corrosion test - classic monthly june 2013

8/19/2019 Corrosion Test - Classic Monthly June 2013

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ANTI-RUST TEST

JUNE 2013 CLASSICS MONTHLY 98 CLASSICS MONTHLY JUNE 2013

Final Results

ANTI-RUSTTREATMENTSTHE FINAL RESULTS

Three years ago I decided theonly way to properly testanti-rust treatments was touse real time as the judge.

Understandably, most productsdon't have the luxury of suchextended testing before beinglaunched, so instead they rely onindustry standards to determinetheir effectiveness.

A common type of test is a salt

fog. This is a sealed, temperaturecontrolled chamber in which the testpiece is placed for a set duration oftime. A salt fog is indirectlyintroduced into the chamber at aspecified flow rate and pHconcentration. The period of time isthen calculated to represent alonger period of time – hence it'scalled an accelerated test.

What you might not know, as

consumers entrusting your car tothese products, is that the specimenpiece can be submitted with anythickness of product applied to it.

The real world of cars and theirenclosed sills, box sections andbarely accessible double-skinnedpanels provides a different test.

Hot and cold, condensation, frost,ice, acid rain, water and damp,still-air garages are more likely

factors to undermine our cars than a35ºC salt fog applied over a week.So, with that in mind, our test has

lived indoors in the primarilyartificially lit, sometimes dustyenvironment of our dry workshop.They spent time out in all weathersand have been on display at variousevents. The results are what I firmlybelieve you can expect from usingthem in our variable UK climate.

Three years ago we began the longest-running test of its kindin the UK. No gimmicks, just time. Our findings could helppreserve your classic's metal, quite possibly indefinitely.WORDS BY GARY STRETTON PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEZ HUGHES

External CoatingsApplied using a new paint brush for each coating,they were painted onto freshly prepared, HeritageQuality MGB sill sections. Our thanks to MossEurope for supplying the sill sections. 80-grit paperwas lightly abraded over each only to determinethe stability of the surface after three years.

Cavity WaxesThese were applied as best as reasonably possibleusing quality equipment and the suppliedmanufacturer's instructions. Each wax was sprayedinto a fully sealed sill section and allowed to settlebefore they were internally inspected for the first

time to ensure the applications were consideredsuccessful for the purpose of the test. The sectionswere only split for our final inspections. Ease ofapplication plays a key factor in successfulprotection so we didn't underestimate it when

judging the products.

Real world scenarioIt's important to understand we have notconducted a 'scientific' test. We have conducteda test based on how the products should beexpected be used given the information suppliedwith them and a level of competence on the partof the user. These are retail products, not productssupplied solely for trained personnel application.

How we tested


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CLASSICS MONTHLY JUNE 2013 JUNE 2013 CLASSICS MONTHLY10 11

ANTI-RUST TEST ANTI-RUST TEST

Final Results

www.classicsmonthly.com

Final Results

Adhesion has been lost, hidden rust is forming. Adhesion is good, colour dulled. Good adhesion even where stonechipped. Adhesion not undermined. Excellent adhesion even on unintended area.

The only testedproduct to peel off.

Adhesion intact butsurface not very

strong.

Good overallperformance.

Performed very wellas an exposed primer.

Super tough finishrecommended.

Outer surface resisted six 80-grit paper passes. Three passes of 80-grit began lifting the paint,suggesting high-impact areas not its best use. Withstood six passes of 80-grit abrasion. Withstood six passes of 80-grit abrasion. Easily withstood six passes of 80-grit abrasion.

EXTERNAL COATINGS

POR-15£21.50 for 473mlContact 01706 758258,www.frost.co.uk

Feb 2010 Easy, smooth coverage. Two coatsneeded. Tough finish once dry.

Jan 2011 No oxidisation. Looks okay. Bitbrittle, though – it’s starting to lift at theedges near the control section of bare metal.

Sept 2011 In spite of being the mostbreached of our coatings, it has remainedstable with only a small amount of liftaround the largest of the scratches.

Apr 2012 The area of lift reported previouslyhasn’t deteriorated further, indicatingexcellent adhesion.

Final inspectionIt appeared mostly intact, with a good finish.However, an area near the rusty control striphad lifted slightly. When I checked adhesionthe paint layer simply peeled off as a muchlarger area revealing the metal beneath withtiny rust spots starting to form.

Eastwood RustEncapsulator £30.64 for 469mlContact 01706 758258,www.frost.co.uk

Feb 2010 Good, even coverage. Potentially agreat choice for low-key components suchas suspension arms.

Jan 2011 The coating has stood up prettywell, with no gouges or deep marks. Still

looks good.

Sept 2011 No visible deterioration. Edgesnear the bare metal control strip remainsolid. Adhesion holding up well. Worthy of your consideration.

