How to use rust converter, step by step

What you need

Nothing exotic — most of this is already in the shed.

• RustGuard™ Rust Converter (see the calculator below for quantity)
• Wire brush, scraper, and a wire cup brush for a drill on bigger areas
• Detergent or degreaser, a bucket, and clean rags
• Synthetic-bristle brush or short-nap roller, plus masking tape
• Nitrile gloves and eye protection
• Your chosen topcoat, ready for the day after

The method

1. 01

   1. Remove everything loose

   Scrape and wire brush until nothing flakes off under a fingernail. You are not chasing bare steel — you want tightly adhered rust and no lifting paint edges.

2. 02

   2. Degrease and rinse

   Wash with detergent or degreaser, rinse well, and test by splashing water: if it beads instead of sheeting, there is still oil there. Degrease again.

3. 03

   3. Let it dry completely

   Damp pitting or a wet seam will dilute the film and slow the reaction. Give it hours in warm air, longer in a cold garage.

4. 04

   4. Mask what must stay clean

   Good paint, glass, trim, brake surfaces, threads and rubber. Two minutes of tape beats twenty minutes of wiping.

5. 05

   5. Brush on a thin, even coat

   Work it into pitting and seams rather than laying it on thick. The film should look wet and uniform, not puddled.

6. 06

   6. Watch for the colour change

   Rust darkens as it converts, typically within 20 minutes to a couple of hours depending on temperature and humidity.

7. 07

   7. Second coat on heavy rust

   Once the first coat has turned dark and is touch-dry, add a second thin coat to deeply pitted areas.

8. 08

   8. Cure 24 hours before topcoating

   The film needs a full day. Then apply your topcoat within a few days, while the surface is still clean and keyed.

Timings at a glance

The five mistakes people make

• Applying over grease or wax — the film beads and never bonds
• Laying it on thick, which traps moisture and skins over
• Topcoating too early, which blisters the paint later
• Applying in freezing temperatures or on hot metal in direct sun
• Treating perforated metal and expecting the hole to close

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

• Rust converter for iron and steel that leaves a paint-ready surfaceRustGuard™ rust converter reacts with existing rust and leaves a stable, primed surface you can paint. Bundles from $24 with worldwide shipping.
• How to paint over rust properlyPainting straight over rust always fails. Here's the correct sequence — prep, convert, cure, prime, topcoat — and the paints that work over a converted surface.
• Rust converter drying and cure timeColour change, touch dry, recoat and topcoat windows for rust converter — plus how temperature and humidity change every one of them.
• Rust converter coverage calculatorWork out exactly how many bottles of RustGuard™ your job needs. Enter your area or pick a common job and get a bundle recommendation.
• Does rust converter actually work?What a rust converter genuinely does, where it outperforms sanding, and the four situations where it will not help at all.