during my first restoration I used some of this gear on some really pitted areas of my bus (rear sills under removable swage cover on the sliding door). I removed as much rust as possible with a wire brush attachment and simply brushed it on. I gave it two good coats and over six years down the line I can see no return of rust whatsoever. I'm half way through changing the colour of my bus and thought it was worth a mention. Cheap as chips too if I remember rightly.
I'm currently using Hammerite Kurust, which is liquid, on my bus. Is Rust Beater a paint? I was going to go for Zinc 182 primer, is this a similar sort of thing?
Rust beater is supposed to do what Kurust does but also act as a paint primer so it can be painted over with hammerite or similar. Having said that Kurust can be painted over too so ...ho hum.
hammerite is cack these days since they took all the "good/nasty" stuff out of it. (a bit like geri halliwell)
I think I'd rather use a rust treater and a primer rather than a combined one. I've read good things about Zinc 182, and the name amuses me. (I assume it's a play on words of the band Blink 182 or I could be completely wrong)
Zinc182 is a reasonably priced zinc primer for clean (not rusty) bare steel. It will not help at all with existing rust.
I have used this on a few areas of the van a couple of years ago Kurust first with wire wool to get rid of most of the nasty stuff then painted over with no1 rust beater Sanded and painted over No complaints and seems to have done what it's supposed to
If you go to a professional paint shop, you can get the trade stuff. Basically a stabilised phosporic acid. The stuff I have is from ICI, but I'm sure lots of pro paint companies do one. Much cheaper and stronger than retail prodcuts. It stinks like rotten eggs and you will feel it if you get it on your skin! You dilute mine 5 parts water to 1 part acid, brush it on, rub it in with wire wool, leave it, add a bit morea and rub in, then wask off with water (I know, feels odd) and dry quickly (I have a towel and paint stripping gun to hand when I apply the water). Then paint as normal. The lighter pitting goes white, the deeper stuff black. The metal is etched ready to paint. I keep my cars a long time, and areas treated with it don't come back to bite you, but the more you work it in, the better it works.