Apr 2012 Adhesion is still excellent with nolifting near the control strip edge. It’s looking very solid for year three.

Final inspection Adhesion seems good at first look. Edgeshaven't lifted where they meet the controlstrip. Abrasion broke through easily, though.

Rust BulletSix Shooter £43.50 for 946mlContact 07909 517395,www.rustbulletuk.com

Feb 2010 Required quick working in order toachieve a satisfactory finish. Dried to a toughfinish.

Jan 2011 Only minor surface rust visible sofar. It’ll be interesting to see how this

develops with time.

Sept 2011 Performing well. The edge nearthe control strip has retained its adhesionand suffered very little degradation. It’s stillas tough as in Jan 2011.

Apr 2012 No further degradation near thecontrol strip edge. The silver colour remainsunchanged, too.

Final inspectionHas stood up well with strong adhesion andno discolouration. Where chipped, it hasn'taffected adhesion.

Bilt-HamberElectrox £29.95 for 1 litreContact 01277 658899,www.bilthamber.com

Feb 2010 The heaviest coating of those ontest, indicative of it s zinc-rich content.

Jan 2011 The matt finish is standing up well.No breaches at edges. Slight surface rust atsome points.

Sept 2011 No f urther deterioration ofsurface rust. Adhesion remains excellent andedges near control strip remain solid.

Apr 2012 No deterioration visible. Controlstrip edge remains solid and sharp. Mattfinish looks fine. The primer f or steel not duea top coat for some time?

Final inspectionExcellent adhesion with no breaches evenadjacent to rust. Coped very well given thatit's a primer minus a topcoat.

Rust Seal£29.00 for 946mlContact 01803 619654,www.therustshop.com

Feb 2010 Two coats applied. Smooth finishthickened up after the second coat. Shinyand tough once dry.

Jan 2011 Still looking very tough. Has beendinged but standing up well. Nice glossfinish.

Sept 2011 Has changed in colour from silverto a faint silvery green. That said, there areno further signs of breaching or loss ofadhesion, even near previous liftings.

Apr 2012 No further changes to its colour. Itnow looks the grubbiest on test but it’s assolid as ever.

Final inspection Tough as ever finish shows no sign of losingadhesion. The only lift we could find was themasking error on the control strip. If theinitial discolouration doesn't bother you, thenit could prove ideal.

7th 6th 4th5th 3rd

Glossy finish with excellent resistance.

Six passes of 80-grit abrasion scratched the shine.

Caprotech RX10 €27.36 for 1 litreContact +31 181 641021 (Netherlands)www.classicpassion.nl

Feb 2010 Translucent finish, but excellentcoverage. Second coat applied.Smooth finish.

Jan 2011 No breach at edges. Standing up very well. It hasn’t popped or breachedwhere we over-applied it.

Sept 2011 Visually, it looks the worst of ourtest pieces because its gloss finish hasbecome dirty. However, it remains smoothwith good adhesion.

Apr 2012 After a wipe clean, the mostglossy paint on test is still smooth, shiny andshowing excellent adhesion all round.

Final inspectionHas performed excellently. Shine still intact,No let up in adhesion and our 80-grit paperonly succeeded in scratching it. If a glossfinish is required, RX10 will deliver. The UKdistributor has since stopped selling it.

Glossy finishhas lasted.

RECOMMENDED RECOMMENDED


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Final Results


Final Results

EXTERNAL WINNER CAVITY WAXES

painted, consider it worthy for the job.

Rust Seal and Rust Bullet both stood upwell. The best finish was Caprotech RX10which surprised me greatly. It looks classyand is super tough. Highly recommended. Italso needs a new UK distributor.

That leaves the deserving winner, EpoxyMastic 121. It's a multi-purpose, rustbustingcoating of stature. Not only that, it can beoverpainted easily, comes in a variety ofcolours and sizes and will even stick toweathered or T-washed galvanised finishesand non-metal surfaces such as GRP. It canbe sprayed once thinned and is perfect forhigh impact, abrasive areas such as chassisand wheelarches. In three years, we couldn'tfind a chink in its armour. It sets the higheststandard for user-friendly total rust protection.

Knowing how our external coatings mightperform has been a regular conversation inour workshop these past three years. Carenthusiasts want to know a product willdeliver the protection their efforts deserve.

With the exception of POR-15, all thecoatings remained intact, demonstratingexcellent adhesion. POR might argue thenew metal wasn't coarse enough to anchorthe paint. But the same goes for all.

Eastwood's Rust Encapsulator had theadhesion but its surface couldn't deal withthe light abrasion of 80-grit. All the othersresisted the abrasion, including the onlyprimer on test, Electrox. If you need toprimer a car and store it before it can be

CM SAYS…

RustbusterEpoxy-Mastic 121£25.95 starter packContact 01775 630958,

www.rust.co.uk

Feb 2010 Good coverage. Looks like themost impenetrable finish on test – denseand tough.

