engine rust and paint

Jokani

Jokani

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I have read as many previous posts as possible and put together a plan for removing some areas of rust and repainting:

  1. Wire pads to remove any major rust
  2. Acetone and wipes with rubber gloves, open cockpit hatch to ventilate
  3. Mask absolutely EVERYTHING not already painted (3M blue tape)
  4. Prime with Hammerite Kurust
  5. Paint

Is there anything I have missed, and/or can the plan be improved upon?

Thanks in advance
 
There are lots of inaccessible surfaces when painting or cleaning so good light and good access are a real bonus. Check if any of the rust is caused by weeping seals and if so replace befor painting.
 
nigelmercier said:
Don't use Hammerite, it's rubbish.

Acetone eats vinyl, PVC, nitrile, and latex gloves. You need butyl rubber.
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Personally would not use acetone anyway. Too volatile. You need something that will soak into any oily deposits so that they can be cleaned off, not just evaporate again within a few seconds and leave the muck behind

The solvent/thinner for the paint system is often a good choice.....provided that's not water!
 
By Kurust, do you mean a phosphoric acid based product?
If so, there is no down side in degreasing using a detergent and water regime.
If you do rinse with water or use an acid rust remover/phosphate I think it's crucial to get the work properly dry afterwards, then prime.
I sometimes use a hot air gun to dry metal before painting.
An engine might benefit from a fan heater pointed at it for a while.
It does not hurt if it's warm to the touch when you paint it.
Are there ali parts?
 
lw395 said:
By Kurust, do you mean a phosphoric acid based product?
If you do rinse with water or use an acid rust remover/phosphate I think it's crucial to get the work properly dry afterwards, then prime.
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So Kurust doest not act as a primer as well? Can you recommend a primer?
 
Cleaning engine blocks and cylinder heads is just as important as the machining operations you will perform on the castings. You can’t do a thorough job of inspecting these parts if they are dirty, greasy or covered with paint or corrosion. Checking for cracks in cast iron heads and blocks requires a clean surface for the magnetic particle detection powder. Likewise, checking aluminum castings for hairline cracks with penetrating dye also requires a clean surface. Even porosity leaks in aluminum heads and blocks may be masked if there’s a heavy layer of gunk on the metal.
You also don’t want to gum up your shop equipment while you’re machining the castings, and you don’t want any surface contaminants interfering with precision machine work such as honing or resurfacing. Most late-model heads require a mirror-like finish to seal the MLS gaskets, so any debris that’s snagged and drug across the metal by the milling head may mar the mating surface. Clean bare metal is all you want to see following the initial cleaning process.
 
nigelmercier said:
I don't think you can beat Jizer for this: http://amzn.to/1wYRcHr

Pity about the name though :)
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I've found the Screwfix own brand stuff at <1/3 the price ok, YMMV.
I apply it with an old Mr Muscle spray.
It seems to deal relatively well with motorcycle chain lube, and the fallout washes away rather than congealing on the drive.

I tend to use jenolite or some phosphoric based stuff I got through 'industrial sources'.
Looks like Kurust is a tannic acid treatment combined with a water based primer. Will possibly work OK, provided there is no water trapped in porous rust?

Depends what the expectations are, a restoration of a precious mechanical heirloom, or beating back the rust to get another few years out of something?
My bikes might be the first, dinghy trolleys tend to be the second!
 
Avocet said:
If you can warm the engine first, the best degreaser I've ever used on anything has been that POR 15 degreaser that used to be called "Marine Clean".

http://www.frost.co.uk/cleaner-degreaser-por15-marine-clean.html

Rinse off with hot water if you can get some where the boat is.

I'm less enthusiastic about the POR 15 paint, but the degreaser is excellent.
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Mostly potassium hydroxide.
You might want to avoid contact with alloy parts?
Not to mention skin etc.
But a lot of these things are quite alkaline, I tend to wear heavy duty nitrile gloves, having holed too many disposable latex or polythene ones.

A bit of warmth makes any of these things work better.
Helps it dry too.
I try not to get greasy hand prints on the kettle when rinsing....
 
Hammerite No1 Rust Beater (Primer)

While Hammerite paint is not what it was the Hammerite No 1 Rust Beater appears to be good if you can clean up loose paint and rust as much as poss first. I have just been using it on a steel centreplate that was starting to get a bit pitted as it's coating had broken down.

I used some Autoglym engine cleamer/degreaser that you wash off with water, probably similar to Jizzer. Worked well, especially with a washing up brush (toothbrush for corners).
 
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Is this 'needle gun' type rust aka lists of it. Engines can be a fiddle so I would get a vax and a dremel with the sanding discs after you have hit the rust with a scraper and 60/80grit.

Always wear paint protection mask and protective eye wear. Also have a buddy system
 
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