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Choose your RustGuard™ bundle
Listed in USD and billed in USD; your bank converts to AUD at checkout.
Rusted metal in, paint-ready surface out
Brush RustGuard™ over sound rust, let it cure, then paint. Images are illustrative — results depend on surface condition and preparation.
The short answer
Naval jelly is a thickened phosphoric acid gel that dissolves rust and then has to be scrubbed and rinsed off, leaving bare metal you must prime the same day. RustGuard™ converts the rust in place and stays on as your primer. Jelly wins on thick localised rust you can hose down; the converter wins on anything large, structural or impossible to rinse.
- Jelly needs a rinse, a dry and an immediate primer; the converter needs none of those
- Jelly is priced for spot work — cost per square foot is several times a converter
- Both are acids: gloves and eye protection either way
- Sequenced together, jelly on the worst patches then converter over everything, gives the best finish on badly corroded steel
Practical comparison
| RustGuard™ converter | Naval jelly | |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanism | Converts oxide into a bound film | Dissolves oxide |
| Removal step | None — it stays as primer | Scrub and rinse thoroughly |
| Water needed | Only for cleaning tools | Yes, a full rinse |
| Flash rust after | No | Yes, prime immediately |
| Vertical hold | Brushable, does not run when applied thin | Excellent, it is a gel |
| Best for | Frames, chassis, gates, roofing, large areas | Localised heavy rust you can rinse |
| Coverage | ~55 sq ft per bottle | Small areas per tube |
When naval jelly is the better call
Small, thick, ugly patches of rust on a surface you can hose down — a vice body, a bench top, a cast-iron bracket — are ideal jelly territory. The gel sits on the rust, you leave it, you rinse it, you are done.
It becomes impractical the moment rinsing is a problem. Rinse water on a chassis runs into cavities and seams, and rinsing a roof means the runoff goes somewhere you may not want it.
Sequencing them together
On heavily corroded metal, using both in order gives the best finish.
- Scrape and wire-brush the loose scale off first
- Apply naval jelly only to the thickest localised rust, then rinse and dry fully
- Degrease the whole area so no residue remains
- Brush RustGuard™ over everything — treated patches and remaining surface rust alike
- Wait 24 hours, then topcoat the whole panel for one continuous film
Converter quantity for the final coat
Area
100 sq ft
Bottles needed
3
Recommended bundle
×3 — $42
Based on up to 55 sq ft per bottle on smooth steel, adjusted for surface condition. Estimates only — measure generously.
Why converters win
RustGuard™ vs the old ways
| Method | RustGuard™ | Grinding / sanding | Naval jelly | Paint straight over rust |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Works on pitted rust you cannot reach | Partly | |||
| No power tools required | ||||
| Leaves a paint-ready surface | After priming | |||
| Stops the treated rust spreading | ||||
| Low dust, low mess | ||||
| Cost for a 100 sq ft panel | From $24 | Discs + hours | $$ | Repaint yearly |
Read the detail: rust converter vs naval jelly · converter vs remover · how to choose one
What buyers say
Rated by people who hate sanding
Saved my truck bed
Wire-brushed the loose scale, brushed a coat on and left it overnight. Next morning it was a flat black surface that took primer without fighting me.
Dale R. · Tucson, AZ
No more grinding for hours
I restore gates and railings. This cut my prep time in half on pitted sections where the grinder just polishes the rust around.
Marcus H. · Leeds, UK
Held up through the wet season
Treated the shed roof sheets and topcoated them. Two seasons of rain later the treated panels still look the way I left them.
Janine K. · Brisbane, AU
Trailer frame looks new
Frame rails were surface-rusted everywhere. Two bottles covered the whole thing with enough left over for the tongue and jack.
Tom V. · Hamilton, ON
Simple to use
Shake, brush, wait. No mixing, no strong acid smell like the jelly products I used before.
