CLR ans patina

I did a search and found limited info. While I may paint my car someday, right now I am leaving it the way it is. The original paint that's on there buffs out pretty good, but there are also areas with surface rust. I have read that these can possibly be treated with diluted CLR and then buffed over. I'm wondering if CLR will affect the paint. How about if these areas were wet sanded with ultrafine? Mt thought is that just buffing without some surface prep will eat up my buffing pad.
The first picture shows the way it is now and the second shows an area that was buffed by hand.
Tom

 

There are threads about CLR and removing surface rust, I know that one fella has a long roof that he CLRd and then cleared over it. I think he used lots of water before paint.

it is amazing how much paint can be found under rust isn't it.

I know not much help but maybe someone else that is a painter or paint dealer will have the definative answer for you.

 

dilute it in water and rub it on with a soft towel let it sit for a bit and hose it off after while scrubbing it down with a towel, should get the surface rust off, then take wax and begin the buffing... did a 61 impala this way and the paint buffed out amazing...

 

So, a 3M pad might be a bit much?
Tom

 

Fine steel wool and Gibbs...

 

Less expensively, you can purchase oxcyllic acid or wood bleach. It's in powder form. It'll cost much less than CLR.

 

000 or 0000 steel wool is the best if your going to use this in conjunction... for heavy surface rust id say to use some but dont rub too hard cause it will eat the paint that is remaining off also possibly...

 

Good luck! Let us know how it turned out.

 

I'm not familiar with Gibbs. What is it?
Tom

 

While I have nothing against steel wool one must bare in mind that on a soft surface that bits of steel will become embeded and may show up as little rust spots at a later date.

 

Gibbs is a penetrant/lubricant type spray. It really does work better than anything WD40, PB blaster, etc.. I kept bare sheet metal for almost 2 years on a bike I had with no rust.
Porknbeaner mentioned the steel wool rusting, but I think there is synthetic stuff you can get so you wouldn't have that problem.

 

I've had a can of Gibbs and would like to find another.....It's a kind of penetrant a'la Crc, but with different qualities. It'll do all the things Crc will do but it can be put onto bare metal and will stay active a lot longer than Crc, penetrates better because it doesnt fade away as quickly , I've heard that guys use it on a rag to cover their bare metal rides and if you believe the hype can be painted over later without affecting adhesion.

I have a jailbar cab as a garden ornament and tried it on a totally seized gas peddle shaft (outside of the cab) ...it was working within a couple of days...free as. Dunno what's in it but........

This ain't an advert and I have no affiliation.....just my obs....good shit IMHO.

 

Here's the thread with the long roof (61 Chevy). He doesn't get into what ratio to use, but he has pictures. Go to post # 15.


http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=520460

 

ROST OFF by WURTH works amazing at removing rust and as a rust loosener.i have used many penetrant's in the past and by far this stuff works the best.....smells good too!lol.

it also stays were its sprayed and does not evaporate or get greasy and attract dust and dirt.all the wurth products work amazing at there specified task,cost a bit more then say wd-40 or liquid wrench,but you use much less and the can works right until the last drop is spent.
nothing worse then having 1/2 a can of aerosol anything (paint,penetrant,lube etc) and it carps out and wont spray any more.

i know it does not answer your question outright but its another option.

 

Water and scotch brite work fine without the CLR fumes I have found on my long roof... Try it both ways, I did...

 

amerverick, I got mine on ebay.

 

I guess I have to agree that it works about as well. The CLR didn't really seem to do much.
Tom

 

Great thread, worked a treat on that car. Lots of elbow grease for a great result.

 

I posted some pictures on another thread, but here are a couple of the end result. As I said before, I don't think that the CLR did as much as I thought it would. I think if I did it again, I would go with a fine grit paper and wet sand instead. I would also go with a little more agressive rubbing compund. I used some 3M polishing compund which worked, but it may have gone faster and turned out smoother with something different.
Tom

 

Looks pretty good. Thanks for the info.

What scotch brite pad? There are a bunch.

What grit sand paper?

 

I used a gray Scotchbrite pad (pretty fine) Didn't use sandpaper, but if I did, maybe 500 or finer.
Tom

 

I used 1200 grit on the hood and upper fenders of my '55 Pontiac then compounded them and waxxed them and I was amazed at the paint left when originaly it looked like mostly surface rust.

 

I tried giving my car a CLR bath last weekend with great IMO results. Below are pictures of the results that I got.


This is what it looked like when I pulled it to my house.


This is after two washes with Simple Green and a tire brush to remove a decade of nature. NO CLR UP TO THIS POINT.




Drivers side after a FULL day with 50/50 CLR, cold water (I know I know) and green scotch bright pads. I probably went through 5-7 kitchen sized 3" x 5" pads and 3/4 gallon of CLR to do half the car.

Day 2:
50/50 CLR & WARM to HOT water. I also mixed smaller batches more often to try and lessen the pressure I had to use (my arms were dead Sunday when I started!!) I had to work smarter instead of harder on Sunday. LOL

Passenger side before.


Passenger side after.

I can tell you it worked but it was A LOT of rubbing to make it look like this!! It was nothing like the videos I watched on the net. I had to apply a lot more pressure than I was expecting. Warm to HOT water on day two seemed to work better. Also used more pads on day two which seemed to help as well.

All in all I used about 2 gallons of CLR and 25-20 3" x 5" green scotch bright pads for a total of $50.

 

wow, i'm sure you're happy with the results despite all the work. Thanks for taking the time to post all your steps.
very informative.
I have a buddy with an all original 66 who needs to read this. Cesar

 

Its amazing how much paint you can find under the rust isn't it?

The down side as I am sure that most will find out if they haven't already is that the paint that is found has lost its glaze. The glaze is what makes it water resistant. So it has become porous and to maintain the finish will be a chore occasionally.

I haven't tried it and maybe someone else has, but I wonder if the paint that remains couldn't be buffed out. Maybe burnishing it would seal it back up.

 

I am going to try this.

 

...Be sure to post up some pictures of the before and after.

 

Patina can best be preserved with a grinder and a flexible backing pad fitted with an 80 grit disc.

 

The thread was going great, and then this post ^^^. No emocon? The OP said he might paint it later.

I have used CLR with good results for reviving paint on non auto items.

 

Wear gloves, even with CLR.

Here's an A firewall I cleaned up.