What rust treatment?

[Vickie]

Hi all,

I've recently bought my first narrowboat and she needs a few touch ups. She has some pretty bad rust in one area and I've been trying to research the best treatment. So far I've seen 'Fertan' and 'Vactan'. Can anyone recommend which is best and why or any other products that may be of help. 

Many thanks.

Vickie

[dmr]

Where is the one bad area? does it have good access and how big is it?  If you can take it back to bare steel and use a primer then that is 1000 times better that using "rust treatments".

 

Send us some pictures, pictures are good.

 

..............Dave

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, Vickie said:

Hi all,

I've recently bought my first narrowboat and she needs a few touch ups. She has some pretty bad rust in one area and I've been trying to research the best treatment. So far I've seen 'Fertan' and 'Vactan'. Can anyone recommend which is best and why or any other products that may be of help. 

Many thanks.

Vickie

Vactan gets my vote. No need to rinse hence quick and easy to use. Spots on our roof have held good for a few years now. Also gas locker.

[blackrose]

6 hours ago, dmr said:

Where is the one bad area? does it have good access and how big is it?  If you can take it back to bare steel and use a primer then that is 1000 times better that using "rust treatments".

 

Agreed. I'm not a fan of rust converters. I used Vactan in the past and it seems to be increasingly popular amongst narrowboaters these days even on areas where there's good access. It's best to get the rust off completely, use a good primer and do the job properly in my opinion. My neighbours are taking areas back to rust-free steel and then using Vactan. I can't see the point of that.

 

I have a feeling that the tannic acid part of Vactan that converts the rust isn't bad, but the water based polymer carrier/coating that's supposed to be a base for the next coat of primer is rubbish and doesn't last. At least it didn't last when I used it. 

Edited August 3, 2019 by blackrose

[Chewbacka]

I wire brush, but not too much or you start polishing the steel so the paint does't stick so well, then a wipe over with Fertan, leave for a day, and wipe off with a wet cloth.  I have been using Fertan from time to time since the early 1980's - back then it was old cars, and they would be very rusty by 10 years old.

[BEngo]

Another vote for Fertan.  Get as much obvious rust off as possible, then follow the instructions carefully.

 

N

 

[Troyboy]

I've always used Vactan no need to wash off after use and easy to paint over . 

[Johny London]

I use Fertan. It appears to work very well, in so far as it soon turns any rust black, you wipe it off with water and it dries and looks promising. Then a good primer Isopon zinc seems the best you can get these days.

However, only time will tell how effective it truly is.

[Tony Brooks]

Remember Fertan requires a minimum temperature for it to cure properly and possibly  a lot longer in cooler conditions than some may think. I found it OK on vertical surfaces but an absolute horror on horizontal ones. It seems to create black dust a sit works and this needs removing/washing off along with any uncured Fertan. On the well deck floor it proved impossible to get it  ready for primer and even when I thought I had some of the primer still lifted. because of the "dust". I eventually scraped it all off and redid it with what I suspect is repacked and rebranded Vactan because Vactan seems only to be available online. All good two years on. (I think I used Kurust but several similar products are available locally. Remember Vactan needs storing in a frost proof environment so I like to buy small quantities fresh each spring.