Rust Bullet Application

[Broke84]

Just got a quart of Rust Bullet in the mail. Hopefully this stuffs quality is better than their customer service. Took 8 days for delivery ($8 postage) and they haven't answered any emails. Oh well, couple of questions for those of you who have used it.
The instructions say not to use it over paint, but later it says that if you use it over paint, to sand w/ 150 grit first. I've got old paint on the floor. Some of it peeled off when I went over it with a steel brush to remove loose rust. Will this peeling paint make the RB peel later? Should I grind it down to metal first?
I've seen a lot of posts about doing a liner over RB or Por 15, but no definative answers. I plan on Herculining over the RB. As long as I put it on w/ in 72 hours, it should be ok right? Any real-world experience?
Thanks, and sorry for the long first post.

Ken

 

[Broke84]

No ideas? Think I'll go over the whole floor w/ a wire brush on a drill and see how well that cleans up. Just dont want to go through the trouble of putting on 2 coats of RB, 2 to 3 coats of Herc and having it peel.

 

[ryoken]

haven't used that but plenty of POR15... i'd go at it with some 80 on a DA and rip as much paint off as possible.

 

[mrpoorboy]

how about an update? i plan on doing the exact same application procedure. hopefully your experience will answer my questions also. thanks.

 

[Broke84]

I got a wire brush for my 24 V drill and plan to rip up as much paint as I can. I get these huge ideas, looking at all the great rigs on this site, but have to keep it in perspective. I've got less than 2 grand in this truck, and it's a toy. I just want it to be drivable and fun. I've gotta think that 2 coats of RB and 2 to 3 coats of Herc will keep for a few years anyway. I'm taking some time off next week to work on it. I'll send updates and pics as I can.

 

[4wheelin4Jesus]

Ive used it before. I have to agree with you, the customer service aint so hot. It is a pretty cool product tho. But, I have to say after using it, that I would do things differently next time. I called the company, and asked if I should grind the paint to the metal. The lady said no. She said that all I needed to do was to make sure any rust chips where taken off. She also said that if the surface had clearcoat on it, that the clear coat needed to be removed. She said that was all i needed to do. She said that the rustbullet would bond thru the existing paint, and chemically convert the rust, and form a barrier. Now, I said all that to say this. I think that the product is a good product, and I will use it again. However, before i apply the Rustbullet, I will prepare the surface much better by sanding it pretty heavily.

 

[Broke84]

Phase I complete
So the wire brush on the drill worked like a sqare bowling ball. It got some of the paint off, but not much. The PO who painted the floor left 6 or 7 large globs of paint that I had to scrape off with a razor blade. Then I just went over the whole thing with 100 grit, blew it out w/ the shop vac, and cleaned with acetone. Aside from the prep, the job wasn't that bad. The RB went on very easilly. Tomorrow I'll patch the remaining holes in the floor and start w/ the Herculiner. Since the RB doesn't fully cure for 72 hours, I wonder if I still have to go through all the scuff, clean stuff before applying Herc? Any opinions? Couple of lessons learned:
1. Contrary to what seemed logical to me, putting your brushes in a bucket of water between coats will not keep them soft. 4 hours later, I'm ready to apply coat #2 and I've got 2 very nice metallic rock hard brushes. Had to do the second coat w/ a 1" brush.
2. Acetone should be used in a well ventilated area (hey, I thought it was going to rain, so I left the top on.)
3. It's hard to tell where you've painted when you're on the second coat. Wear nitrile gloves, and I'd suggest long sleeves on a shirt you don't mind staining.
I'll post pics when I figure out why my computer won't let me.
More to come tomorrow.....

Cheers,
Ken

 

[Broke84]

Nice how the RB goes with the grey interior the PO was going for, too bad it'll all be black tomorrow.

 

[Broke84]

After...
Sorry, can't figure out how to resize the first one.

