I recently bought some Rust Bullet Automotive rust converter to do a couple of areas on my wifes car. I used my smaller Devilbliss HVLP gun with a 1.0 tip, but I am not very pleased with the way it sprays out. It seems to lay down rough, like a bunch of little pimples. I tried some different fan patterns and fluid and pressure changes but did not see much of a difference. The directions said I could use a 1.0 - 1.7 tip, but maybe a larger tip would work better? I had to sand it down, used 220 grit, but ended up sanding through it in one spot, so I had to reprime it. It doesn't seem to be as hard as I thought it would be, or I should of used a finer sand paper.

Any one have experience spraying this stuff and any good tips on it?

Also the stuff is hard to clean out of the gun. Directions say you can use acetone to clean, but it doesn't really seem to touch the stuff.

 

The stuff is hell to get out of the guns. Best thing to use is paint thinner, and do it QUICK. I use an el cheapo gun just so that I don't ruin a $300.00 hvlp gun. I don't know the tip size, but it is the $60.00 gun that you buy at Lowes, and it sprays great. If you are getting bubbles, I would say you have water in your air.

 

Also, RB warns about stirring it, or you will get air...so i would think you need to take extra precautions when spraying....

 

Its not air bubbles, it more like very small dabs or kind of spits it. I was carefull when I stirred it to not introduce air to it. The directions say not to use paint thinner which is why I used the acetone. I may not of had enough pressure, do you remember what pressure you were spraying it at. I have about 50 feet of rubber hose so I know I am getting some pressure loss. I need to get a pressure gage to put in at the base of the gun. The cheap gun might be a good idea.

How long have you guys used it and has it been exposed to the winter weather, like snow/salt environments for very long?

Thanks again.

 

I

've had it on my rear diff and axle for a few months is all....plan on doing the wheel wells, basically using it as a primer, this winter.

 

It sounds like it's not thinned enough or there's not enough pressure at the gun. Or both. Either way, it's not atomizing properly.

Ditto on the cheap 2nd gun.

 

My pressure was set right between 60 and 70 pounds, more than you would normally use, but it is a thicker product to try and spray. This is the gun I used with great results.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...SCG&lpage=none

Works wonders, and it is not a big loss if the gun gets ruined. I see that you say you primed the surface. RB was designed to be the primary surface coating and really does not do a whole heck of a lot other than look shiny if there is a sub-coating. It specifically states in the RB website to check a sample on previously coated areas first becuase on certain coatings RB will exhibit a cracked look and may also exhibit "lifting". That may be your problem. I have been playing with RB a lot lately and the area where it seems to work best is the least likely. I sprayed the frame of my project truck truck with degreaser, and then pressurewashed it with a 3000 psi pressure washer, no other prep whatsoever. Once the frame was dry, I hit it with the recommended 2 coats of RB and then flat black. BLEW my mind the difference. I also sprayed the cab floor becuase the carpet had gottend wet and the original paint had bubbled. There was no rust, just primered metal. I used a wire wheel on a right angle grinder and buffed the whole floor prior to applying the RB. I found that the areas were the paint originally bubbled, after buffing and then RB, it adhered satisfactorily. In areas where some of the original paint remained, there was actually some of the checking that was described on the RB website. These areas I hit harder with the buffer then some 100 grit sandpaper and the next application went satisfactorily. After all of that, I sprayed about 4 cans of rubberized undercoating all over and thus far, both the frame and the cab floor seem to have held up quite well.

 

I did us RB as the primary primer, it is that I was trying to us the pressure they recommended and it did not atomize very well and ended up bumpy. So I sanded it to see if I could smooth it out and ended up going through to the to the metal in a spot. At this point I was fustrated with the product so I had a spray can of Sherwin Williams primer and redid that small spot with that. Next time I will try a higher pressure to see how it sprays. I did sand the paint where the RB would go on with 100 grit sand paper. Hopefully the area will last for 3-4 years, long enough to pay the car off. I am hoping to do some work on my ranger, so I would like to get it figured out before I butcher that. The clean up is the biggest pain with using it.

Did you guys wait the 2-3 hours between coats? Also Miker67, you said you only sprayed 2 coats, I think the directions say three to get the correct thickness, is that true?

 

RB website says you need a minimum of two coats, but to do as many as you need to achieve the proper thickness in terms of "mils". I sprayed in the afternoon, let it sit overnight and then re-coated. For me, 2 to 3 hours would be rushing it a bit it is super humid here in Louisiana, so it takes everything longer to dry, you might be able to get away with it.

