Keeping rust in check

[IronRat]

I found a Front & Rear bumper for my '51 Bel Air. I had no front, and he rear is in better shape than mine. The bumper is pitted & has some surface rust and that will work just fine as it is.

My concern is how to keep the rust in check where we are today. My initial thought is to sand down the back side of each bumper and put a liberal coat of Rust-Oleum on the backside.

But what about the front?

 

[Yankee Transplant]

keep it waxed ?

 

[IronRat]

keep it waxed ?

Not Wax to keep it Pretty/Shinny, was to preserve the metal.

Wax* or Oil work on on firearms, & knifes to keep them from rusting.

*.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_Wax

 

[lowbuckrats]

Clean 'em real good with a brillo pad and let dry. Then put Penetrol on the heavily rusted spots. I've used it on my last 2 cars bumpers and some of the pitted pot metal. I thought it worked good for me. Got the Penetrol suggestion on this site for patina preservation on the body, but also found it works good on chrome too.

 

[Dirtyrat]

I sand blasted the insides of the bumper I'm using on the rear, primed and painted it...
The shiny side I have not done anything with, but I agree a little wax or other water displacement product will keep it at bay for a while...

 

[IronRat]

Clean 'em real good with a brillo pad and let dry. Then put Penetrol on the heavily rusted spots.…..Got the Penetrol suggestion on this site for patina preservation on the body, but also found it works good on chrome too.

I just did some reading on Penetrol. I'm going to give it a try. Thanks for the Tip.

 

[Flipper_1938]

Do you want it to look rusty? ..but just don't want it to rust completely away?

Just wash it with water.

 

[Yankee Transplant]

There are two things in life where penetration is really important .....and one of them is welding.

Yes-sir-eeeee I agreeeeeeeeee !!!!!!!!

 

[IronRat]

Do you want it to look rusty? ..but just don't want it to rust completely away?….

It's basically looking like you would expect a 63 y.o. bumper would look on a car that is driven. I'm good with that, I don't care about the little rust, pitting here & there. But, I do understand If I don't do something that rust will not stop where it's at today.

 

[IronRat]

Found this product, "Black Star"

http://www.mrochem.com/BlackStar-Rust-Converter_p_16.html

Sounds like a good idea. Has anyone tried this stuff?

 

[05snopro440]

There are usually several spray-on rust converters in the paint aisle of your local home improvement store. I'm not sure on their performance compared to that one. I've had mixed results myself but if you closely follow the directions it should work well.

That one says you don't need to paint over it but I would.

 

[IronRat]

I agree on painting over it on things like brackets. I'm think maybe this might work better than Penetrol. I do think I would take a wire wheel to the rust areas prior to trying either product.