704 rust bucket..what treatment for the tins??

[Sailman 1,305]

I have gotten around to tackling the 704 I rescued a while back. It was totally rusted with front tires rotted on rims. Using Evapo Rust, Kroil and a lot of patience I have gotten almost every bolt removed with no broken bolts.Soaked the frozen throttle cable in evapo rust and got it working. Also got the stuck exhaust valve free as well as carb choke butterfly. Making progress on the engine but not sure what to do with the metal on the tractor. Tried some wet sand with 1000 grit and it just keeps coming up rusty, no paint hardly left. Not really interested in a full on sand and paint restoration but not much for patina left either. Just will be a tractor for kids to play on, no worker or show tractor. Any suggestions what to do?

 

 

[kpinnc 16,248]

If you can at least knock the loose rust off, Rust-Oleum red oxide primer will stop the rust from getting worse. I've used it on rusty stuff as a primer coat down here in humidty central with no break through rust on some tractors over 20 years ago. 

[Sailman 1,305]

I have the tractor mostly taken apart so I can sure do that. How does one get into the tower on a 704? I don't see any way to get it off. Guess I just have to get inside there as best I can by hand?

[SylvanLakeWH 29,916]

2 hours ago, kpinnc said:

If you can at least knock the loose rust off, Rust-Oleum red oxide primer will stop the rust from getting worse. I've used it on rusty stuff as a primer coat down here in humidty central with no break through rust on some tractors over 20 years ago. 

 

Given your stated intended use, that's what i'd do... 

[953 nut 63,167]

2 hours ago, Sailman said:

Tried some wet sand with 1000 grit and it just keeps coming up rusty, no paint hardly left

I have used muriatic acid to get down to bare steel.  Don't do this on concrete or your lawn and stay up-wind.      I used a garden sprayer to wet down all surfaces then flushed it off with water. It will flash rust but that is easily removed with steel wool.

[SylvanLakeWH 29,916]

11 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

muriatic acid

 

Nasty stuff... 

 

I wouldn't use it for this given the intended use, but if you do:

 

Use appropriate protective gear... 

[kpinnc 16,248]

5 hours ago, Sailman said:

Guess I just have to get inside there as best I can by hand?

 

In corners and such I'd just use cheap 80-grit sandpaper. All you're after is the loose rust anyway. 

[Lee1977 7,463]

 

I have used a mixture of 4 oz. P C Blaster, 12 oz. of transmission fluid and 1/2 oz. of Dawn dish washer soap sparyed it on and rubbed it around on a set of handles of a lawn mower.  Then let it set might have been a week ,washed it down and  painted it the paint is still on. I don't think I even sanded them. 

Edited February 18, 2024 by Lee1977

[Sailman 1,305]

5 minutes ago, Lee1977 said:

 

i have used a mixture of 4 oz. P C Blaster, 12 oz. of transmission fluid and 1/2 oz. of Dawn dish washer soap sparyed it on and rubbed it around on a set of handles of a lawn mower.  Then let it set might have been a week ,washarded it down and  painted it the paint is still on. I don't think I even sanded them. 

 

Wow! Thats an interesting concoction. Might just try all the suggestions here on different pieces and see what I like best. May have to skip the muriatic acid....... @953 nut has bigger cajones than me...

 

[Lee1977 7,463]

The only draw back is that gallon of PB blaster was over $30 bucks in 2022.

I also used it for clean up on the 312-8 I got on Jan !, I did wash the North Carolina red dirt of first.

I have got the rest of it clean up now. Still haven't got the rusted screen off the Kohler

Edited February 18, 2024 by Lee1977

[Lee1977 7,463]

40 minutes ago, Lee1977 said:

The only draw back is that gallon of PB blaster was over $30 bucks in 2022.

I also used it for clean up on the 312-8 I got on Jan !, I did wash the North Carolina red dirt of first.

 

I've got the rest of it clean up now

Still haven't got thar rusted on screen off the Kohler.

Edited February 18, 2024 by Lee1977

[JoeM 9,327]

Ospho rust converter, red oxide primer then paint. Or just leave it primed. The Ospho turns the rust a black color like primer finish. 

If you like petina, matte clear rustoleum enamel and spray it right on the current surfaces. 