Ricardo M. · Houston, TX
Bought the 5-pack, no regrets
Fence posts, patio furniture and a mower deck off one bundle. Ordering the workshop pack was cheaper than buying singles twice.
Ellen S. · Portland, OR
Reviews shown are illustrative sample copy while we collect verified customer feedback.
Buy with confidence
Nothing to lose but the rust
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30-day guarantee
If RustGuard™ is not right for your project, contact support within 30 days for a refund of the product price.
No grinder needed
Brush-on chemistry designed for pitted, hard-to-reach rust where abrasives cannot get a bite.
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Step 1 — Choose your bundle
One bottle covers about 55 sq ft. Treating a whole vehicle, trailer or roof section? Most people need 3 or more.
Free tracked shipping unlocked
Most projects use more than they expect — the ×8 pack drops you to $9.00/bottle (you pay $11.00 now).
Step 2 — Pay your way
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- 1Pay securelyCard or wallet — takes under a minute.
- 2Confirmation emailReceipt and order number sent instantly.
- 3Tracked dispatchPacked in 1 business day, 3–7 business days to United States.
“Ordered the 5-pack, treated the whole trailer frame and still had a bottle spare.”
Tom V. · Hamilton, ON
“Arrived tracked in five days and the brush kit saved me a trip to the store.”
Dale R. · Tucson, AZ
Reviews are illustrative while verified feedback is collected.
Why the gel format exists, and what it costs you
The point of a jelly is cling. A liquid acid runs straight off a vertical surface and does its work on the floor; a thickened gel stays where you put it for the fifteen to thirty minutes the reaction needs. On a vice body, a bench top or a cast bracket, that is genuinely useful.
The cost of that cling is everything that comes after. Gel does not evaporate or absorb, so it has to be physically removed — scrubbed with a brush, rinsed with water, and often neutralised. On a workshop item over a sink that is two minutes. On a car sill, rinse water runs into the cavity behind the panel and sits there rusting the metal you were trying to save.
There is also the matter of area. A tube of jelly treats a small patch. Working across a gate, a trailer or a roof section, you are buying tube after tube and scrubbing every square foot by hand, which is how a weekend project becomes a fortnight.
Cost, effort and outcome side by side
| RustGuard™ converter | Naval jelly / acid gel | |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanism | Converts oxide into a bound primer film | Dissolves oxide, leaves bare metal |
| Removal step | None | Scrub, rinse, often neutralise |
| Water required | Tool cleaning only | Full rinse of every treated area |
| Flash rust window | None | Hours — prime the same day |
| Reaches pit floors | Yes, it wicks in and cures | Only where the gel makes contact and stays wet |
| Coverage per unit | ~55 sq ft per bottle | Small patches per tube |
| Cost on 100 sq ft | About $30 of product | Typically several times that |
| Leaves you ready to | Topcoat after 24 hours | Prime immediately, then topcoat |
Rinsing is the deciding factor more often than chemistry
Ask one question before choosing: where will the rinse water go? If the answer is a drain you are allowed to use, or a yard where it does no harm, jelly is on the table. If the answer is into a chassis cavity, a door bottom, a wall cavity, a garden bed, a pond or a storm drain, the jelly route is either wrong or expensive to do properly.
This is why the two products divide so neatly by object rather than by rust severity. Bench-mounted, detachable, hoseable items — jelly. Vehicles, gates, roofing, structural steel, farm equipment, anything with seams and cavities — converter.
It also explains why professionals often carry both. The jelly handles the few nasty concentrated patches where a scraper cannot get purchase, and the converter handles the acres of surface rust and pitting where rinsing is impossible.
Using both in the right order
- 01
Scrape and wire-brush
Remove loose scale everywhere. Neither product works properly under flaking material.
- 02
Gel only the thickest rust
Apply to the concentrated patches, respect the stated dwell time, then scrub.
- 03
Rinse hard and dry fully
Any acid residue left behind interferes with conversion and can undermine your topcoat later. Allow hours to dry, not minutes.
