Experience of using FERTAN rust convertor ?

[Jamborock]

Hi,

 

Does anybody have any experience or advice with regard to using FERTAN rust convertor.

 

We have bought a 5/6 year old narrowboat and it has some bumps and scraps to the paint work on the gunwales and the rubbing strakes which are showing signs of surface rust, and there are some other areas where the paint has come off and needs attentions.

 

We intend to have a new paint job in the next year or so, but the painters and dry docks near us are booked up for some time into the future so I would like to do something about these areas sooner rather than later.

 

The makers for FERTAN suggest I can wire brush these areas and then apply the solution directly, 24-48 hrs later it has done its stuff and it should be possible to paint directly on top of whatever is left and get everything rust protected again.

 

As I will be doing this lying on the pontoon and stretching to reach the boat this solution sounds ideal, especially as without being able to get a dry dock I don't think trying to use a power tool to sand off the rust is at all sensible - I will at some point drop it :-(

 

If anybody has used this successfully and has any tips I would appreciate your views, also if anybody has had propblems with this product.

 

Thanks,

 

David

 

 

 

 

[onionbargee]

does what it says on the tin in my experience, which is minimal.

[NB Lola]

We used vactan then Hammerite direct to rust to and inc the gunwhales, is fine so far and bonds well over the vactan areas. I suppose fertan must have similar properties to vactan - no expert here though

[Starcoaster]

I have used Fertan within the last fortnight and got on ok with it.

I would say that you need to follow the instructions properly, particularly when it comes to making the surface slightly damp and repeating this an hour after application. After my first go with it (following the instructions) went ok, I got slap dash and didn't bother with wetting it the next time, and lo and behold, it didn't convert the rust.

Lesson learned.

 

(BTW also it says that the dust residue can be easily rinsed off, i found I had to use a brush with the water to get it off totally, but that's a small thing.)

I have also used Vactan and found that worked too, but unlike Fertan (which rinses off the non rusty areas) wherever you slap the Vactan on, it dries and stays, over paint etc. Consequently Vactan looks messier than Fertan when finished, but I don 't suppose that matters as you're ultimately going to paint over either product with something else.

Edited May 28, 2013 by Starcoaster

[alan_fincher]

Don't know if I got a bad batch, but I once tried Fertan, and it absolutely did not do what it said it would.

 

It claimed that after converting any surface rust, (which it probably managed), that it would then form a layer that meant it did not to be immediately over-painted to prevent re-rusting, (I think it even said it could get wet when drying!).

 

It dried, but got rained on once it had, and when I returned next day, the whole area, was completely rust covered, and no use at all. (I knw it had been thoroughly coated, and directions properly followed).

 

I didn't like Fertan at all, and from my experience Vactan is by far the better product.

I have also used Vactan and found that worked too, but unlike Fertan (which rinses off the non rusty areas) wherever you slap the Vactan on, it dries and stays, over paint etc. Consequently Vactan looks messier than Fertan when finished, but I don 't suppose that matters as you're ultimately going to paint over either product with something else.

 

That's certainly not what I read should be the case though......

 

Fertan® Rust converter is applied to metal to destroy rust, protect the surface and act as a primer for any finish coat.

 

 

and

 

Fertan® Rust Converter was designed to be the best converter and remover of rust to provide an object suitable for overcoating. Fertan® will also provide resistance to further rust for up to 12 months without painting (environment dependent).

[Starcoaster]

Sorry, what I said came out wrong, I meant the painted areas alongside of the rust patches, not the bare metal itself. It treated all of the bare and rusty metal and turned them all black, and then left a dusty residue on the paint that it touched, which washed/brushed off.

[JDR]

I always found Fertan very effective and acts very quickly, I'd be surprised if it wasn't fully cured within 24hrs. In contrast I find Vactan to be very temperature sensitive to the extent that I would now personally only use it in mid summer.

[Biggles]

I have used a similar product on my boat and it has completely fecked my finish with microscopic microblisters. How do I know this is the problem? It's only blistering where its been used. Areas around it are un-blemished.

 

Get some Phosphoric acid which is the active ingredient and then prime as usual.

 

I am considering legal action against the supplier.

[Speedwheel]

Use phosphoric acid. A fraction of the price and you can get a much stronger solution. Can be bought on ebay.

[Kwacker]

Vactan is doing exactly what you want done for my boat and has been for the last 2 odd years, I don't bother to paint over it.

It is just holding any small patches of rust at bay until the boat goes for a full repaint.

I don't think any of the rust patches I've treated have broken out again. Active ingredient is Tannic Acid, not Phosphoric.

 

In my experience, it is far superior to Phosphoric acid as a temporary fix, as it does not require significant rubbing down or to be covered with Hammerite or suchlike

[GinaQ]

I am taking my boat out of the water to black it this weekend and have some ( what appears to be) surface rust on the hull above the water and finale and am trying to work out whether it is sufficient to sand it off to the metal and just paint over it and not use fertan....does that seem the best course? As long as the metal underneath is shiny?

[blackrose]

1 minute ago, GinaQ said:

I am taking my boat out of the water to black it this weekend and have some ( what appears to be) surface rust on the hull above the water and finale and am trying to work out whether it is sufficient to sand it off to the metal and just paint over it and not use fertan....does that seem the best course? As long as the metal underneath is shiny?

 

I don't think you'll get into the pits with a sander. Mini angle grinder with wire wheels is better and it won't remove good steel. Don't forget leather work gloves, ear defenders and most importantly eye protection.

[Bod]

Remove loose rust, apply Fertan, as per the instructions, as per the instructions, it takes longer than you might think.  A spray bottle and sponge work well, be sure to get it into the bottom of all the pits.

 

Bod

[Richard10002]

3 hours ago, Bod said:

Remove loose rust, apply Fertan, as per the instructions, as per the instructions, it takes longer than you might think.  A spray bottle and sponge work well, be sure to get it into the bottom of all the pits.

 

Bod

 

I have always used Vactan, because you paint it on and leave it to dry. My recollection with Fertan is that you have to rinse it after coating and leaving it for a while - seemed to introduce an extra opportunity for damp to be involved.

[Bod]

Yes, which is why I said read the instructions.(twice)

 

Bod

[CompairHolman]

Massively over used product which a fair proportion of the users on boats are just wasting their time and money, it has a specific use in industry but it's not a miracle product you need to coat everything in. It's another boat owners fad probably stoked up by waterways magazines who get a bung for promoting it.

[LadyG]

On 22/04/2021 at 18:59, CompairHolman said:

Massively over used product which a fair proportion of the users on boats are just wasting their time and money, it has a specific use in industry but it's not a miracle product you need to coat everything in. It's another boat owners fad probably stoked up by waterways magazines who get a bung for promoting it.

Which is the best product, then? 

[MarkH2159]

So there you are sat in the marina with a nice shiny boat, happy because you have temporarily covered up the bumps and scrapes on the hull with whatever rust conversion application and paint etc.

Unless the boat remains in the marina looking nice (as many do) then the bumps and scrapes, especially on the rubbing strakes will likely be back after the first few locks, quickly followed by the rust.

If it is indeed a tempoary patch up then use Fertan, Vactan, Phosphoric acid or any other proprietry rust treatment, slap on some paint and get out there.

[CompairHolman]

14 hours ago, LadyG said:

Which is the best product, then? 

For what?  The best solution for rust is to remove it then paint it with an oxide primer onto the bare steel, the oxides must be in contact with the steel to inhibit corrosion, if you use rust converter it no longer is.