Protecting patinated parts with clear coat

gmtfd

Devout Dirtbag
I've found that Evapo-Rust is great for getting rust off steel parts where the paint has rubbed away, but also that the rust tends to reappear pretty soon afterwards! I'm a fan of patina so I don't want to repaint my parts (oo-er). I was thinking about spraying them with clear coat. I was wondering if anyone has tried doing this?
 
Clear coat generally doesn't bond well to bare metal, it needs a base coat to stick to.

There is a product available in Australia called Easy Phos which is a clear phosphate coating to protect bare metal. Car builders use it to protect bare metal while they get the panel gaps and other fabrication sorted ahead of painting.

https://www.oxytech.com.au/easy-phos

Not sure if there is a similar product available in the UK. Surely there would be.

Otherwise, Penetrol is often used by hot rod guys to protect patina on rat rods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frg_lLBoLmk

Few options, but rattle can clear isn't one of them. :)

Grumps
 
Thanks Grumps, I hadn't thought of looking at what car people are doing. Will definitely research that further. Do you know if bare aluminium is any different from steel? I've seen plenty of people polishing up aluminium frames.
 
Not sure - most of my experience has been in restoring cars so I'm good with paint and steel and not so much on aluminium. There are some spray on clear coatings for intake manifolds (Eastwood, I think) though I've only used it on cast al and not high polished stuff.

I think with al the better option is clear powder coat but it does result in some of the shine being dulled - but has the advantage of not needing polishing all the time to maintain the shine.

Have also seen some wax polishes leave a protective residue that is effective.

Grumps
 
Morning, yes this is a problem I’ve come across, the best answer I’ve found is to use a product called MAAS it’s a concentrated metal polish with tarnish/corrosion inhibitors.
I rinse the Evaporust parts first with petrol, not water (as per instructions) then dry with a heat gun, then apply MAAS.

I promise you it works


Ps. If you are specifically talking about protecting paint rust work on frames, then I think the most practical thing to do is use a high quality car wax as at least you can remove this and make subsequent rust repairs in the future. Clear coating it will just make this more difficult
 
I'd go with a wax or one of the above sealant products. I think a permanent coating has about an equal chance of just trapping rather than preventing rust, case in point, not many factory clear over 'raw' steel bikes resist corrosion for long even in ideal conditions, and at least with an oil or wax finish you can wipe it off and clean it up if/when corrosion becomes visible again.
 
Re:

To be honest, I've never done the 'museum conservation' version of it.

But, I've cleaned and rattle can lacquered some frames and forks over the years.
Fully understanding the limits and effectiveness of it.

Most recently I cleaned, teased loose paint off of, then coated some rockshox.
Of course, half arsed but, gave the desired result. Just two coats of holts'

I'm content with the level of protection.
 

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Peachy!":v8036xxq said:
I rinse the Evaporust parts first with petrol, not water (as per instructions) then dry with a heat gun, then apply MAAS.

I promise you it works

Thanks for the tip Peachy. I am now the proud owner of a big tin of MAAS. Looking forward to seeing the results when my current project makes contact with the elements (not for a while I fear).
 
gmtfd":xoogqivw said:
Peachy!":xoogqivw said:
I rinse the Evaporust parts first with petrol, not water (as per instructions) then dry with a heat gun, then apply MAAS.

I promise you it works

Thanks for the tip Peachy. I am now the proud owner of a big tin of MAAS. Looking forward to seeing the results when my current project makes contact with the elements (not for a while I fear).

Looking forward to it...
 
Re:

Oily rag? Protects, does no harm, quick and easy.

Always a bit of a tricky one - I think accepting that decay is inevitable and that "patina" is an ever-changing thing is sensible. Slow it down by caring for your machine, but don't sweat it. Just because rust never sleeps doesn't mean you shouldn't either.
 
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