I notice a lot of vintage engines and machinery are being displayed and sold these days that look a bit like brownish-red blobs of oozing, greasy rust. They remind me of that rusty old camp frying pan and BBQ plate that has been wiped down with oil in preparation for a BBQ. This seems to be mainly due to the popularity of a product called INOX. There is another one that is supposed to be safe on rubber surfaces called LANOX, although INOX is said to be safe on rubber too, despite the fact that it contains petroleum.
I don't know what others think about such products, but I find the sight of a rusty engine all coated in "greasy stuff" very off-putting. The product is supposed to stop rust in its tracks. But I wonder how it can. Surely this would be akin to painting over rust with rust-proof paint? The oxidation process may be halted temporarily, but the rust will still be there. In the case of INOX, I am sure the rust patches and spots would become imbued with the stuff and therefore become "softer" over time. I would suspect that with repeated applications, this deep softening effect could even contribute to or hasten part failure. (?)
I am sure these products have pros and cons. Although the company claims its product is safe on rubber, I personally would not recommend it. The best thing to do with old rubber is to just leave it alone. But if people really want to give it a "fresh" look, without causing it to perish and crumble up like mince, the only safe option is 100% pure Lanolin. But beware! The modern so-called "Lanolin" preparations like you buy at the pharmacy often contain petroleum products, so I would err on the side of caution when considering these. You can still buy pure 100% Lanolin online and from some specialty shops. Don't bother asking in your local grocery store or chemist for it, as they probably will not have even heard of it. Lanolin has been replaced by a multitude of modern moisturizers and skin conditioners, composed of a huge number of chemical concoctions. Lanolin often forms just a small part of their ingredients. The real stuff should smell a bit like a shearing shed. If it lacks that distinctive shearing room floor aroma, then chances are it is not pure Lanolin. LOL!
As for rusty bolts and nuts and the like, after cleaning them down I sometimes use a small amount of Kopr-Kote on a rag and rub this well into them. I find the rust never returns and there are no potentially damaging effects.
I'd be interested to hear what others think about the various "conditioning", "rejuvenating" or "preserving" anti-rust products, such as INOX.
Personally I prefer to see a vintage engine that has either been fully cleaned down and painted, or left alone to show the real vintage patina and that includes the spots of rust. I just don't like the appearance of a rusty engine that looks like it has been soaked overnight in a tub of pig fat in order to "preserve" it.
Also, these products are often spoken about in hallowed terms as if they are a permanent fix. Surely they are only temporary solutions at best and will, depending on use and exposure to the elements, require repeat applications over a long period of time. And this makes me wonder if the long-term effects are fully known (like years or decades into the future)? Could these kinds of "quick fix" remedies eventually lead to greater problems in future?
Personally I prefer to see a vintage engine that has either been fully cleaned down and painted, or left alone to show the real vintage patina and that includes the spots of rust. I just don't like the appearance of a rusty engine that looks like it has been soaked overnight in a tub of pig fat in order to "preserve" it.
G'day vint-mow and Norm
This is an important topic - and I feel it should be moved to Tech Talk - because this is a technical question about long-term preservation of goods and the best way to preserve patina.
Maybe Glo Mod Gadge has some specialist advice here?
Many thanks for asking the question. ---------------------------- Jack
I've never been all that keen on fish oil, mainly because the cans always seem to stop spraying when they are still half full. Maybe I have just been unlucky? But it tends to be a "sticky" product I find, and of course makes things smell a bit like the Tuna fleet has just arrived in port. lol!
I guess there is nothing like a nice dry shed with a cement floor to keep metal from rusting, but of course oxidation still occurs, just a lot more slowly. I seem to find a lot of vintage mowers with rusty handlebars, mainly because the usual practice "back in the day" was to store mowers under the corner of the house.
