Metal fences often get rusty over time, especially in harsh winter climates or seaside environments. Instead of repeatedly sandblasting the rust off, workers can opt for the Cortec® alternative of passivating the rust with CorrVerter® Rust Converter Primer.
Sandblasting Challenges
While sandblasting effectively removes rust, the process requires special equipment, can be a worker hazard, and is not allowed in some environments. In addition, a freshly blasted metal surface is a magnet for flash rust, potentially starting a vicious cycle of sandblasting over and over again if the metal fence is not properly treated or painted quickly enough.
CorrVerter® Rust Converter
If sandblasting is not preferred, workers can instead grab a wire brush and a pot of CorrVerter® Rust Converter Primer to get started reclaiming a rusty fence. CorrVerter® is a water-based primer with a low VOC of 0.1 lbs/gallon (12 g/L). It combines chelating agents with a high solids waterborne latex that has extremely low water vapor permeability. This chemistry converts surface rust to a hydrophobic passive layer and deters re-rusting. CorrVerter® changes from white to dark brown/black as it cures and can be top-coated with both waterbased and solvent-based paints.
How to Paint a Rusty Fence
Painters who opt to use CorrVerter® on their rusty fence should first brush off loose rust, rinse the fence and allow it to dry, then apply a 3.0-5.0 mil (75-125 µm) DFT (dry film thickness) coat directly over the remaining tight rust. If desired, a second coating of CorrVerter® can be applied after 20 minutes. For best results, this should be left to dry 24-72 hours and then top-coated with either a water-based or solvent-based permanent coating, such as EcoShield® VpCI®-386 (water-based) or VpCI®-384 (2K solvent-based urethane). Both the primer and coatings can be applied by spray or brush
Sandblasting – Not the Only Option
If your facility has a rusty fence that needs to be fixed up, remember that sandblasting is not the only option. With CorrVerter®, facilities can paint directly over the rusty surface without using special equipment or worrying about blasting hazards. Contact Cortec® to learn about painting your rusty fence.
Keywords: sandblasting rusty fence, how to paint a rusty fence, how to passivate rust, rust converter, rust primer, flash rust on metal, alternatives to sandblasting, Cortec, Cortec Coatings, maintenance tips
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