painting over surface rust with no prep

[kptim]

hi lads have a shell of a car with spots of surface rust.thinking of going traveling very soon and havnt really time to prep/sand the shell.was thinking of giving it a coat of epoxy to save it until I get time to go at it properly.or will I just payed some1 to do the work

 

[the snooper]

Painting over rust won't preserve it why not just flat it quickly epoxy it then deal with it when you have time

 

[anjum]

You definitely need to get the rust (or at least most of it) off before the epoxy. A flap disc on an angle grinder wont take too long or much effort.

 

[Kent]

Sealing in rust? Bad idea! Knock it off first

 

[Swift&Bold]

You may as well just leave it as it is than epoxy over it until you can do it properly, don't waste your time and money, especially as it's only surface rust.

 

[Burdekin]

Sealing it with epoxy will slow the corrosion. How long are you leaving it for? Best would be to mechanically and chemically remove the rust and then seal it with epoxy.

 

[steveo3002]

trouble is epoxy will be hard to remove when you want to do it properly

 

[Swift&Bold]

.....and because it's out-of-sight it'll also be out-of-mind so you'll just end up leaving it until it shows through.

 

[Screwdriver]

If you want to just preserve it until you have time to fix it, maybe give it a coat of oil. Anything will do though (I think?) old engine oil is mildly corrosive and certainly bad for your health. You could brush on a coat of paraffin wax. Possibly the easiest thing is to spray it with something like AC-F50.

S.

 

[marlinspike]

Unless you're taking photos, how will you remember exactly where the rust is if you give it another coat of epoxy? I suppose you could tint the epoxy a different colour and just do the rusty bits. If it really is surface rust it wouldn't take too long to remove with a flap disc or stripping disc, or a power file for the fiddly corners.

 

[colnerov]

Hi, If you just want to make the car look presentable from a distance and not to attract attention as a shed. Just scrape off the loose paint and rust with a screwdriver and touch it in with the right colour top coat and a small brush. Looks good from a distance and easy to find up close when the time comes to do it.

Colin

 

[kptim]

wud be leaving it for 5 or 6 months getting the epoxy for nothing just hav no time atm with the farm at home

 

[the snooper]

wud be leaving it for 5 or 6 months getting the epoxy for nothing just hav no time atm with the farm at home

is the shell out in the open or in a barn / garage

 

[Farside]

If it were me...
I'd knock the rust on the head with 30% phosphoric acid, rinse off a day later and splash some suitable temporary colour on. The phosporic acid will halt the corrosion for as long as you need, within reason.