Does anyone have experience with Eastwood Rust Encapsulator?

[Low Coolant]

Just finishing up the floors on my Beetle and want to protect them. Did some Google searching and Eastwood came up as highly recommended. Anyone have any experience with it or any other recommendations to protect new floors? Thank you all.
https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-rust-encapsulato...e&wv=4

[lqqkatjon]

[viiking]

Have a look at my hand pans painted with KBS. A couple of posts down.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=798384

The answer depends on whether you have new or "old" pans. For brand new pans I would just epoxy them and then topcoat them with something. Epoxy is i
incredibly hard.

The science is pretty clear. For rust to start you need water and oxygen. Any paint that "encapsulates" that and seals the steel from either water OR oxygen will stop the rusting process.

Most of these products are moisture cured polyurethanes. Raptor coating is a polyurethane.

They seal well and dry rock hard. If you follow the directions they generally work BUT most will adhere better when the metal has got a bit rusty and you use their proprietary acid (usually an acid like phosphoric or oxalic acid (wood bleach)) wash to change the iron oxide (rust) to iron phosphate. The phosphate coating provides an excellent base for the subsequent paint to stick to. In fact they suggest that you let the bare metal to in fact rust a bit then react with the acid solution rather than use the paint on new clean steel.

But like any coating if they crack or break then the rusting process can restart so inspection still has to take place. Of course some products will contain some other ingredients which may provide some residual short term sacrificial protection.

I've use KBS and Bill Hirsch Miracle Paint with great success. POR 15 I've heard is an issue on new steel, but have not directly used the Eastwood product. But I don't think it is any better or worse than the ones mentioned based on the formulae they provide on their SDS.

50 years ago and before I knew of the existence of these products I used to treat every car that I bought with my own rust proofing mixture as cars of the 70's were very poorly sealed against the weather.

The steel floors or doors were painted first with a galvanising paint, then I used a hard drying bitumen paint over the top, followed finally by a two pack clear coating used for timber floors (Estapol 7008). Whilst the smell was bad for a while, the hard coating was superb at keeping the rust at bay. And what was the Estapol made from? Polyurethane!
_________________
1968 1500 RHD Lotus White Beetle since birth. In the hospital for major surgery
1966 Lancia Flavia Pininfarina Coupe - in the waiting room
Discharged: 1983 Vanagon, 1974 1800 Microbus,1968 Low Light,1968 Type 3

[David Raistrick]

yes, I've used eastwood rust encapsulator a fair amount.

I cannot recommend the silver - it's crap. it's gummy no matter what. (when it's absolutely fresh and new it's not as horrible, but give it some time...)

the black has it's place - but this is NOT like POR15. it does not form a hard shell like POR does.

when used straight out of the can, it's likely to get gummy too.

the only use I've found that I _like_ it is when working on pitted rusty panels that I can't/wont blast or replace - I thin it heavily (whatever the can says. acetone probably, it's been years), then foam brush it around the the pitted areas, then sand/scotchbright off. a few coats (it's really thin). then epoxy primer over it after it's fully cured out. mind you, I last did that in.....'08? '10? something. kirker epoxy and no topcoat, and zero issues in florida in all that time.

I have used it on rusty metal - scuff and cover. dont like it. its easier to remove than POR though, so if you are looking for a temp cover... but honestly any rattle can works just as well.

I have used it straight (black and silver) on clean metal. dont like it. I used the silver straight brushed inside my deck lid hinge panel. it's doing fine, but I haven't stuck a camera in there or anything. and my engine compartment has spent most of the time since reassembly coated in oil.

I've thinned it and shot it. don't like it.

maybe I'l stick a camera in there (since I have one now)

when I strip and redo my pitted roof again - I'll probably just use z-chrome (because I have some from when you could still get it) and wont use the RE.
_________________
...david - '66 SO-44 #231

[David Raistrick]

[viiking]

[Airheated]

[Ghia Dan]

I'm thinking about using Eastwood Rust Encapsulator on the '72 Ghia I just picked up. I'd like to use it on the undercarriage and inside the wheel wells.

My question is, would this decrease the value of an (otherwise) all-original car? I would think that, if anything, it would increase the value, but I thought I'd see what other and more knowledgeable people think!

[Bobs67vwagen]

If you are really trying to keep the car as original as possible and the wheel wells are not badly rusted I think you would want to prime and repaint them in body color as they came from the factory for protection. But technically they are now not "original".

[Ghia Dan]

[Airheated]