Edited February 18, 2024 by JoeM

[squonk 44,922]

Klean Strip from Lowes

 

[wallfish 18,792]

13 hours ago, Sailman said:

Not really interested in a full on sand and paint restoration but not much for patina left either. Just will be a tractor for kids to play on, no worker or show tractor. Any suggestions what to do?

Just clean it up, knock the heavy rust off and put it all back together. Nothing wrong with an old tractor looking like an old tractor.

If you're keeping it inside, it will take a 1000 years for the rust to do anything more. Spray it every once in a while with WD40 and let the kids enjoy it.

[peter lena 9,575]

@Sailman  https://www.google.com/search?q=mineral+oil+for+car+finish&sca_esv=46579d9512b829aa&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS866US866&sxsrf=ACQVn0-e5JrijxvEo1A-y  , think with what you have left , is without a doubt , a mineral oil feed down , it would retain , that base shade of " color " with a darker oiled / rust free detail , would shed moisture like a duck , and be very easy  to touch up . having done a number of recoveries , the first thing I do is to feed the " paint " or what's left of it . an aerosol  pump spray bottle , would let you get to every area , if you have a dry covered  shed , even better , its that metal soak /  adhesion  thats your base line . think it would look period correct , in a oiled patina . Pete  

[Sailman 1,305]

"I've got the rest of it clean up now

Still haven't got thar rusted on screen off the Kohler."

 

I use the Evapo Rust product for something like that. Find a container that will allow the screen to lay flat and cover it with Evapo Rust. in a few days rust will all be gone. Rinse with water. Great stuff.

 

Appreciate all the suggestions received from folks here on this forum!! I have some great options.

[squonk 44,922]

Putting oil products on the tins just attracts dirt and Poplar Tree fuzzies. If you want to "shine it up" Brush this on. Dries to a nice shine and stuff doesn't stick to it.

 

 

 

 

 

[Sailman 1,305]

17 minutes ago, squonk said:

Putting oil products on the tins just attracts dirt and Poplar Tree fuzzies. If you want to "shine it up" Brush this on. Dries to a nice shine and stuff doesn't stick to it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used penetrol on the tool box on my 701. It was rusted, no paint and bare metal pitted. Just wanted to preserve it after heavy cleaning and sand blasting. Couple of coats and it looks great! How long will the penetrol last? Can it be painted over at a later date?

Edited February 18, 2024 by Sailman

[squonk 44,922]

30 minutes ago, Sailman said:

 

I used penetrol on the tool box on my 701. It was rusted, no paint and bare metal pitted. Just wanted to preserve it after heavy cleaning and sand blasting. Couple of coats and it looks great! How long will the penetrol last? Can it be painted over at a later date?

I've only seen Penetrol used to preserve patina on YT. no idea how long it lasts. I would imagine if you wanted to paint over it a good scuffing would be needed

[SylvanLakeWH 29,916]

6 hours ago, squonk said:

Putting oil products on the tins just attracts dirt and Poplar Tree fuzzies. If you want to "shine it up" Brush this on. Dries to a nice shine and stuff doesn't stick to it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Used it for years on our fiberglass boats and now on the 's...

 

Yearly quick rubdown with a rag keeps things fresh...

 

Great stuff.

Edited February 18, 2024 by SylvanLakeWH

[Sailman 1,305]

SHOCKED I TELL YA!.......So I had a lot of good suggestions from folks on this thread and started with an overnight Lowes metal strip on one small piece thinking I would repaint. Cleaned off the residue and primed it red but just didn't seem to be what I wanted.....I felt the "survivor" needed to retain some of that flavor but the rust was just SO BAD ( see pictures above). After some messing around I discovered using the Lowes strip for just a couple hours removed much of the rust and voila! There was actually still some red underneath all that rust. Have to scrub the acid off with water and stiff brush and some sanding with 1000 grit. She still looked pretty dull and rusty after the treatment. I wanted the "patina" to stand out so I used some Penetrol on a test piece. Wow! just what I was looking for. Respect for the original finish yet giving the old girl a special shine and stopping any further rust. Probably not everyone's cup of tea but I am pleased with the results.

[SylvanLakeWH 29,916]