Jan 2011 Surface has rubbed but hasn’tpenetrated coating. Thick covering. Still goodat edge of control strip.

Sept 2011 Not necessarily the prettiestfinish when applied by brush, but it’snonetheless proving very tough. Used onProject MGB suspension.

Apr 2012 Still as tough as when it dried inFeb 2010. No loss of adhesion near thecontrol strip from this two-part paint.

Final inspectionIts control strip was the worst on test, but121 has held firm all around it. No breachingnear any edges. It's the least chipped sill ontest too, indicative of its toughness. The mattfinish has faded slightly but not its resilience.

1st

Sharp control strip edge not even slightly affected.

Impressive performance from theonly two-pack product on test.

80-grit could only scratch it in six passes.

So good, we're prepared to trust it on our privately

owned classics, too.

3rdJOINT

The most corrosion witnessed on test.

Lack of seampenetration

self-evident.

Caprotech RX7 €26.84 for 1 litreContact +31 181 641021 (Netherlands)www.classicpassion.nl

Feb 2010 The most impressive so far interms of ease of application. Gave excellentcoverage with good seepage.

Jan 2011 Still tacky inside. Hasn’t moved orsettled at all. Just gone on and stuck. Looksimpressive.

Sept 2011 Has become considerably drier tothe touch than in January, but has not split orshrunk. No signs of it thinning out.

Apr 2012 Now completely dry to touch.Where adhesion has been lost, surfacecorrosion has taken hold and is spreading.

Final inspectionWas all but gone from the surface, allowingrust to spread as a very fine coating. Thesplit seam was the worst on test, too. Itshould be said that no pitting of the metalwas evident though. Good for two years butmust be reapplied after that.

Korrosions-schutzfett €10.50 for 450mlContact Mike Sanderswww.mike.british-cars.de/english.htm

Feb 2010 Needs to be heated to 120 ºC andapplied using a bespoke gun. We applied itat a slightly lower temperature, but coveragewas good.

Jan 2011 Hardly dried at all. Still looks like

goose fat!

Sept 2011 No sign of this one drying out yet. Has picked up dust and dirt like theothers but remains waxy to the touch.Heavily pawed at shows when on display.

Apr 2012 Picked up airborne dust from alocal stonemason’s but remains waxy andsolid. Baking sunshine hasn’t caused it tomove. Can it be bettered?

Final inspectionIncredible protection but its inability topenetrate seams below 120ºC is a shame.

6th 5th

Bilt-HamberDynax S50£40.80 for 5 litresContact 01277 658899,www.bilthamber.com

Feb 2010 Easy to apply. The thinnestcoating on test once applied, but seepagewas better as a result.

Jan 2011 With the exception of Noxudol andKorrosionsschutzfett, it’s not as dry as the

others.

Sept 2011 Tacky to touch, rather than waxy.No signs of degradation, however. Still lookslike the most consistent thickness on test.

Apr 2012 Almost dry to the touch now.Surface rusting in vertical lines suggestingthe coating has been breached wheremoisture has been running over it.

Final inspection The vertical lines are very much in evidenceon the surface. The big surprise was theseam protection was so much better.

Light surface corrosionbut excellent seam

protection. Insistence onachieving 50 micron layer

in a closed sill mightdeter some users though.

D ry r us ty s ur fa ce m uc h i n e vi de nc e. S ti ll l ik e s of t g oo se f at a ft er t hr ee y ea rs .

S pl it seam ha s l ayer of dr ied rus ty wa x. C lean as -new metal beneath, but l ook a t the seam.

Hardly any hint of corrosion in the split seam.

Fine rust tracks on the surface which was all butdry to the touch. The metal remains solid.

PRO CHOICE

PRO CHOICE

3-YEARANTI-RUST

TEST WINNER


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Final Results


Final Results

applies it, too.

It is unrealistic to expect to be able tomeasure micron thickness inside a sill havingapplied a wax with a floppy wand thatwants to drag along the bottom of a cavity.

The winning Noxudol 700 aerosol is atrue gem – a product that can be appliedwithout any equipment or with it if non-aerosol is preferred. Noxudol's winningcombination of ease of use, superb seampenetration and surface adhesion withoutdrying out has delivered three years ofprotection and could be set for anotherthree. We'll let you know.

If you value your car and the time andeffort invested in it, protect where it countsmost – where you can't see rust. To thatend, all the waxes tested have their worth.

