We’re an extrusion equipment manufacturer shipping extrusion barrels reaching 10-12 feet in length. For rust prevention we have been applying cosmolines and oils using a long, makeshift broom caked with oil. The process takes a lot of manpower, workers and customers often complain about the smell of the oil, customers have to use mineral spirits to the remove the oil from the metal, and sometimes the parts still rust. Some of our equipment can be valued at as much as $100,000 per piece. Is there a better way to prevent rust?
Shop Doc Forum » General Questions
Rust Problems
(6 posts) (4 voices)-
Posted 3 years ago #
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Oils and cosmoline are tried and true products and they certainly do the job in terms of rust prevention, but I’ve heard some accounts of the messy and labor-intensive nature of the applications. They’ve also been known to be a contaminant for dust and other particles that gravitate to them.
Water-based rust preventative (RP) liquids are the closest alternative to what you’re using now. They provide similar benefits to oils, but they can be easier to apply and remove because they’re water-based. That means they’re generally safer for the worker as well as the environment. However, they still can be messy, have an odor, may be difficult to remove, and still possess disposal challenges. Also, RP liquids flow to high and low spots in the metal, resulting in less than full surface coverage.
Another product many people use to prevent rust is desiccant. Desiccants are designed to adsorb moisture from an enclosed environment. They’re good because they’re clean, easy to use and easy to remove from the package after use, which eliminates the need for removing liquids off of the part. However, desiccants don’t do much to affect the surface of the metal. They focus on the moisture in the air. They lack the ability to prevent contaminant, salt or other causes of corrosion. Once they adsorb their allotted amount they no longer help prevent moisture from entering the area.
There’s another rust prevention product that’s been available since the late 1940s called vapor/volatile corrosion inhibitors (VCI) packaging. VCI prevents rust from forming on metals without using greases or oils. It will also eliminate your odor problem. VCI is a class of chemical compounds which emit a safe rust-inhibiting vapor into an enclosed airspace to prevent corrosion on a metal product. VCIs are typically impregnated or coated into packaging materials such as paper, film, fiberboard, foam or other emitting substances so that the part can remain clean and dry. The packaging becomes the carrier for the VCI chemical to the metal part. Good VCI packaging can be used for shipping, long-term storage or export applications. If you only compare the cost of VCI packaging with oil on a per unit basis, it would appear that VCI is more expensive than other methods. However, you must account for the packaging that is incorporated into the VCI and the overall cost associated with applying oil and removing it. We’ve helped many customers with strikingly similar situations to yours – shipping everything from small parts to extruding heads to large engines.
Now you have some solid alternatives to messy oils and cosmolines. So go clean yourself up!
David Yancho-Vice President
Armor Protective Packaging®
Manufacturers of corrosion inhibiting
& rust removal productsPosted 3 years ago # -
David Yancho of Armor Protective Packaging missed an entire class of corrosion inhibitors that is classified under a solvent based or dry film type. These are easily applied by spray or brush, do not have any oil content, have non-objectionable odors, are safe to use, leave a very thin almost imperceptible film, and are easy to remove. The corrosion protection can be up to a year or more indoor depending on the product's formulation.
Joe Manfreda
PICO Chemical Corporation
Posted 3 years ago # -
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Posted 3 years ago # -
I agree that a part treatment and packaging solution together make the most sense. Eventually you need to store the product and/or ship it, and if you plan ahead you can address both issues right from the start. That's what we do at Slater Tools. It's definitely more work to address the end users desire as well but no doubt it's vital for business. Nice points here by David and Joe. I think a good follow up topic to this one would be how best to remove rust.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Are these things so big that you couldn't use a product like Boeshield T9 or another spray on product that dries with a waxy corrosion inhibiting film? Boeshield was developed by the airplane industry and is pretty good for this stuff. Smell might be an issue with an aerosol product.
Have you tried attaching some sacrificial zinc buttons to the barrels in strategic places? Problem with volatile corrosion ihibitors is they have to be used in a confined place or packaging.
Posted 2 years ago #
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