3M Cavity Wax

[Shedkept]

Wurth, Waxoyl, Dinitrol and others make this but I found these lurking in the local paint supplier that a friend who is a well known British car restorer uses and I've had them do a number of custom touch up mixes over the years. There are places you can order custom colors in spray bombs but these guys are local and good folks. The sprays are SEM and I've had good luck.

I digress.
On the shelf was a display of 3M Cavity Wax as seen in the photo. I've got a 1974 911 that was treated to TUF KOTE DINOL (dinotrol) back when it was new and it's never ever rusted anywhere. The white plugs that were inserted where invasive injections were performed are still there.

So I'm a believer in anything that can inhibit or stop rust from occurring. I've done my fair share of penance over the years with rustoration work. For me the worst offenders have been Z Cars and Porsches. If you've tackled a rotted 356 o Z Car you know where I'm coming from.

I ended up buying the 3M product and the wand kit that's part of the program. Two of the wand will do a 360º pattern. I did a little on the Land Cruiser while I was working on my tow hooks but
need to make better arrangements for seepage onto my floor. The car has no rust whatsoever other than small scaling seen on welds and it doesn't amount to a hill of beans. That doesn't
mean I won't go all-in for a inside the frame rail spray as well as door bottoms and inner body. When I get there I'll post photos.

In the meantime anyone wishing to add their experiences with other options will be much appreciated!

Best to all!

 

[linuxgod]

I'd be interested to see how it performs vs woolwax, fluidfilm, and the like. In my experience stuff sprayed into cavities (like inside our boxed frame rails) lasts for a long time, whereas stuff sprayed to areas that get a lot of road spray tend to wear off within a few months.

Would be interesting to spray some of this, some fluid film, and maybe a couple other inhibitors on some untreated steel and then submerge it in or spray it with salt water and see how it holds up over time.

 

[vmfire]

I use the waxoyl, but I have the drum heater and if found that it is critical to heat any wax product up to at least 90 degrees. The rattle cans, even with the wands did not create enough mist with waxoyl, so I wound up using the bigger 100 psi applicator wand to mist the whole inside cavities. The little cans only coated near the inserted holes. Just my 2 cent.

 

[Sandroad]

I like the 360 degree spray pattern on the end of the 3M wand kit. That could make a difference in hidden areas. It does seem like it would limit distance, though.

 

[JetFuel]

I use the waxoyl, but I have the drum heater and if found that it is critical to heat any wax product up to at least 90 degrees. The rattle cans, even with the wands did not create enough mist with waxoyl, so I wound up using the bigger 100 psi applicator wand to mist the whole inside cavities. The little cans only coated near the inserted holes. Just my 2 cent.

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Not to derail but that white ARB looks great!

 

[vmfire]

Not to derail but that white ARB looks great!

Thanks. I am kinda partial to it.

 

[Lester did that]

I like the 360 degree spray pattern on the end of the 3M wand kit. That could make a difference in hidden areas. It does seem like it would limit distance, though.

You can get the same wand for fluid film rattle cans in different lengths. They also make a similar wand extention for the cup gun. Same goes with WoolWax. They have multiple kits for sale that include these. They also sell them separately.

I never tried waxoyl. But WoolWax is the same as far as temperature. It needs to be at least 90 degrees to flow out of the gun and atomize proper. 100-110 is the best. You can just keep a gallon can on electric induction hot plate, warm the cup gun up on it too. I swear by WoolWax but it is a mess to apply and do any sort of work after that the stuff touched. I like that part because you have to wipe the area off before hand even a year later. It's still there.

You can make your own old school NE undercoat. 1 or 2 toilet bowl rings melted down and some cheap grease and used motor oil to thin it down. 1 ring to 1 tube of grease. Not environmentally kind at all. But this stuff is bullet proof. Someone I know still uses this on the LCA's and front where you get the brunt of road spray.

 

[Shedkept]

I used my sink in the garage to heat up the 3M product and it flowed well. Sunk the can in a container and let it sit for about 15 minutes changing the water out until it was warm.
What’s the hard wax folks are using on frames? I’ve seen some videos on YouTube and recall some were even “black”. Longevity?
I’d pay to have this done but since I’m not in the rust belt, it seems that there aren’t a lot of practitioners around these parts.

 

[CharlieS]

Cosmoline?

 

[Shedkept]

I had a good conversation with Joe Renzi, CEO of Dinol USA last week.
Definitely knows his products and explained everything very completely as to what may work best in my application.
I don’t want to use any type of bitumin spray on media and they have a lot of options that would keep that off of the table.
It’s a very good product but not what I want do to the bottom of my vehicle.

 

[bronc076]

Every time I see this thread title I think it’s some painful spa treatment!