Rust Treatment

[danny_barkley]

I have a bathtub that has rust pretty bad around the overflow drain. Thought I would ask here about the best way to arrest it's development.

I have the overflow cover off and am going to grind the rust off.

When I am down to bare metal, what's the best way to stop the rust and seal it?

 

[PCustoms]

The bathtub, or the drain?

Sounds like you need to have the porcelain re-done...

 

[66Caprice]

Try CLR. It's in the cleaning section at all the stores.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=clr+clea...f=pd_sl_6le0az4siw_e_p67&tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[danny_barkley]

The bathtub, or the drain?

Sounds like you need to have the porcelain re-done...

It's the edge of the OVERFLOW drain. I removed the cover and the edge of the hole I don't think was sealed after the hole was cut for the overflow. Both tubs in my house are defective in this regard.

I want to gring the rusty edge down and seal it. Is there something better than Rustoleum?

Here's a pic of an overflow

 

[danny_barkley]

Try CLR. It's in the cleaning section at all the stores.

Amazon.com : clr cleaner

I'm not trying to clean it. I need to grind out the rust and seal the metal.

 

[PCustoms]

It's the edge of the OVERFLOW drain. I removed the cover and the edge of the hole I don't think was sealed after the hole was cut for the overflow. Both tubs in my house are defective in this regard.

I want to gring the rusty edge down and seal it. Is there something better than Rustoleum?

Here's a pic of an overflow

I still can't tell if your fixing rust on the OVERFLOW or on the tub where it mounts...

If the fitting/fixture is rusted, just replaced it. Paint is not going to hold up to bathroom cleaning

 

[danny_barkley]

I still can't tell if your fixing rust on the OVERFLOW or on the tub where it mounts...

If the fitting/fixture is rusted, just replaced it. Paint is not going to hold up to bathroom cleaning

You drill a hole in metal. You don't treat the edge of the HOLE. The edge corrodes.

It's the edge of the hole.

I need to grind the edge of the HOLE down and seal the metal.

 

[PCustoms]

You drill a hole in metal. You don't treat the edge of the HOLE. The edge corrodes.

It's the edge of the hole.

I need to grind the edge of the HOLE down and seal the metal.

Your use of capitalisation comes across a little rough...

Since you appear to have some rust in a porcelain tub, my initial response still stands

Sounds like you need to have the porcelain re-done...

 

[danny_barkley]

Your use of capitalisation comes across a little rough...

Since you appear to have some rust in a porcelain tub, my initial response still stands

I used the capitalization to try to be clear and it ain't workin'

It is not a porcelain problem, it is a rust problem. I need to grind it out and stop it, then put the cover back. I don't know how to be clearer than that...

I only know about Rustoleum. My question is: is there something better for stopping rust after it's ground off? I can Dremel off the edge of that hole, but I have to seal the metal to stop it.

 

[rooster59]

Use Naval Jelly (brand name) + steel bristle toothbrush. Then which ever coating is appropriate.

 

[danny_barkley]

Use Naval Jelly (brand name) + steel bristle toothbrush. Then which ever coating is appropriate.

It's the coating at the end I'm most interested in. The Naval Jelly is a blast from the past, I'll store that in my memory banks as well. Need a sealant though.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

There is small jar of paint meant to repair porcelain sinks and tubs. Maybe double the size of the old Testors model paints I used as a kid. I bought some not too long ago from Canadian tire.

 

[danny_barkley]

I can't seem to make myself clear here.

I don't care about the Porcelain. I am only concerned with the metal and to effectively stop the rot. Disregard that this is a bathtub.

I got a hole in metal,

it's got a rusted edge

I'm gonna grind off the rust

How do I seal the bare metal edge.


If I don't stop it, this will cause a bathroom renovation

 

[yhprum]

1. Grind out the rust. A slight chamfer will make the final paint more durable.
2. Treat the rust, with
a.) some type of acid (preferred), or
b.) rust converter
3. Apply coating to the treated surface. Prime end epoxy paint is best.
4.) keep an eye on it. Redo as required.