I have never used fish oil in a spray can so I wouldn't know how well that works, I usually buy a 4 liter container of it, lasts me years. . It is not the fact that mowers were stored under the house the problem comes with condensation even in a dry shed falling onto the upper surface of the thin chrome and then it starts rusting. Many old motorbikes suffer the same fate the upper surface of the chrome, mufflers,handelbars , bottom of the rims where the chrome is facing up all suffer this fate.
I meant corner of the house, not right under the house. When I was a kid most of the houses where I lived were timber and on blocks just high enough to poke a mower underneath, but not the handlebars. So the handlebars were constantly stuck out, completely exposed to the elements. So they rusted away in no time. I find lots of vintage mowers in my area that are either missing the handlebars altogether, or have badly rusted handlebars, for this very reason.
I can't say I have ever experienced any rusting on the chrome if things are stored under cover, but then I live in a very dry climate. I can understand it would happen near the coast and in very humid areas.
I use Penetrol on all metals that i don't want to paint or have to always polish I lot of engine people I know use this This engine was done with 2 coats about 7 years ago and not touched since with any more Penetrol and no rust as yet and that is in Townsville Ian http://www.floodaustralia.net/products/anti_corrosion/penetrol-anti_rust.php
Looks great Ian. Penetrol doesn't seem to leave that "greasy" appearance like you often see with Inox. Is Penetrol safe to use on rubber? Brochure says it can be used on vinyl and plastics.
I've used Penetrol a fair bit for general rust work on horse floats etc and it's good stuff. Never thought to use it as you have Ian as a 'Patina preserving product'. I've never thought to. Perhaps my only concern is the length of time it takes to dry. It stays tacky for days or even weeks. This is what it's intended to do so it has time to penetrate crevices etc. my concern would be that for presentation work the piece would need to be kept in a dust free environment while it dries? What was your experience with that?
Also, there are wax products on the market for car folks who want to preserve the 'barn find' look. Never used them but I have seen advertisements for them.
Some years ago a mate of mine bought a new metal petrol tank for his Royal Enfield motor bike,bare metal from India. When it arrived it needed a couple of modifications to it and once this was all done there was a bit of rust forming over most of the surface. He then wanted me to clear coat over it to keep the look. Every time I see his bike I wish I had not done that because to me it just looks a bit neglected, but he likes it and I guess that is all that matters.
I thank you for reminding me of this Ian, from tomorrow we have 26 weeks of football and this also brings short days and bad/ cold weather. I wish I could sleep till October.
Hi Normk I lived at Wollongong until 22 got caught up with army National Services and ended up on Townsville Before my time was up meet one of those people with a short skirt and over flowing cups, works every time I stayed in Townsville Took about 2 years to get used to the heat Been back home a few times and oh crap how did I live in the bone chilling cold Ian
It must have been interesting times being a young adult in the 1960s. Amazing how much different film and tv look between the late 60s and the start of the 70s. I recently saw reruns of that U.S cop show Adam -12 and how the feel changed from it's first season in 1968 to when it entered the 70s. Footage from the 60s has an otherworldly feel to it. Maybe because I missed it by three years.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
Well, Ian, I was in the shed the other day and for no real reason grabbed an aerosol of penetrol and sprayed a test piece with a thin film. Piece has a mixture of surface rust and the original enamel (?) paint. It was nice warm, dryish day, popped in a corner to minimise dust.
Results are great! And as you said fully touch dry in a little over 24 hours. Seems to have retained the colour of the original paint nicely!
I remember one job on a horse float where I was cursing the stuff. Took forever to dry and wanted to fry the enamel it came into contact with. On reflection it was winter and I was doing the job outside, had sloshed the stuff around so probably had stupidly thick film thicknesses, and the enamel it was frying was only a couple of days old so that bit was my own silly fault! Doing the job outside I had all sorts of muck in it.
I know what you mean Mowerfreak. Get that feeling myself. Perhaps one of the reasons why old cop shows seem to be from a million years ago might be to do with the cops being dressed in an ironed shirt and professional headwear instead of overalls with reflective stripes and a baseball cap generally kitted out like the tactical response team.
