POR-15 good or bad?

[UKPhilTR7]

<b><font color="blue">I have turned to the light that is known as POR-15 to try and get a grip on the rust that seems to be having a meal in certian parts of my car. I use the three stage method marine clean, metal ready and then POR-15 undercoat. From looking at the areas that I have done late last year, it looks like it may have done the job, gosh I hope so.
My question(s) really are, what are other peoples thoughts/experiences on using this method and do you like the results. Has anyone got any good/bad experiences in using other rust cure products out there.
I do know that the best option it to cut it out but my welding skills are not that good yet.</font id="blue"></b>

[Rblackadar]

I do exactly what you are doing. Stuff is great! For small parts I soak them in the Metal Ready till they're stripped clean, and then I paint them with the POR15. I also use the Metal Ready on all the other metal parts I paint that aren't going to get a coat of the POR15. After their soaking I dry them off (I do not rinse them off in water!!!) and let air dry. I then proceed to prime then paint.

[UKPhilTR7]

<b><font color="blue">I must admit that I do not was the metal ready of either as I do not feel good doing that. I have had good experiences so fr with it, so think it will be time to log into Frost.com and order some more things.</font id="blue"></b>

[Dave Dyer]

Hi Phil,
I think I've discussed POR with you in a previous post and we agreed its good stuff, I still stand by that.
After using your 3 stage method, what do you paint/put over the top of the POR-15 ? I've just painted POR chassis black over mine, but it changes the loverly shiny surface into a matt one (like an original chassis colour I suppose) which I don't think is so good, so I'm looking around for something else to use?

I'm doing a test, I've got a rusty flat piece of steel, degreased it, painted on 2 coats of por 15, then coated half of it in chassis black, then placed it outside in the elements to see if over a period of time the rust comes through, I'll let you know sometime in the future what happens to it.

I have used smooth hammerite in the past but that doesn't stop rust, it only seems to slow it down!

Dave

[stever_sl]

I haven't used either one (yet) but in November 2003 "Auto Restorer" magazine used POR-15 and Eastwood's Rust Encapsulator side-by-side on a rusty hood. The Rust Encapsulator came out on top. You can read the article on Eastwood's Web site -- http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?item ... SubCat=852

I have the magazine and they've reproduced everything, they didn't leave anything out. "Auto Restorer" doesn't accept advertising so they can't be accused of bias. It's interesting that the magazine's article mention POR-15 a LOT and rarely if ever mention Rust Encapsulator, thus proving something or other about human nature. FWIW, on the magazine's forums people have reported adhesion problems with POR and also rust reappearance, although it sounds to me like a lot of that is due to inadequate care with the surface prep.

I don't mean to stir up trouble with the folks who like POR-15, but that side-by-side test doesn't seem to have been seen by very many people so I thought I'd just mention it.

- Steve Richardson
St Louis MO
76 TR7

[Rblackadar]

Yeah that's been mentioned many times before but there were other characteristics that the POR held up alot better that the folks at Eastwood forgot to mention. I read that same article. I then read another article of an "independent" test and it said the POR was much better under other conditiions. So it's all who you want to go with. People have had luck here for years with the POR so I say stick with it.

[UKPhilTR7]

<b><font color="blue">I have not had a read of this article, but I think I will to see where it is coming from. Must admit though, on the whole, I do like the POR15 results. The one place where it looks like the rust was too bad for it, was on the inner wheel arch, but in saying that I did not treat both sides just the one. So I have to expect that really, I am putting it down to user error lol. The parts I treated on the bulk head though are looking good and seem to be rust free even after a year.</font id="blue"></b>

[bottomtop]

Excuse my ignorance - is this one of those products that you put on rust that you have sanded back, but not completely removed? I.e. is it one of those things that is supposed to chemically "kill" the rust?

[Rblackadar]

What it does it encapsulates the rust. It is not a converter(thats stuff really doesn't work). It is simply a heavy duty durable paint that is so dense that it completely cuts the oxygen to the remaining rust, there fore it cannot progress further in the oxidation process. This stuff turns into a hard plastic.You do need to prep the metal remove scale rust and take down as much as you can, Using the Metal Ready dissolves more rust down to the metal and etches everything so it's a stronger adhesion. From what I understand leaving some rust is better as the paint adheres to that better than metal.

[Rblackadar]

What it does it encapsulates the rust. It is not a converter(thats stuff really doesn't work). It is simply a heavy duty durable paint that is so dense that it completely cuts the oxygen to the remaining rust, there fore it cannot progress further in the oxidation process. This stuff turns into a hard plastic.You do need to prep the metal remove scale rust and take down as much as you can, Using the Metal Ready dissolves more rust down to the metal and etches everything so it's a stronger adhesion. From what I understand leaving some rust is better as the paint adheres to that better than metal.

[FI Spyder]

It is applied to three situations. First is where loose rust is wire brushed off leaving rust in the "pits" that the wire brush can not reach. The POR-15 combines/seals the rust biting into the pits for adhesion.

Second is sandblasted surface where the POR-15 can bite into the rough surface left behind.

Third is a smooth unrusted surface were POR-15 metalready is applied to then be rinsed off leaving a coating that POR-15 can bond to. (metal ready can be applied to the above two situations as well.)

I have found that thinning POR-15 with laquer thinner (toluene) after container has been opened to keep it flowable, it doesn't want to dry and remains slightly sticky. I paint over this with enamel or laquer aeresol paint and it leaves a hardened surface. (It should be thinned with naptha but have found a cheap small source in smaller amounts yet.) I don't know if this compromises the durability or not. It has happened to to one rear upper link so we'll see down the road. The other parts are interior parts so probably will nver find out. (pedal box and associated interior firewall portion.)



TR7 Spider - 1978 Spifire - 1976 Spitfire - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra

[bottomtop]

Thanks for the clarification - sounds what I should be using when tidying up the rust bleed around the rear panel.

BTW I think Zippo fluid is Naptha.

[Rblackadar]

I used the POR thinner....works real well....actually better than other solvents.

[UKPhilTR7]

<font color="blue"><b>I must admit that I do not use the thinners and as a result, just use cheap brushes to paint it on with and then throw them away. I also do not as a rule wash/wipe of the metal ready after I have used it as I do not feel comfortable doing it, but may start now.
I usually brush the rust down as much as I can and then metal ready over that.</b></font id="blue">

[FI Spyder]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Rblackadar</i>

I used the POR thinner....works real well....actually better than other solvents.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Metal Ready thinner is naptha. (Check the label). I could only find a 4 litre can for $28.00 at a paint store. (compared to $16 for toluene at Wal-mart for same size.) I may just get the metal ready thinner $15 for bottle (less than liter?) from local auto body store for next can of POR-15.

TR7 Spider - 1978 Spifire - 1976 Spitfire - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra