Dealing with instantaneous flash rust

[EE7]

I am restoring a Craftsman 65334 toolbox from 1973. I have stripped the paint and removed all of the rust through electrolysis. The second it comes out of the water it is immediately covered in rust again. I'm talking within seconds. Someone told me to soak it in phosphoric acid to remove the rust and that it would protect the metal box from getting rust on it again. I did this but the second I remove the phosphoric acid per the instructions for rust removal on the bottle it is completely covered in rust again. What the heck am I supposed to do to get a clean surface to prime? A lot of people say that I have to prime it immediately but there is no way to dry it off and prime it before the rust happens again. It literally takes seconds and its covered again. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ddawg16]

Ya gotta love that high humidity in florida.

I'm willing to bet it wipes right off with a rag soaked in laq thinner.

Regardless, it's not really going to be an issue. Give it a good wipe with laq thinner then shoot with an etching primer.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

That's the down side of electrolysis and also any mild HCL-based cleaners - they will promote oxidation as soon as the steel hits the air. But it's just very fine surface rust. You should be able to wipe that off with 0000 steel wool and WD-40 and then 0000 steel wool and no WD-40 and a rag just before you prime it.

 

[Burn1]

Another recommendation is de-rust/clean metal, wipe dry and spray de-waxed shellac or buy a can and cut it 50% with denatured alcohol so it goes on easier/smoother with a lint free rag or brush.
The key is NOT buying shellac that has wax in it for this purpose. De-waxed version called 'Sanding Sealer'. My Home Depot sells wax free in an spray can in the wood stain aisle.
Then you have sealed metal right away and gives you time to paint it. Most everything sticks to shellac. I find it works great for wood and clean metal.
Burn
Austin,TX

 

[Roberts210]

I pull my pieces out of either the electrolysis tank, or the vinegar bath, wire brush them under running water and then dry them off with paper towels. Yes, there is a small amount of flash rust, but it doesnt' bother anything. If you are concerned about it, 3M used to sell a phosphoric acid/denatured alcohol metal treatment that had no water in it. That stuff worked great to get rid of flash rust.

 

[EE7]

Thank you all for the help. I really appreciate it.

 

[Shelbylex]

I take my tools from Evaporust and immediately wash them under running hot water and use manual brush to complete cleaning. Then I immediately dry pieces with paper towel and once I am done dry them with hair dryer to make sure no water is left.

 

[TailGunner3000]

I've had good success using a Scotchbrite pad soaked in mineral spirits.

 

[BFBOB]

I favor electrolysis, but have used other methods. Flash rust is a problem with all. I've found the best way to get it dry quickly is compressed air. Hit it with a blowgun right after the rinse.
In a humid environment, it'll still rust, but in minutes or hours, not seconds. That will give you time to apply one of the coatings mentioned above.

Even a hairdryer or heat gun won't do the job as quickly as compressed air.