DIY Rustproofing experiment: wood tar vs linseed oil vs engine oil

[Gubbtratt1]

Haven't went too well with the weekly updates lately, but today I put them back in the saltwater after several weeks of both rain and sunshine.

As usual I'm mostly commenting on the bare metal pieces: uncoated is the most damaged and has somehow even picked up a dent. It's got hard black oxidation on the surface with loose orange rust over that. Motor oil has only got the orange stuff. Linseed oil has it's own thing going on and seems the least damaged to me. The metal under the tar is still completely rust free, even at the edges of the holes I made in the tar layer in the last update.

The saltwater haven't gotten through the paint yet, and I completely forgot to take a closer look at the rusty piece.

We'll see if I continue with the weekly updates or if I just update when something significant has happened. The second test is also coming, but I've got more important stuff going on with both my time and my money right now.

 

[Gubbtratt1]

Almost months of saltwater (I took them out a couple days ago) hasn't been as bad as I had hoped for. The tar seems to have dried out a bit though, on the bare metal piece it's even flaking at the edge.

Once I get my sheep sheared I'll try mixing wool fat, tar and oil for hopefully the undercoating. At the same time I'll try some hammerite, as I have some parts that I want painted but I don't want to do it properly.

 

[Gubbtratt1]

I've done some further testing that I apparently have not documented: a mix of tar, linseed oil and grease. I haven't done the saltwater test, but I like the theory I have: tar and linseed oil both like to harden when they're in such thin layers, but the grease should keep them sticky. Winter is coming, I have several cars that need rustproofing and the guy I usually hire to spray oil under them doesn't have time to do it this year so it's going into real world use immediately.

 

[Gubbtratt1]

More specifics for the new mix:

3 parts pine tar, 2 parts linseed oil, 1 part grease.

Mix 3 parts rustproofing with 1 or 2 parts xylene for easier use with a spray gun. Other solvents will also work.

It is brown when applied...

...but turns a nice black color after a couple days. It should never get dry though.

It took about four liters of rustproofing to do the frame and axles of my Land Rover, so probably around 10 liters for a Land Cruiser where you also want to rustproof the floor and wheelarches. Using the cheapest components available in Finland the cost per liter comes to 10.83€.

 

[Malleus]

I've done some further testing that I apparently have not documented: a mix of tar, linseed oil and grease. I haven't done the saltwater test, but I like the theory I have: tar and linseed oil both like to harden when they're in such thin layers, but the grease should keep them sticky. Winter is coming, I have several cars that need rustproofing and the guy I usually hire to spray oil under them doesn't have time to do it this year so it's going into real world use immediately.
View attachment 3999819View attachment 3999839

Love the ramps...that looks like something I'd do.

 

[thelal]

More specifics for the new mix:

3 parts pine tar, 2 parts linseed oil, 1 part grease.

.. Finland the cost per liter comes to 10.83€.

be good to see how the mix survives the winter. Nicely priced

 

[Gubbtratt1]

No one thinks it's any kind of a rust preventative on metal.

According to a swedish forum, linseed oil is just as good as any oil, except it has smaller molecules so it soaks into small gaps and dirt better. This is also the reason why I chose linseed oil over engine oil for my undercoating. In my first experiment it did perform better than no coating but worse than motor oil.

I say all that to say it's pretty clear that the auto industry uses what works on metal - paint.

Paint is great, but it requires prep. Painting over rust is almost worse than not doing anything.

I've often wondered why they haven't come up with a beeswax undercoat as it's truly impervious to water and salt, sticks great, is cheap, etc.

Maybe that's what I should try next. I did also want to use wool fat like fluid film and woolwax, but I haven't had the time to shear my sheep yet.

There's also pine tar vs. coal tar - coal tar is used in asphalt and is a petroleum product. It's a lot tougher and more protective than pine tar.

Coal tar aka bitumen is what's used in the dreaded rubberised undercoatings. I guess it could work if it was mixed with oil though.

An easy commercially available pine tar is "hoof dressing" that you can get anywhere.

Is just plain pine tar not available everywhere? There's at least one variety in every hardware store and major supermarket in Finland.

 

[cruiserpilot]

If you are mixing try used diesel oil and transmission fluid. Spraying that inside frame and body is effective, good creep and
cheap. Redo every couple of years. Cosmoline has 342 HD translucent and 342 black. Black is anticorrosion and resists abrasion
and abuse. I have 3 coats + on the bottom of my 60. It's pretty near bulletproof and extremely effective. Nasty to apply, takes
a while to set up - few days. I'm a big fan of Cosmoline.

 

[psmura]

Woolwax is what you want for the frame. Not sure if they ship internationally but it’s cheaper in the 2.5 gallon jugs that you can spray with a compressor. Keeps my frames like new.

 

[Gubbtratt1]

Woolwax is what you want for the frame. Not sure if they ship internationally but it’s cheaper in the 2.5 gallon jugs that you can spray with a compressor. Keeps my frames like new.

I could only find 1 gallon jugs on a Finnish site and those are twice as expensive as tar and linseed oil. The 2.5 gallons are about the same price but not available here.

As I'm here I might as well update on my activities: the tar based coating develops a white rubbery surface in contact with water. Not sure yet if it's a good or bad thing. It's most likely the grease that causes this, as I've experimented with both tar and linseed oil before.

Yesterday I coated my Triumph with plain used motor oil. I'll only be driving it in winter conditions for a week or so so I didn't want to bother with buying and mixing a tar based coating. Will be interesting to see how well it holds up.

At some point the experiments will be back. I want to try mixing the tar with used motor oil instead of linseed oil, and I'd like a substitute for litium grease that would be thicker, cheaper and wouldn't react with water. At some point I will also have some fresh sheep wool to extract wool fat from.

 

[Birdhead]

Not really easy to find in Finland and bloody expensive. I've read great things about it though. If I can find some I'll try it in the next round, along with hammerite, red lead, dinitrol, fluid film and thicker oil (did I forget something?)

I’ll put a green bean wrapper around it and and send it to you.

 

[Gubbtratt1]

I’ll put a green bean wrapper around it and and send it to you.

Pm me if you're serious.