Cleaning Oxidized Metal Work

[spacebiscuit]

I'm looking for some advice regarding the cleaning of metal work. Take for example the heating mechanism, see my before and after photos:

I used a wire brush drill bit to clean it up but has this process removed any protective coating making it more susceptible to rusting in the future? Or is is it fine to be re-assembled and put into the bus. There are some rust prevention treastments but it seems a shame to cover up the shiny metal work.

Any thoughts?

TY.

Bob.

[sdavidg]

Bob,

I don't have an answer to your question but the After product looks fantastic, and I agree that covering something so perdy would be a shame.

Best,
Sam

[lil-jinx]

Could clear coat it, wax it,oil it,cold galvanize it,chrome it,power coat it or paint it,then install it where it won't be seen for a long time.
Nice job cleaning it.
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[spacebiscuit]

Thanks - it was a surprisngly easy job. The drill bit was super inexpensive and although I had to finish some of the tight spots with sand paper the drill took care of most of the work. Quite please to be honest considering this is my first attempt at anything like this!

Bob.

[dasdachshund]

Impressive.

Why not just paint it black?

-dasdachshund

[Randy in Maine]

I would just put a couple of coats of Gibbs Lubricant on it.

[vwwestyman]

Does look nice, but yes it'll probably rust again.

I'd probably just hit it with some paint. Maybe a gray or silver color to get a close approximation of the color if that is your preference.
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[LivinInnaVWBus]

It will definitely, 100% rust if you don't finish it. Clear paint isn't intended to seal the metal, you will still get rust under it unless you use something like this - https://www.kbs-coatings.com/DiamondFinish-Clear.html

If you spray it with this http://www.gibbsbrandlubricant.com/ it will fight off most of the rust for awhile but your best bet is to prime with this https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/stops-rust/rusty-metal-primer-spray and finish with this http://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/specialty/high-heat-ultra/

[white74westy]

Just bought some of this:

https://www.amazon.com/RPM-Rust-Prevention-Magic-oz/dp/B00ITVG8IK

I'm yet to try it out. However, I've seen others use it with good results. I will be using it on sliding door pieces and parts.

Hope this proves useful!

a

[wcfvw69]

http://search.eastwood.com/search?w=zinc%20plating%20kit


Buy this. It works really good. Your goal is to protect it from future corrosion. You can zinc coat it and then reinstall it looking dull but protected or invest some elbow grease after zinc coating it and polish the zinc. I zinc plate lots of old bolts and misc items after removing the dirt and rust.

It works really well.
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[notchboy]

[spacebiscuit]

I guess this would be suitable - and it's clear:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hammerite-HAM6710013-400m...prevention

[wcfvw69]

[Hoody]

What little of the plating that was left has now been removed. So you have bare steel. Acid wash, prime and paint.

[aeromech]

Bill,
Once again you amaze me. Coating metal parts with something like zinc, bluing, Cad, etc is something I've considered for a long time. I'd love to hear more about the product you linked. Please send me a pm with more info. I'd also like to discuss having you build me the correct dvda for my '71. If you're up to it.
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[Hoody]

Forget about the home brew plating Gary. There are maybe 3 places left in the country that do cadmium plating. Zinc coating whether its dichromate etc. is crap compared to silver or gold cadmium plating. VW used gold dichromate if I am not mistaken. It can't hold a candle to gold cadmium. There is a 120.00 minimum and you can send them a HUGE number of parts for that price. It's extra to blast them and clean them.

[foxmon]

Could I ask for some suggestions on cleaning up this BA6 belly pan here?
It's got a lot of paint still on it, but plenty of rust. I removed the peeling Ziebart undercoating from the bottom, it left some tar residue.

Should it be stripped to bare metal/sandblasted? Or keep cleaning it up and deal with the rusty spots? What tools could I use to speed the cleanup? Lots of nooks and crannies... Thanks for any suggestions. I'd like to learn to do this stuff correctly and figure this is a good piece to start with

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Bus driver since 1975

[aeromech]

Looks like a bead blast job to me but I don't know the dimensions. It would need to fit inside the cabinet. If it's too big you could have it professionally sand blasted. If it doesn't get hot you could have it powder coated.
_________________
Lead Mechanic: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Licensed Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic
Licensed Pilot (Single engine Land)
Boeing 727,737-200-300-400,757,767
Airbus A319,320,321
DC9/MD80
BAe146
Fokker F28/F100
VW type 1 1962,63,65,69,72
VW Type 2 1971 (3 ea.) 1978, 1969
VW Jetta
VW Passat
Capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound

[busdaddy]

Too big for a blast cabinet, that doesn't look too bad from here, I'd consider a wire wheel in a grinder followed by phosphoric acid and finish with tremclad/rustoleum.

As for the heat levers they really are hard to see when installed, a shot of dull silver spray paint would be all I'd do. Or maybe something like this if I had nothing better to do: http://www.triumphrat.net/classic-vintage-and-veteran/160243-zinc-plating-at-home.html
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[Randy in Maine]

Suggestion....take it over to the sandblaster guy I referred to you and then either POR 15 it or use the KBS stuff. Be done with it.

https://www.kbs-coatings.com/