kurust - what is it good for? (huh)

[tim]

I've been using Kurust as it was supposed to be the bollocks.... so has Andy. However, back last spring I did my rear arms and while there I removed the big metal splash plates and gave them a thorough brushing followed by the wonder goop and hammerite on top. Fixed for life, you say.... a few weeks ago I could hear a tinny rattle from the back. Turned out that one plate had rusted right through around the bolt and had left a small ring of metal floating free under the bolt while the plate flopped around. You could see rust breaking through everywhere! What a waste of effort. The stuff is obviously nfg, so what can you guys suggest as a better alternative? I need to do the rear end of the White One while the rear bumper is off, but am now reluctant to trust Kurust again. And yes, the metal was as clean as a rotary brush could get it short of beadblasting the damn thing!

[Defender110]

Suprising, I've used Kurust for years with great results (once top coated/covered). The only time it doesn't work is if the bottle has been opened and contaminated by pouring back any you have been using or by using a brush straight out of the bottle. Once the chemical reaction has started you need to use it all straight away. I always pour a bit out of the bottle into an old aerosol cap for using so I don't contaminate the stuff in the bottle. I specifically keep all my old aerosol caps for this reason as they make great temporary containers (if they are not the vented type with a little breather hole in)

[Dollywobbler]

Kurust is pretty good, Vactan is meant to be even better. I've got some but it's too early to report on whether it's any good. Problem is, these things only ever treat the surface layer - you won't kill any rot beneath the surface.

Also, unless you completely rub back to bare metal, there's a limit to how effective they will be. Just slapping converter over a rusty piece of metal will have limited success in my experience.

[MULLEY]

Suprising, I've used Kurust for years with great results (once top coated/covered). The only time it doesn't work is if the bottle has been opened and contaminated by pouring back any you have been using or by using a brush straight out of the bottle. Once the chemical reaction has started you need to use it all straight away. I always pour a bit out of the bottle into an old aerosol cap for using so I don't contaminate the stuff in the bottle. I specifically keep all my old aerosol caps for this reason as they make great temporary containers (if they are not the vented type with a little breather hole in)

Didn't realise that, i wonder if that why i've always thought Kurust was a bit average as well as some rust i treated last year has come back with a vengeance & i do know that i've contaminated all of the fluid

[Paul296]

If the Kurust doesn't look like milk and has started to turn purple, it's been contaminated and will probably be useless. Always pour Kurust into a seperate container and chuck away what you don't use. NEVER put it back in the bottle.

[mat_fenwick]

if they are not the vented type with a little breather hole in

I keep getting caught out by that

The stuff you put over converted rust is equally important - I've not known any paint type coating last more than a few years in such a location. That includes Hammerite and similar alternatives, even POR-15. And the problem with a schultz type coating is that rust can continue unnoticed underneath.

The only long term way is either physical or chemical removal, and even then whatever coating you put on needs regular checks and re-applications.

[Paul296]

The only long term way is either physical or chemical removal, and even then whatever coating you put on needs regular checks and re-applications.

I think that's exactly right. The only way to really nail rust is to cut the while thing out and put a new piece in. Kurust doesn't actually cure rust - it's just a useful way of ameliorating its effects, either indefinitely or until you can perform/afford the major surgery that's really required.

[Kitch]

I've found Kurust to be shit - it's all dandy on the surface, but it hardly penetrates at all.

I use Corrtec, which is a primer as well as a rust-treatment.

[tim]

I don't expect it to last for ever, but eight months?? And if it won't do what it says on the tin, it's a bit of a con. I was using a fresh pot and poured it into a separate container, so I really don't think I did anything wrong. And I can see no way of doing more than what I did, using a rotary stiff wire brush and drill. Perhaps I had a duff pot?? It didn't look very purple, just the expected grey. I can do the splash plates again but things like the rear end under the bumper will be out of sight.

[MULLEY]

Did you just treat the area with Kurust only without re-painting it?

[bxzx16v]

I've used Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80 and their deox gel to very good effect , infact everything I've used from BH has been faultless , definetly worth a try .

Mark

[Des Smith]

Problem is, these things only ever treat the surface layer - you won't kill any rot beneath the surface. Also, unless you completely rub back to bare metal, there's a limit to how effective they will be. Just slapping converter over a rusty piece of metal will have limited success in my experience.

Absolutely agree. I used Kurust on some of the old welding in the inner wing of my St Tropez and although it seemed to be surface rust, there was a right tinworm party going on deep down. There's no substitute for bare shiny metal, and even then you have to use a decent layer of paint over the rust inhibitor. I've recently had to refurbish my outside steps and had new stair cleats welded on. Okay, it's not galvanised steel, but it's amazing how quick the rust gets going. I nailed it almost everywhere except in a couple of awkward places and less than five months later, voila, tell-tale streaks of rust. What is it good for? I think the clue is in the name - it's an inhibitor, not a cure.

[Dollywobbler]

I'm actually experimenting with the Vactan at the moment. I've sanded back some rusty areas on the 2CV's front wing and slapped a load of it around. Corrosion has started again so while they often claim that you don't need to paint over such treatments, I think it's pretty clear in the real world that you do.

[citsncycles]

I've had best success with Jenolite. The roof of the GS was covered with surface rust when I got it, and the following autumn i wire brushed the whole lot, coated it with several coats of Jenolite, using wire wool as the applicator, then sprayed primer and top coat the same day. That was almost 5 years ago, until a few months ago the car was outside all year round, and nothing's come through yet.

[tim]

Like I said - Hammerite on top. maybe Hammerite isn't so good, I know that over the years I've encountered a few problems with it. The name, Kurust, implies clearly ... well, you can tell what it implies! But it's no cure at all...... and an inhibitor that can't inhibit anything for more than six months is not really much good for anything. Ordinary primer would have worked just as well.
I didn't know Jenolite was still going, maybe worth a go.