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Sun Dec 16, 2012 11:00 am

Just to let you all know to avoid Eastwood Rust Converter I used this crap on my kit car floor pan and a 356 pan. the chemical they sold me actually pronmoted rust under the coating, and it the top coat ever gets scratched, the rust will form very fast.
What the instructions say was to top coat the rust converter as soon as the converter dries, I did that. But I left a test sample of metal un-coated. and it rusted like crazy within a few days, it was as if it was attacked by salt water! Horrible red deep pitting rust.

Well it turns out the converter is acidic, and that acid remains active if exposed to moisture (hence they warn yo to top coat right away. Of course the converter does suck up moisture while it is drying, so even if youi top coat it ASAP, you still got active acid under the top coat. scratch the top coat and the acid will re-activate and corrode rapidly and creep under the paint.

I calle deastwood about it, the sales guy admitted that there was a problem (seach of Eastwoods customer forum found many instances of rust forming under the new top coat) Each time eastwood gave a different excuse.

They never did help me out, I spent $100's with them, and they sold me crap that they knew had a problem. They continued to sell this stuff.

I did multible experiments (I am a trained Chemist) and found that Eastwoods rust converter is acually a rust promoter.

Do not use this on you car.

also thier chassis black paint takes forever to cure, it is even slower to cure when exposed to the acid based converter.

Basicaly Eastwood is selling cheap chemicals, they have no effective testing or quality department.

If you paint you own car, buy your re-finishing chemicals from an autobody shop supply store, not a cheap rate tool company. Brands like PPG, 3M DuPont, etc... have spent $100's of millions on research and testing, their products work.

Eastwood chemicals are just cheap crap, not worth your labor using. Eastwood may be great for cheap chinese made tools (but so is harbor frieght) but there chemicals and coating are pure junk. Eastwood's handling of the costomer complaints was near criminal as they kept selling this junk dispite them getting reports of failures.

Sun Dec 16, 2012 5:46 pm

bluebus86 wrote: But I left a test sample of metal un-coated. and it rusted like crazy within a few days, it was as if it was attacked by salt water! Horrible red deep pitting rust.

Well it turns out the converter is acidic, and that acid remains active if exposed to moisture (hence they warn yo to top coat right away. Of course the converter does suck up moisture while it is drying, so even if youi top coat it ASAP, you still got active acid under the top coat. scratch the top coat and the acid will re-activate and corrode rapidly and creep under the paint.

Interesting - I got very similar results that I haven't had a chance to post. Initial test results were good - but when I applied a coat and left it for 2 weeks (inside my shop - the victim was a snapon cabinet that leaked acid flux inside it so I replaced about 1/2 of the bottom...) the treated (lightly) rusted areas got worse, and the bare metal areas I coated turned rusty!

otoh I used it on a (typically rusted since it was installed as shipped - bare) master cylinder, let it sit overnight and POR15ed over it and so far so good. but it's only been two months... ;)

Mon Dec 17, 2012 7:20 am

Sorry to hear about the unsatisfactory results, but I must chime in...

Rust Converter is meant for heavy, scaly-type rust. It chemically NEEDS dry, medium to heavily rusted areas to convert or "curee". Otherwise it will never cure. If you spray it over damp, clean, or flash rusted metal it will not work correctly. Also, the product DOES need to be top coated to seal it after curing. The suggested process is to use rust converter on dry, heavy, scaly rust (after knocking loose rust off), then sealing with rust encapsulator (use encapsulator alone on light to medium rust), then top coat it as desired (chassis black, color coat, etc).

We have more detailed instructions about how to apply and where to use the product under the "application" tab on the product page on our site. We also show how the step-by-step process in the video on the product page.

http://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-rust-converter.html

Sorry again you guys had a bad experience. Shoot me a PM and I'd be happy to get you a credit for the product or other cans to replace those used.

Regards,

-Matt/EW

Mon Dec 17, 2012 7:11 pm

Matt, appreciate the reply.

Quote: Rust Converter is meant for heavy, scaly-type rust. It chemically NEEDS dry, medium to heavily rusted areas to convert or "curee". Otherwise it will never cure. If you spray it over damp, clean, or flash rusted metal it will not work correctly.

So that's definitely not described anywhere useful. The blurb on the main product info just says:

Quote: converts rust into a protective polymeric coating that's ready to go as a primer, and is compatible with most top coats.

And the bottle says:

No where in the application instructions does it say "do not use on non-rusted or lightly rusted steel"

I think the bottle label should be updated to include the actual application instructions, as you mentioned buried on the "Application" tab of the website. Or at the very least add a "please refer to http://this/is/a/permenant/url for more extensive application instructions."

No one is going to remember to go dig into a overweight and slow website to look up usage on a product that has a label attached to it that already tells you how to use it.... and I'd venture to say that few people even find that piece of the website. And Santa forbid one orders out of the catalog or gets it as a gift.....

For everyone else, here's the -real- application information:

Quote: Eastwood Rust Converter will convert areas only where rust is present. If there is no rust present, there will be nothing for the product to react with and adhere to. You will only see it convert rust in the areas where rust is present.

The surface should be clean and dry before application of Rust Converter. If moisture is present or the surface is damp, it can cause the product to dry milky white or not adhere to surface.

When preparing the surface, it is important not to take it down to the bare metal. If this occurred, a metal primer is needed in place of the rust converter. To prepare the surface, remove loose particles of rust and debris with a wire brush or rag. Remove any grease, oil, or salt residue using PRE. Please note that any residue left on the surface will interfere with the adhesion of the product.

Eastwood Rust Converter should be stored in a cool dry place, protected from freezing or temperatures above 100 degreesF. Optimum results are obtained when the surface temperature and the product are between 50 degreesF and 95 degreesF. Do not apply if the surface temperature is below 50 degreesF as it will take longer for the product to react and form a hard surface. This can also cause the product to dry milky white or not fully adhere to the rust. If the temperature of the surface is significantly higher than 95 degreesF, it can cause some of the components to evaporate too quickly and interfere with adhesion.

Application — It is important to apply a thin coat first and allow it to dry before applying a second coat. Allow the surface to cure for 48 hours and protect it from moisture, rain or dew. On thick areas or deep encrustations of rust, it is important to wire-brush these areas to as level to the surface as possible without removing all the rust. The product will absorb into deep rust, leaving little product on the surface, resulting in rust bleed-through if not properly prepped.

I've got a few test spots on appropriately crusty sections under the bus from when I was doing the MC - I'll be curious to check these out next time I get it up in the air...

Tue Dec 18, 2012 10:37 pm

Eastwood Company wrote: Sorry to hear about the unsatisfactory results, but I must chime in...

Rust Converter is meant for heavy, scaly-type rust. It chemically NEEDS dry, medium to heavily rusted areas to convert or "curee". Otherwise it will never cure. If you spray it over damp, clean, or flash rusted metal it will not work correctly. Also, the product DOES need to be top coated to seal it after curing. The suggested process is to use rust converter on dry, heavy, scaly rust (after knocking loose rust off), then sealing with rust encapsulator (use encapsulator alone on light to medium rust), then top coat it as desired (chassis black, color coat, etc).

We have more detailed instructions about how to apply and where to use the product under the "application" tab on the product page on our site. We also show how the step-by-step process in the video on the product page.

http://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-rust-converter.html

Sorry again you guys had a bad experience. Shoot me a PM and I'd be happy to get you a credit for the product or other cans to replace those used.

Regards,

-Matt/EW

PM Sent.