tips on using POR-15

[george101]

Hi All,

I just had some tips on using POR-15, if you are intending to use it to stop rust. This stuff really does work, but I found that some of the instructions that are provided on the can are not really accurate, so wanted to save some trouble, time and $ for you all before you start using the stuff. The first thing that they say is you need to get that metal prep and marine clean stuff, I'd skip that. It doesn't really work. The other thing that they say is that you can just apply the POR-15 directly over rust. I would not do that. The reason is, I did apply it directly over rust, per the instructions, and what happens is sometimes there's a couple layers of rust. If you only apply it to the first layer of rust, then the rust below that first layer continues to eat at your vehicle and before you know it, you have a worse rust spot than you started with. So instead of doing this, what you want to do is take a grinding wheel and get down to bare metal. Then apply the POR-15. This will work well at preserving the metal. It doesn't have to be 100% metal, but get it down as much as you can to the metal.

Another thing that you can do, that I would not recommend is using colored POR-15, such as black, silver, ect. The reason I would not recommend using this is because you cannot check the progress of the rust below the paint. For instance, if you use, say black POR-15 over rust, in a year, you can't check to tell if the rust really was stopped or if it continued eating at your vehicle. What I would suggest you do is apply a layer of clear POR-15 for the first year or so. If after a year (or a couple years) time, it looks like it truly has stopped the rusting process, then you can apply a layer of colored POR-15 over that clear layer. I would say the same thing towards applying a "blocking" layer of paint. POR says that you should put a layer of paint over POR-15 to prevent UV rays from breaking it down. I would not do this until after a year or so. What I would do is:

1. grind down to base metal,

2. apply clear POR-15, wait a year to check progress,

3. if it looks good, you can apply another layer of clear or colored POR-15,

4. then put on a layer of paint (if you want) once you're absolute certain it's good to go. This, supposedly, prevents the break down from UV rays. I haven't seen the paint really "break down" yet, but you can do it as a precaution.

Also, not all paints work well with POR-15. For instance, I sprayed some spray paint that matched the color of my camper, but it crinkled up and fell off. The two didn't match. (oil and water type scenario). You can buy cover up UV resistant paint from the POR-15 site. That's what I would recommend.

These are just some tips or words of wizdoom from someone who has been there, had some headaches, and done that. Just though I'd pass along my suggestions. Other people may have other suggestions, but this is what I seemed to discover from my travels in the world of POR-15 experimentation.

Cheers,

George101