It looks like this won’t be visible once the cover is reinstalled? Any rust stains on the porcelain can be removed with Oxalic acid, such as wood bleach or deck cleaner. CLR may work too.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Por-15 might work pretty good here

 

[danny_barkley]

1. Grind out the rust. A slight chamfer will make the final paint more durable.
2. Treat the rust, with
a.) some type of acid (preferred), or
b.) rust converter
3. Apply coating to the treated surface. Prime end epoxy paint is best.
4.) keep an eye on it. Redo as required.

It looks like this won’t be visible once the cover is reinstalled? Any rust stains on the porcelain can be removed with Oxalic acid, such as wood bleach or deck cleaner. CLR may work too.

Thanx!

Prime and Epoxy paint better than Rustoleum?

2a) Some type of acid? The Naval Jelly above would do that right?

 

[danny_barkley]

Por-15 might work pretty good here

I have some of that around here that I never used.

 

[Wubicon]

Rust neutralizer: Give new life to rusted metal

Rust neutralizer is the solution for renewing metal surfaces. It’s easy to use and less messy than you might imagine. Get the facts here.

www.loctiteproducts.com

Someone mentioned Naval jelly - I think that's for heavily rusted areas, but same concept. When the product dries, you have a metal surface that is ready for prime and paint. Experimenting with it, I applied some to a rust spot on my Jeep's fender (surprise rusty Heep!). If you don't prime/paint/seal the metal again, it will just start rusting again. Eventually. But interesting product though.

 

[Burt Shaver]

I would take the bathtub out, take it to a welding shop have them cut out the rusty part and weld in a new piece, then spray, bake in a kiln and when you put it back together put some clear silicone around it so water doesn’t infiltrate again

 

[CraigStu]

I am thinking that a real 2 part epoxy is what you need. Might be a good idea to look for a marine product since I think they would be more likely to be somewhat water resistant. I'd mix it up and apply w/ a modeler's brush. Probably 2 coats. I see you are in FL so check for West Marine stores or their website. Their website usually has some good tech info on various choices in a product line. BTW the old school naval jelly might have an advantage here. It is somewhat of a gel vs the modern ones I have seen which are a thin liquid. Thinking it might not be a good idea for an acid type product to be running down the inside of your tub.

 

[Lynden]

Have you Googled for a solution?

rust around overflow on cast iron bathtub

rust around overflow on cast iron bathtub (Google Images)

I have the same problem on my 62-year-old cast iron bathtub. The rusted area is about 1/2" wide around the overflow hole. About 1/4" of the rusted area shows when the chrome cover plate is installed on the hole. I'm an old bachelor so seeing a little rust doesn't bother me; however, if I were to try to repair it I would use POR-15 and then paint the repaired area with white Rustoleum.

https://www.amazon.com/POR-15-40909-Gloss-Black-Stop/dp/B077J66P27/?tag=atomicindus08-20

(also available in gray)

Amazon.com: POR-15 Patch Filler and Seam Sealer, Ultimate Filler Adhesive, 4 Ounces, White

Amazon.com: POR-15 Patch Filler and Seam Sealer, Ultimate Filler Adhesive, 4 Ounces, White

www.amazon.com

Instead of painting the repaired area you could fabricate a thin white pvc (or stainless steel) circular trim ring which fits around the hole under the chrome cover plate and covers the POR-15. The trim ring would be glued to the tub with white adhesive caulk.

 

[yhprum]

Two part epoxy paint will be better than rustoleum.
The key to making it a durable repair is the prep. All rust must be removed before any primer is applied. Naval jelly will probaly work ok . If you cover it with cling wrap it will work better too.

And of course, let’s see some pictures!