Copied from RB website:
It is critical that at least two coats of Rust Bullet be applied, dry film thickness (dry coat thickness) of 3 mils each (0.003 inches or 0.076 millimeters). For comparison purposes, 4 mils is approximately the thickness of one sheet of standard paper. It is particularly important that the first coat be generous enough to soak through the rust to the steel or iron underneath. A second coat of Rust Bullet must be applied to completely seal the first coat; this cannot be done with any other paint or coating material. Rust Bullet recommends that the coverage in mils be a finished dry film thickness of 3 mils applied two times equaling a minimum of 6 mils finished dry film thickness. Optimum drying time between coats is approximately two to four hours. Applying Rust Bullet in overly thick coats could cause small bubbles to form in the coating as it starts to cure. Carbon Dioxide gas is released during the curing process and may become trapped in an overly thick coat. Several thin coats applied in a crosshatch method (up and down, side to side) will produce the best results. When applying additional coats of Rust Bullet the previous coat of Rust Bullet should not be wet or tacky; if you are unable to transfer Rust Bullet to a gloved finger then it is safe to apply an additional coat. When applying Rust Bullet over existing paint or primers that can not be scraped off, it is very important to rough up the surface with 100 to 150 grit sand paper, sanding sponge or scuff pad prior to the application of Rust Bullet. This also applies to a previous coat of Rust Bullet if 72 hours have lapsed between additional coats or the application of a topcoat. For heavy industrial or marine use, a repeated coating of Rust Bullet to achieve a total dry film thickness (DFT) of 12 mils is required. Any shortage of material may limit Rust Bullet's effectiveness. For maximum rust prevention, ensure corners, edges, and heavily pitted areas are adequately coated. The final coat of Rust Bullet may be topcoated after 24 hours with almost any paint if a different color is needed or desired. Cure time varies based on relative humidity and temperature of the surface: 80% in 4 hours, fully cured in 72 hours. When applying Rust Bullet, it is recommended that the air or surface temperature not be below 35oF (2°C) or above 110°F (43°C). Ideal application temperature is between 50°F (10°C) and 80°F (27°C) with humidity below 90% to ensure proper drying.

 

I read the 3 coat minimum when using HVLP guns in the application, here is the section on it

HVLP SPRAY:
HVLP may be used as well, 20-50 pounds with a 1.0 to 1.7 tip. Rust Bullet® Automotive (Silver Label) is formulated slightly thinner to flow smoothly through HVLP automotive finishing guns and produces a finish comparable to Powder Coating. It is best to use a gravity feed HVLP. Three coats of Rust Bullet® Automotive should be sprayed two to three hours apart using the HVLP system to achieve the recommended dry film thickness.

Note: When spray equipment is idle for more than 15 minutes, it is necessary to resume painting or flush with solvent. It may be necessary to lay tip of sprayer in solvent to keep from curing.

My little gun has the 1.0 tip so I probably should of tried more pressure but next time I will try my bigger one.

 

I've used it twice now and have not been able to get it to lay flat. Followed directions to a T and it produced a rough surface on bare metal. If you get pin ***** like roughness it's probably from having it too thick or not letting a coat flash before recoating. I had that in a couple of spots. According to RB it's CO2 gas trying to escape from a prior coat. When I top coated with single stage and then clear and ended up with a case of orange peel that would make Florida jealous. Now I'm new to painting and thought I just didn't get the right feel for it. I wet sanded the whole cab and only got down as far as the RB in a couple of spots. Resprayed the urethane and clear and it came out fine. Well for me any way. I just hope it keeps the rust away.

 

They weren't pin holes, it just did not spray out of the gun very evenly, I will try to up pressure and maybe use a gun with a larger tip.

 

The truck is already white ,that helps..1984 F-150 , 300-6, 4 SPD, std Cab, 8 ft bed. Wanting to refurbish and clean it up. Want presentable, and mechanically sound. To be NICE , but not an UNUSE-ABLE SHOW ROOM PIECE..RUST BULLET looks like farm tractor enamel..A wet gloss..have scrapes and scratches all over .The scratches have surface rust. But will wet sand down with 320 wet/dry black 3M TO CLEAN METAL..Hear so many issues about spraying this stuff .And you can tell that FARM TRACTOR ORANGE PEEL WILL BE YOUR GUARANTEED END RESULT ! So I am not buying all that spray equipment again. Stuff I had went everywhere in last 40 years in moving & divorce,etc.. So #1 = sand the spots down .Brush on Rust Bullet , let dry 24 hours , try to level it with more 320, recoat , REPEAT...THE TRUCK WILL LOOK CLEAN...But honestly ? I will tape off a section at a time and use WHITE ENGINE PAINT from a spray can..It may look LIKE WHITE CAMO if you get up on it and start NIT PICKING & SCRUTINIZING..But it's my truck , it ain't for sale at no punk give a way price.. But am sure plenty of buttheads will be pissed because they won't be getting it...Your friends will tell you : " Yeah dat sucka cleaned up puddy good " ! Rust Bullet ( white shell ) white engine paint ...truck is already WHITE . SO will work out fine..