USING RUST F/X™

Question:

Hi Bill, I bought one of your kits and the methods pdf. [eBook] This may be covered, but I want to be clear. When applying RUST F/X, you say not to rinse it afterwards, I understand that. My question is, do you rinse the steel before applying RUST F/X like you would for the copper or just apply to dry steel? Thank you, Les D

Bill Worden [Answer] <bill@steelf-x.com>

9:24 AM (0 minutes ago)

Hi Les,

You can use it RUST F/X™ on clean steel, and the brightness (finish) of the steel is not important, as long as there’s no mill-scale.

It works best on dry steel, as the capillary action of wet steel is more suited to the other patinas, e.g. COPPER F/X™,

TORCH F/X™, etc.

Spray on the RUST F/X™ and let dry, mist again with the product until you get the color range that you want.

After 2 or 3 misted applications of the RUST F/X™ (sometimes one application is enough), you can re-activate the chemical
reaction/s by lightly misting with water. Not to the point of run-off, though.

Then, it IS important to flush & neutralize with water and dry either with compressed air or sun-dry.

If you’re going to clear-coat, it is important to lightly go over the entire surface with a high-quality tack rag prior to shooting
the clear.

thanks!

Bill

Bill Worden says:

Brad wrote:

“Bill’s advise of “removing oil film before grinding” is the only thing I’m not doing.
Removing the film was not explained entirely thou…..I guess wet a rag in lacquer thinner
and wipe generously by hand. I don’t know.”

Bill’s Answer:

For years, I used lacquer thinner, brake-cleaner (mostly acetone) or pure Acetone to get rid of any oily residue on new steel, especially P&O…but all solvents seem to leave a trace of oil. I now use a formula that is a base (alkaline) that contains no detergents, caustic acids or petroleum distillates. I don’t like my posts to sound like an advertisement for a certain product, but it’s called GRIME GIT’R, and it’s my formula…available on my site. Cheaper than acetone, too.
http://steelfxpatinas.com/shop/supplies/grime-gitr-degreaser-2/

I spray a mist of GRIME GIT’R on the steel, wipe it down well with a clean, disposable shop rag and it’s 100% ready for flap-discing at that point. You can water-rinse & dry if you want, just to make sure there’s no chem left on the steel, but I’ve found that it’s not necessary prior to flap-discing or burnishing.

When using RUST F/X, no further metal prep is necessary, as long as the steel is clean. You will however, get a little different look if the steel surface is profiled with some form of abrasive…my favorite there is the flap-disc on a 4-1/2″ angle grinder.

I also use a FLEX drum sander, which is my “go-to” tool for large pieces. It has an inflatable rubber drum that holds an abrasive roll and it kicks butt! You can also give steel the look of ‘brushed stainless’ with it, or put on a non-woven polishing disc. It’s very versatile, 5 speeds and a real workhorse. I’ve had mine for about 3 years w/ zero problems.

In cool weather, overnight with the RUST F/X is advisable. It also helps to spray a second mist of it after the 1st coating is dry. Do not neutralize until you’ve got the color range that you want. A 3rd or 4th misting of water only will re-activate the salts to keep the rusting process active. Just don’t mist to the point of “run-off”.

In the summer, 30 minutes to an hr. is all you need for the RUST F/X to work well. (Heat is one component of rusting, the other two being oxygen & moisture). We speed up that process by using chemistry, which is the RUST F/X & AUBURN F/X. (RUST F/X is a brownish rust, whereas AUBURN F/X is more of a red-brown rust).

thanks,

Bill 😀

December 22, 2013 at 11:56 pm

1 thoughts on “USING RUST F/X™”

Bill Worden says:
Brad wrote:

“Bill’s advise of “removing oil film before grinding” is the only thing I’m not doing.
Removing the film was not explained entirely thou…..I guess wet a rag in lacquer thinner
and wipe generously by hand. I don’t know.”

Bill’s Answer:

For years, I used lacquer thinner, brake-cleaner (mostly acetone) or pure Acetone to get rid of any oily residue on new steel, especially P&O…but all solvents seem to leave a trace of oil. I now use a formula that is a base (alkaline) that contains no detergents, caustic acids or petroleum distillates. I don’t like my posts to sound like an advertisement for a certain product, but it’s called GRIME GIT’R, and it’s my formula…available on my site. Cheaper than acetone, too.
http://steelfxpatinas.com/shop/supplies/grime-gitr-degreaser-2/

I spray a mist of GRIME GIT’R on the steel, wipe it down well with a clean, disposable shop rag and it’s 100% ready for flap-discing at that point. You can water-rinse & dry if you want, just to make sure there’s no chem left on the steel, but I’ve found that it’s not necessary prior to flap-discing or burnishing.

When using RUST F/X, no further metal prep is necessary, as long as the steel is clean. You will however, get a little different look if the steel surface is profiled with some form of abrasive…my favorite there is the flap-disc on a 4-1/2″ angle grinder.

I also use a FLEX drum sander, which is my “go-to” tool for large pieces. It has an inflatable rubber drum that holds an abrasive roll and it kicks butt! You can also give steel the look of ‘brushed stainless’ with it, or put on a non-woven polishing disc. It’s very versatile, 5 speeds and a real workhorse. I’ve had mine for about 3 years w/ zero problems.

In cool weather, overnight with the RUST F/X is advisable. It also helps to spray a second mist of it after the 1st coating is dry. Do not neutralize until you’ve got the color range that you want. A 3rd or 4th misting of water only will re-activate the salts to keep the rusting process active. Just don’t mist to the point of “run-off”.

In the summer, 30 minutes to an hr. is all you need for the RUST F/X to work well. (Heat is one component of rusting, the other two being oxygen & moisture). We speed up that process by using chemistry, which is the RUST F/X & AUBURN F/X. (RUST F/X is a brownish rust, whereas AUBURN F/X is more of a red-brown rust).

thanks,

Bill 😀

December 22, 2013 at 11:56 pm