- 04
Degrease the whole area
Including the freshly stripped patches. Water should sheet off the surface, not bead.
- 05
Brush converter over everything
Stripped metal and remaining surface rust alike, so the panel ends up under one continuous film.
- 06
Cure 24 hours, then topcoat
Paint the whole panel, not just the repair, so there is no visible or chemical seam.
Safety notes people skip
Phosphoric acid gel is more aggressive than a water-based converter, and both deserve respect.
- Nitrile gloves and sealed goggles for gel work — splashes off a scrubbing brush travel
- Protect surrounding paint, masonry, aluminium trim and glass from acid runs
- Never mix an acid gel with bleach, alkaline cleaners or another rust product
- Ventilate: acid mist in a closed garage is unpleasant and lingers
- Neutralise and dispose of rinse water responsibly — not into a storm drain
- Do not apply either product to hot metal in direct sun; let it cool first
Where each one runs out of road
- Neither restores perforated or thinned metal — that is welding or a patch
- Neither works on aluminium, stainless, copper or brass corrosion
- Jelly is impractical anywhere rinse water cannot be controlled
- Jelly leaves bare metal, so an unfinished job flash-rusts overnight
- Converter needs existing rust; on clean metal it is only a primer
- Converter is the wrong product where the finish must stay bare bright metal
Shipping to Australia
- Tracked delivery Australia-wide, typically 7–14 business days.
- Listed in USD and billed in USD; your bank converts to AUD at checkout.
- Free tracked shipping on bundles of 3 bottles and above.
- 30-day money-back guarantee from the date of delivery.
Frequently asked questions
Can I put RustGuard™ straight over naval jelly residue?
No. Rinse and dry first. Acid residue interferes with the conversion and can undermine your topcoat.
Is naval jelly more aggressive?
Yes. It is a concentrated acid gel — protect skin, eyes and any surrounding paint or masonry.
Which is cheaper for a large area?
The converter, comfortably. Gels are priced for spot work.
Does either fix rust holes?
Neither does. Holes need welding, a patch panel or replacement.
Can I brush RustGuard™ straight over naval jelly residue?
No. Rinse and dry first. Residual acid interferes with the conversion and can undermine your topcoat months later.
Which is stronger on thick rust?
The gel dissolves thick localised rust faster. The converter handles a far bigger area and reaches pitting on surfaces you cannot rinse.
Do I need to neutralise after naval jelly?
Follow the product's instructions, but as a rule yes: rinse thoroughly and confirm the surface is dry before doing anything else.
Is naval jelly safe on car panels?
On accessible outer panels with careful masking, yes. Near cavities, seams and door bottoms the rinse water becomes the problem.
Which is cheaper for a gate or trailer?
The converter, by a wide margin. Gels are priced for spot repair, not square footage.
Does either stop rust coming back?
Only under a maintained topcoat, and only if you also fix whatever was holding water against the metal.
Keep reading
- Rust converter for iron and steel that leaves a paint-ready surface — AustraliaAustralia: Brush RustGuard™ onto rusted iron or steel, convert the corrosion and topcoat in 24 hours. Bundles from $24, free shipping on 3+.
- Rust remover, or something that stops rust for good? — AustraliaAustralia: Looking for a rust remover? Learn when stripping rust is right, when converting it is smarter, and how RustGuard™ saves hours of sanding.
- Rust converter vs rust remover: which one your job needs — AustraliaAustralia: Side-by-side comparison of rust converters and rust removers: chemistry, effort, cost, flash rust risk, and which to use on your job.
- Rust converter vs rust-encapsulating coatings — AustraliaAustralia: Encapsulators seal rust under a hard film; converters change the rust chemically. Compare prep, cost, repairability and best fit.
Last step
Ready to stop the rust?
Tracked delivery Australia-wide, typically 7–14 business days. 30-day money-back guarantee.