Treating sheetmetal before storage

[Bruce/CT]

Hi Barners,
I am almost done stripping the paint by razor blade from the body of my 1936 Ford. The pieces are going on a shelf in my basement for a year or two until they are going to be painted.
Any ideas on how to keep them rust-free? I live next to a lake and stream in Connecticut. Not the driest location on Earth.
All suggestions welcome.
Bruce

[Old Henry]

Spray primer paint on them. Even just from a rattle can. Will prevent rust.

[Lanny]

Actually, most Primers are NOT moisture resistant, and will let moisture in the air penetrate it and corrode the metal.
POR 15 makes a product called "Metal Ready" that you wipe on to the bare metal and it protects metal from average moisture in the air. Then a coat of primer helps preseve.













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[mrtexas]

Use Ospho. It is 75% phosphoric acid and makes a protective black coating. It is safe to use and only stings your hand if you have a cut. The local Ace hardware carries it for about $25 a gallon. I've used at least 5 gallons of the stuff restoring parts in the last year or two.

Another way would be to spray with epoxy primer and then 2k that can be sanded.

[19Fordy]

If possible store it in a warm area in your basement. Since you will be storing it for a year or two, epoxy primer is the best way to go and will save you tons of aggrevation later on.

[B-O-B]

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You might check into gibbs oil. www.gibbsstuff.com

[32phil]

Gibbs, I have parts that I sandblasted 4 yrs ago. Sprayed with Gibbs they look as good as if I did them yesterday. Brakekleen or paint thinner takes it off easily, then you can prime/paint.

[TomO]

Don't use rattle can primer, the parts will rust right through it. I would spray them with an epoxy primer as that is what you need to use before painting them.

[19Fordy]

Again, I stress the point that epoxy primer is best. Even with stuff like Gibbs, if a microscopic rust hole develops over time the rust gets imbedded in the "pores of the metal" and will reappear years later after you finally prime and paint it. Buy a cheap spray gun and epoxy prime it. You will be glad you did in two years. Otherwise you will have to bead blast it as i don't think OSPHO will really get the chemical rust residue out of the metal.

[Kurt in NJ]

This hubcap was treated with "Picklex 20" after sandblasting more than 5 years ago, it has hung in an unheated area that got outside drafts, it is easy to work with ---keep the part wet with it for 1 min, wipe dry, blow out corners. ---it is starting to show some small spots of rust in the recent months, but it was never intended to protect the metal for 5 years of exposure

The tape is over patches of original paint saved for color match

If you want to keep the parts totally rust free you will need to use epoxy primer over your cleaned and treated metal.

[joel]

I know many don't have painting equip. or a place to do it , but the best thing to do is PPG DP 40 LF over stripped and cleaned metal. Later when you get to the body, all you have to do if scuff it and recoat it with DP then you can sand, body filler, and even some light "bumping" whenever you get to it. If you farm out the work later, the painter will appreciate the DP as a starting point. JMHO

[Old Henry]

Anyone ever tried this "home remedy?" 1 part Anhydrous Lanolin with 5 parts Paint Thinner. While a brush is often used for application, some people will dip their metals into the concoction. More here: http://www.metalwebnews.com/howto/rust/rust.html