 

[Broke84]

1st Coat of Herc Complete

Went on ok, the crappy roller that came with the kit fell apart halfway through the bed. Had to finish with a brush. May want to have an extra roller or 2 on hand if you do this. I scrubbed the Rust Bullet down with the green pad that came in the kit, not sure if it did any good, but I wanted to make sure. Then I cleaned it all with more acetone, masked everthing off and started lining. The first coat took about 2 hours, prep included. Here's one shot of the first coat. The second pic is an observer I had, thought it was cool, I've never seen a mantis up close.
Funny, my wife came home at lunch and said she didn't like it, said it was "prettier" with the RB.

 

[Broke84]

2nd coat finished

I think I'll leave it at 2 coats. I put the second on pretty thick. Definately have some extra rollers! The second one tore up before I even finished the cab area. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the combo. We'll see how it holds up. Completed pics to come tomorrow.

 

[mrpoorboy]

looks great. how much of each product did you buy? thanks for the updates and pictures. anyother helpful hints would be great. thanks

 

[vtblazer]

Can the rust bullet be sprayed on?
Then just painted over?

 

[Broke84]

Sorry this took me so long, I was going to post pics, but I've gone back to driving the truck daily, so it's getting messy. Anyway, so far I love the combo. Cant say I've abused it, but I think it looks great and I've gotten nothing but compliments.
I bought the gallon kit of Herculiner and an extra quart. This was enough to do 2 coats on the entire floor with a little left over. I suppose what was left would have done the tailgate as well, but I elected not to do that part. I bought a quart of Rust Bullet, that was enough for 2 coats plus a little left over.
I suppose Rust Bullet can be sprayed on, but it's thin enough that it brushed on pretty easilly. It cures in 72 hours, so after 24, I just went over it with the blue pad that came with the Herc and laid the liner on top. Here's a list of supplies and general steps I took:
1 gallon Herculiner kit
1 quart of Herculiner
1 quart of Rust Bullet
Bag of 12 nitrile gloves
Roll of painters tape
About 4 - 6 paint brushes (go cheap, you'll throw them away after)
Get extra short rollers, the ones that come w/ the Herc suck, they'll fall apart and you'll have to finish the job w/ a brush.
Steel / wire brush and 150 grit sandpaper
Acetone / MEK / denaturated alcohol - your favorite cleaning solution

Use the steel brush to scrub away any loose rust, then go over the entire floor w/ 150 grit.
sweep up any loose dirt, then clean with acetone (wear gloves.)
Paint Rust Bullet on, wait 4 hours, do another coat.
After 24 hours, prep the floor again w/ the blue scrub pad from the kit and acetone.
Mask off anything you don't want painted and fill the bolt holes w/ a rolled up piece of tape.
Follow directions in the Herc and apply the first coat - wait 4 hours apply again.
Pain in the a$$, but well worth it in my opinion.

Seriously, get extra rollers, you can't just "paint" on the Herc w/ a brush, you have to dab it on for the texture. Not fun when you have to do the whole bed that way, and you can see the difference if you're looking for it - not as uniform. Also, wear some clothes you don't mind throwing out, you will get some on you. If you can stand it, wear long sleeves.

 

[Blue85]

1. Contrary to what seemed logical to me, putting your brushes in a bucket of water between coats will not keep them soft. 4 hours later, I'm ready to apply coat #2 and I've got 2 very nice metallic rock hard brushes.

I'm pretty sure this stuff is moisture-cured, so yeah, that would set them up pretty quick!

 

[noahrob]

OK, i knwo this is an old post adn the dude that wrote it hasn't been around for a long time, but if anybody has any insight...it will be appreciated. This is the whole "what do I coat my interior" with question....and this dude did exactly what I was thinking, but the more I read the more I'm leaning towards Rust Buleeting the whole inside, and just leaving it like that...I read the review in the tech seciton and follow up article (thanks), but that was for the under carriage and I am looking for info on teh interior and how well it lasts....