Hello,
The builders have left me with an untreated angle iron above the garage opening. What is the best way of treating/painting this? Can I just use some hammerite or is there a special product for this.
Thanks,
Graham
Hammerite, or red iron oxide primer, or underseal.
Undrseal (say Waxoyl) is probably the most likely to last. You used to be able to get zinc powder-in-paint primers too.
Anything except Hammerite.
A red oxide primer is probably best (any decent paint shop, not expensive), but make sure it's real oxide primer, not just brick-red paint. Finnegan's (the Hammerite people) brown one is quite good, although overpriced.
Coat over this with a decent quality gloss, of your favourite colour.
Alternatively a cheap one-coat solution is to paint it black with a black bitumen paint - Screwfix sell a cheap one, intended as a primer under roofing felt. Cheap and very handy stuff.
Thanks for the replies, what about Galvafroid? Anybody used this?
Graham
I've used it on small bits of iron/steel that are outside. It does seem to stop things rusting but is expensive, dries quickly and is quite a soft coating even when fully dry.
Not sure what people have against hammerite. provided you make absolutely sure that there are no tiny bubbles that will leave a hole in the paint film it works very well. I did the hinges of our gates with two coats of smooth black hammerite the best part of ten years ago, those are just starting to look a bit weathered but the metal is still fully protected. Another set of hinges that the smithy who did the welding on them painted (only one coat) have tiny little spots where there were bubbles. Still not big bubbly rusty places though.
It might be worth having a google back looking for agricultral enamals, tractor paint or some other combination. I remember those sort of things being mentioned in the past as being at least as good as if not better than hammerite but cheaper from an agri merchants.
They key is apllication, with hammerite the maximum time between coats before you have to wait a long time is quite short. Read and follow the instructions. B-)
Zinc primers are great (Davids 182 is a good one, but buying the _heaviest_ own brand in a real paint shop is often cheapest and best).
Zinc primers exist for thin sheetmetal, where any corrosion is a real problem, owing to the risk of perforation. If you're just dealing with thick angle or girders, then you don't care quite so much, so you can use a cheaper primer that's effective, but not _quite_ that effective.
Hammerite has several problems:
Yes .. works very well!....
Off topic - I recently bought some straight to metal white paint in Wickes to touch up some rusty radiators and was amazed to find that it was water based, how does that work?. Then I saw some nano technology silicone based masonry paint that claimed to be self cleaning. New technology - it's amazing! or is it bollocks?
In message , Andy Dingley writes
The older I get, the more I seem to use epoxy primer. I first used it 25 years ago in the bilges of the boat, but since then on all sorts of surfaces and it usually seems to work extremely well. I've just recently put some on my old rubbish trailer's metalwork. The Hammerite was coming off in sheets.
My understanding of it is that
Epoxy small molecule size means it bonds well Solvent makes it flow well, yet it has a highish build It's a chemical reaction so it turns into an impervious "plastic" sheet. Although it's a primer, it can also be left as the top coat unless it is in direct sunlight.
The snag, of course, is that measuring and mixing the two parts is a major pain.
I had thought it was expensive until I had to buy some "ordinary" white top coat recently. That just showed that my idea of prices was hopelessly out of date.
The problem is the finish is not smooth (name sort of gives it away) and at the dimples is just a very thin film .... and although I have used Hammerite many times on many jobs, that is it's problem ... water breaks down this very thin film.
Worst example is on boat trailers ... 2 heavy coats of hammerite (exactly as per directions) Use trailer in water and within one or 2 launches there are laods of rust break through spots, and this is no more water than heavy rain storm would put on an external item.
I'm guessing that finish gets small cracks due to thermal exapansion of metal, and water get at metal through these cracks, then rust breaks through as the water then does not dry off, and is trapped under the hammerite.
Smoothrite seems better IMHO
Hammerite has several problems:
I contacted the manufacturer they advise you should NEVER spary hammerite as it will not apply sufficient thickness in a coat ..... I wanted to spray boat trailers with it .... Finnegans absolutely against that. They state clearly brush finish only.
Off topic - I recently bought some straight to metal white paint in Wickes to touch up some rusty radiators and was amazed to find that it was water based, how does that work?. Then I saw some nano technology silicone based masonry paint that claimed to be self cleaning.
find it on same shelf as everlasting lightbulb, and sealed -for-life bearings.
Which one do you recommend?
'Tis if you choose the variety that has final "smooth" rather than "hammered" finish. B-)
Hammerite is brand name covering several different but related metal finishing products. But I agree the hammered finish does leave thiner, weaker areas in the paint film.
Not sure that really exists. The tins of paint that produce the smooth finish have "Hammerite" enblazened across the top with "smooth" across the center of the shield like logo/label.
In message , Newshound writes
The one I've been using is Jotun Penguard Primer. The stuff that has lasted 25 years in the bilges of the boat was developed and made by a company in Liverpool, whose name I can't remember. It was white and promoted for hospital and food preparation surfaces.
They were bought by Jotun and the Penguard range seems pretty close. My wife hospital volunteered with the wife of one of the chemists who developed the original paint. I think he was retired (happily) as part of the takeover, and he thought this was close enough in grey. We also happen to have an agent for Jotun fairly near who are OK as long as you don't want them to produce a specific colour of top coat from their mixing machine. They are an engineering supplier, so I don't think their heart is really in decorative paint.
I buy the 4 + 1 litre packs.
Jotun have a website with a huge range of datasheets - I think the relevant one is (wrap permitting - I've forgotten again how to stop this)
I have used Smoothrite ... it does not give a hammered finish ... but also not a flat finish.
I need to correct this .... I followed up with Hammerite Technical, they now do support spraying.
"product can be sprayed through a conventional or airless spray; ensuring the paint is thinned with 15% brush cleaners and thinners."
Maybe as they are now owned by ICI they are changing stance.
Was that specifically Hammerite brush cleaner and thinnners or something else?
ICI hasn't existed for nearly four years since they were taken over by AkzoNobel. I have tins of Smoothrite and their metal primer bought in the past couple of years that carry the ICI logo though!
Interesting that emails disclaimer and Finnegan's webs site shows they are part of ICI along with Dulux, Polycell & Cuprinol ..... yet email address is akzonobel. When I did my business study module ... ICI was seen as the benchmark in UK ... if they were doing well, so was everyone else.
The thinners is the specific Hammerite Thinners / Brush Cleaner .... not sure what this is, but has a great smell.
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