How-To: Prevent flash rust on metal parts
Anytime you get a bare metal surface wet, it will flash rust quickly. Not ideal…..EVER.
I’ve ran into some situation where flash rust was just plain annoying:
- Vapor blasting metal parts (check out my DIY HF plans, and my wood plans)
- Derusting a motorcycle gas tank
- Degreasing an engine block after honing, gasket surface prep etc.
So the answer is pretty simple: treat the water with a flash rust preventer with a product like Holdtight 102. This product removes contaminates and salts from the water not allowing rust to form. Supposedly protects the surface for 2-4 days.
The product is to be mixed in water at a 50:1 or 100: ratio. I found this dilution chart handy.
I plan to use this product as a “last step”, “last dip”, or “wash down rinse”. So after I’m done vapor blasting my part, I will have a separate dip tank treated with 102 and rinse the part in there to protect it. I have also used it in a weed sprayer to do a final rinse on an engine block I was degreasing. Worked mint.
So there you have it. An annoying problem solved easily with a great product: Holdtight 102.