It's important to understand these results byrepeating our recommendation at the end ofyear two to re-apply all the products testedafter two years to ensure continuedprotection. Timescales aren't given bymanufacturers because they hope you'llreapply annually as a matter of maintenance.Korrosionsschutzfett is a superb product butshould be applied by a pro equipped to heatit properly and apply it while it's thin enoughto penetrate seams. If you can brush it on…

Applying cavity wax to closed box sectionsis a crude procedure. All the products testedwere applied in the time-honoured fashionof 'keep applying until it starts oozing out,then apply some more'. This is how the trade

1) Warm the waxThe thinner the wax, the more likely it is topenetrate seams and joints. Warm it until itflows easily. Think 'olive oil'.

2) Warm the metalWarm wax hitting cold metal will lose itsviscosity rapidly and penetration halted.Use a hair dryer if necessary to warm themetal to at least 15ºC or as per instructions.

3) Apply in warm weatherA warm ambient temperature reached overa few days is better than warming themetal though, and will avoid condensation.

CM SAYS…OUR TOP 10 TIPS FOR CAVITY WAX SUCCESS

CAVITY WAX WINNER

4) Plug all holesWhen applying, plug closed all possibledrainage points. Leave them closed for aweek before removing the plugs.

5) Tin can testAn old bean tin can be used as a dummy boxsection to optimise your spraying pressurebefore application.

6) Use ready-made access holesBolts and screws in door posts, for example,are ready-made access holes.

7 Why not combine products?

Who says you can't apply one wax first topenetrate seams and another to achievesuperior surface protection?

8) Probes and wandsInvest in 360º probe heads and wands ofdifferent lengths to achieve full internalcoverage.

9) Both sides nowSills often have a centre strengthener. Injectwax either side of it.

10) Reapply the protection!Annually is best. Overdoing it is difficult.

Noxudol 700£5.58 for 500mlContact 01925 417 422http://slcservicesllp.com

Feb 2010 Aerosol with probe madeapplication easy. Requires a number ofaccess holes to apply due to probe length.Coverage and seepage good.

Jan 2011 Still a nice, even coating, andretains its waxy quality.

Sept 2011 Still has its supple waxiness andis as good as we reported in January. Thethin coating shows no signs of shrinkage orbreaches.

Apr 2012 Hasn’t changed at all since ourlast report. The metal beneath the thincoating looks like newsteel. A very impressivestart to year three.

Final inspection The easiest product touse on test proves themost effective. Thisnon-solvent waxdelivered the result wehoped for – on thesurface and in theall-important seam. It'sability to penetrate theseam and remainprotective is first class. It 'savailable as a non-aerosoltoo, but for enthusiastswho want an easysolution, this is surely it.

Split joint totally protected. The black tar-like substanceis neutralised rust, not paint

as we first thought.

Rusty wax in the seam. Metalsurface of the seam showing

signs of corrosion. Waxy consistency still in evidence.Metal still fully protected

below the surface. Split seam received good protection.

Noxudol 700 has providedan excellent all-round resultand can be applied without

any special equipment. Thatinvites its use.

Below the surface, the steel remains well protected.

To be continued. Our test will be ongoing… See page 3.

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MIL-Spec 3215£42.00 for 5 litresContact 01775 630958,www.rust.co.uk

Feb 2010 A very thin coating that wept from the lower sill join readily,so it’ll easily populate areas between spot-welds.

Jan 2011 Still looks good. Now tacky rather than waxy.

Sept 2011 Has become drier to the touch since our January update. Nosigns of cracking or shrinking.

Apr 2012 Now dry to the touch and hard where build-up is present.No signs of cracking though and the steel remains protected.

Final inspectionExcellent protection on the surface metal, where it has become atough coating. We had to dig into the wax with our probe to see theprotected metal beneath. The split seam had plenty of rustydiscolouration in the wax and the seam join was bridged by hard wax. The seam join didn't look good but the metal was still solid.

Waxoyl£29.99 for 5 litresContact 08704 441111,www.hammerite-automotive.com (for info only)

Feb 2010 Applied with a spray gun applicator – kit-supplied applicatorfailed. Good overall coverage and joint seepage.

Jan 2011 Looks good. Sat at bottom okay. Starting to dry out a bit –tacky rather than waxy.

Sept 2011 Has remained as tacky as it was in January without signs ofcracking or contraction. Also heavily pawed when displayed at shows.

Apr 2012 Dry too tacky to touch and quite hard. Some tracking cracksfrom shrinkage. Very minor surface rust near cracks.

Final inspection The wax everyone loves to hate because it's been around so long.Well, it produced the result its reputation is built on. The surface metalwas well-protected and the split seam fared equally as well. Where itsat on the surface it was still waxy to touch, even in our coldworkshop. Will surprise many perhaps, but it performed admirably.

Excellent exposedsurface protection.

Seams showing signsof light surface

corrosion starting.

Great performer though we didn't use the pump

applicator supplied.

1st3rdJOINT

GREAT VALUE

3-YEARANTI-RUST

TEST WINNER

corrosion test - classic monthly june 2013

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