Rust removal and trailer help

[Duckslayer100]

I purchased a used duck boat this weekend and it came with a trailer. Not a boat trailer, but a flat bed with square tubing reinforcement. The guy who owned it is 75 and had more stories to tell than I had time, unfortunately.

However, I really like the trailer. It was painted at one point but has rusted pretty good.

I started going at it with one of those twisted wire cup attachments on my angle grinder. But it's a slow go.

Is that the best tool for the job? I swung by Ace the other day and noticed a ton of different grinder attachments, so I'm wondering if there's something else that may be better to remove surface rust so I can apply a few coats of Rustoleum.

Thanks!

 

[guywhofishes]

unless you get serious you’ll be right back where you started in no time

I’d leave it.

Or consider bedliner.

 

[Duckslayer100]

I'm enjoying the project so far. I actually ground the rust off a couple of the square tubing sections and applied a quick coat of paint to see what it looked like. Seems like it should hold up. Theoretically.

I guess if it rusts out in a few years, oh well. Can't look worse than it does already.

 

[wildeyes]

I stripped everything off a trailer sandblasted it so that no rust was seen looked clean 2 coats of primer 3 coats of paint two years later rust started again. Next boat trailer was galvanized.

 

[guywhofishes]

^^^^ yep, classic scenario

the red metal cancer never sleeps

 

[Wags2.0]

Rust infuriates me. How does it keep coming back? I have an old rem adl .222 that basically spent its life in the pickup, tractor, or combine that gets that weird powdery surface rust. I clean and oil that damn thing a couple times a year even though i hardly shoot it and it just keeps coming back

 

[MSA]

Get the cheap siphon sandblaster (40-50 bucks)from Menards and some sand. As soon as it's blasted, blow off all the dust and paint it with a 2 part epoxy primer, then paint.

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Rust infuriates me. How does it keep coming back? I have an old rem adl .222 that basically spent its life in the pickup, tractor, or combine that gets that weird powdery surface rust. I clean and oil that damn thing a couple times a year even though i hardly shoot it and it just keeps coming back

Hose your guns down with dry silicone spray, comes in an aerosol can at places like napa. Do not confuse with silicone lube in an aerosol.

 

[AaronJ]

Por 15

 

[wslayer]

If you have a good air compressor, DA sander. Plan on doing my trailer soon. Going to use aerosol rubber for the front of trailer after priming.

 

[Auggie]

Rust infuriates me. How does it keep coming back? I have an old rem adl .222 that basically spent its life in the pickup, tractor, or combine that gets that weird powdery surface rust. I clean and oil that damn thing a couple times a year even though i hardly shoot it and it just keeps coming back

Oxygen and 20% of the atmosphere is oxygen.

 

[Stizostedion vitreum]

I did the same to my old trailer three years ago. Already rusting, but better than it used to be.

 

[Duckslayer100]

I don't mind if the rust comes back a bit. This thing is literally all rust. Completely covered in surface rust. But it's structurally sound. So I figure if I can get it down to bare metal and paint, it should be OK for a bit. And if it starts to rust through I'll just keep coating with paint.

I dunno. It's a $75 trailer. I'm not out much for an $8 can of Rustoleum every year or so.

 

[Kentucky Windage]

Sandblasting is your friend IMO. You can hit corners and areas that you can’t get with the wire wheel. I deal with this type of stuff year in and year out. After that, quality coatings if primer/paint. Rattle canning things looks great for a minute. Otherwise, it’s too thin.

 

[SDMF]

I like flap discs on the angle grinder. Good for rust removal and sharpening mower blades without removing too much material.

 

[Allen]

I stripped everything off a trailer sandblasted it so that no rust was seen looked clean 2 coats of primer 3 coats of paint two years later rust started again. Next boat trailer was galvanized.

I have had a galvanized Karavan trailer under my Lund for the past 15 years. It looks like the day I bought it.

Except for the black speckles of paint I got on it from running over a spray can, that shit won't come off without the galvanized surface coming with it.

I already regret not getting a galvanized trailer for my pontoon.

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SDMF is correct, I too like the thin flexible sanding discs slapped on an angle grinder with the rubber backing. They work well for covering large areas in a hurry on projects like this. Then i'd get a small sandblaster for the nooks and crannys that you can't reach with the sanding disc.

Once you get primer on it, I would absolutely go the route of a spray bedliner or undercoating. You can get rattle cans of both at places like Menards.

Note, I did that to the grille guard on my F250. It looked good for a couple years before rust again started showing through. It's now been 5 or 6 years and once again looks like crap.

 

[SDMF]

SDMF is correct, I too like the thin flexible sanding discs slapped on an angle grinder with the rubber backing.

Not those.

These:



Pick the appropriate grit.

 

[pluckem]

To do it right you will need to follow the SSPC-SP 5 White Metal Blast Cleaning or (NACE No. 1) standard. It is a specific standard used to prepare metal for a paint coating. Google it and look at pictures of what a properly prepared surface looks like. It will be a off white in color and have no stains anywhere. Then you will need to look at commercial coatings that will hold up and provide the protection you need.

 

[Allen]

Ah, I've never tried that variety. I can see where those are more of a finesse for painting purposes tho.

This is the variety I use going after copious amounts of rust.

 

[Duckslayer100]

I swung by Harbor Freight (realize it's cheap tools but it was on my way back to work after dropping off parts). Sand blasting would cost a bit more, but I'm sure the end result is better.

I'm not certain my little pancake compressor has enough oomph for the siphon blaster attachment they had ($25). A big bag of aluminum oxide was $45. Assuming I could get by with my compressors, that's not a terrible investment I suppose.

I bought a 60 grit flap wheel for $4 and I'm going to see how well that does. Between that, the wire cup brush and a standard wheel wire brush, I think I can hit a majority of the tight corners.

We shall see!

 

[guywhofishes]

now that you’re serious - don’t forget to wear proper PPE

should only set you back $100 or so

ha ha ha