 

[scooby074]

Grind rust. Apply porcelain repair paint made for just this job

 

[danny_barkley]

I would take the bathtub out, take it to a welding shop have them cut out the rusty part and weld in a new piece, then spray, bake in a kiln and when you put it back together put some clear silicone around it so water doesn’t infiltrate again

There's the catch. Only way to get the bathtub out means ripping out the tile and that means ripping out the three walls. So at that juncture the tub goes with the demo debris.

I didn't know this before, but bathtubs have about 3-4" of metal turned up and tiled over. That's how they keep water intrusion at bay.

If I could get the tub out easily, I'd toss it. The tubs installed in my house had defective coatings. One is holed all the way thru because it's not my tub, so it was out of sight out of mind till it was too late.

The one I'm looking at now is a guest bath, so other than dog baths hasn't been used much. After having one with a massive hole in it, I've decided to attack this one and try to save it. The one with the hole I am converting to a shower after demo'ing the walls, etc.

 

[danny_barkley]

I got one tub that is almost this bad like the picture.

The other one is barely perceptible, but is trying to get the rust party started.

When you have one like the pic below, you have a low threshold for nonsense from another one in your house.

 

[danny_barkley]

Have you Googled for a solution?

rust around overflow on cast iron bathtub

rust around overflow on cast iron bathtub (Google Images)

I have the same problem on my 62-year-old cast iron bathtub. The rusted area is about 1/2" wide around the overflow hole. About 1/4" of the rusted area shows when the chrome cover plate is installed on the hole. I'm an old bachelor so seeing a little rust doesn't bother me; however, if I were to try to repair it I would use POR-15 and then paint the repaired area with white Rustoleum.

https://www.amazon.com/POR-15-40909-Gloss-Black-Stop/dp/B077J66P27/?tag=atomicindus08-20

(also available in gray)

Amazon.com: POR-15 Patch Filler and Seam Sealer, Ultimate Filler Adhesive, 4 Ounces, White

Amazon.com: POR-15 Patch Filler and Seam Sealer, Ultimate Filler Adhesive, 4 Ounces, White

www.amazon.com

Instead of painting the repaired area you could fabricate a thin white pvc (or stainless steel) circular trim ring which fits around the hole under the chrome cover plate and covers the POR-15. The trim ring would be glued to the tub with white adhesive caulk.

Thanx for those links, some real answers there for what I'm looking for. Paramount for me is getting the rust stopped, cosmetics are secondary.

 

[danny_barkley]

Here's a pic of the one I am working on at present. That hair belongs to my English Cocker who passed a year ago... This was his bathroom

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I can't seem to make myself clear here.

I don't care about the Porcelain. I am only concerned with the metal and to effectively stop the rot. Disregard that this is a bathtub.

I got a hole in metal,

it's got a rusted edge

I'm gonna grind off the rust

How do I seal the bare metal edge.


If I don't stop it, this will cause a bathroom renovation

See #23

 

[fillister]

Any brand of rust converter
3M is one of many, they all work best if just the heavy flaky rust is removed but surface rust is left as the rust activates the product, top coat with epoxy paint if needed.

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b40071580/

 

[danny_barkley]

Any brand of rust converter
3M is one of many, they all work best if just the heavy flaky rust is removed but surface rust is left as the rust activates the product, top coat with epoxy paint if needed.

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b40071580/

Thanks!

 

[nadogail]

Rather than try to remove rust from the Tub Drain Control, why not just replace it?

 

[danny_barkley]

Rather than try to remove rust from the Tub Drain Control, why not just replace it?

Not sure what you are referring to here. To replace the tub, I have to demo three walls of Rock and Tile.

 

[nadogail]

Not sure what you are referring to here. To replace the tub, I have to demo three walls of RRock and Tile.

 

[nadogail]

Replace the corroded fixtures attached to the tub . Tubs can be refinished with an Epoxy, I have had excellent results using a local refinishing service at two rentals.