Metal infrastructures are designed to withstand the elements, but they have one specific weakness: rust. Once it appears, rust continues to grow at an exponential rate. It’s the cause of many infrastructure failures – eating away metal, causing holes and weakening the structure’s integrity.
Whether it’s an asset, internal section, rotating part, automobile, ship, structural support, or anything else made of metal, tackling rust before it takes hold is an integral element of any proactive maintenance program.
The simple way to manage this is with a rust converter protection system.
What is a rust converter protection system?
Rust removers have been around for decades. As the name suggests, these removers cause the rust to separate from the metal surface. On the other hand, a rust converter reacts with the rust that’s present and converts it into a protective film.
There are different types of converter systems, the use of which will depend on the structure that’s being treated. Some systems use a remover that disperses corroded areas, and a converter that reacts with the rust – causing oxidation – that recovers the integrity of the metal. Not only does this conserve the eroded part, but it also affords an element of protection against future corrosion. The last element is adding a heavy-duty rust protector, which provides a further level of protection and metal longevity.
Chesterton is a specialist provider of machinery and equipment protection products, and has designed specific solutions to address the issues of rust, including:
- Chesterton 338 Super Rust Remover: A highly concentrated, acid-based rust remover suitable for all metals. It can also be used to brighten non-ferrous metals. Leaves surface paint-ready and is wholly biodegradable. Application areas include machined parts, sheet metal work, chassis and metal pre-finishing of vehicle bodies. It’s also effective when maintaining internal parts, such as nuts and bolts, threaded assemblies, shafts and cast housing.
- Chesterton 763 Rust Transformer: A mild, natural acid-based transformer that uses an electrochemical process to turn rust into a protective film. A true alternative to sandblasting, this product leaves treated areas ready for maintenance, painting, touch-ups or rehabilitation. This biodegradable product is suitable in structural steel, storage tanks, vehicle bodies, ships, heavy equipment and transmission line towers.
Chesterton 740 Heavy-Duty Rust Guard: A unique, polymer-modified wax that provides a long-term preventative coating. It can be used after rust remover and/or transformer application, or used in isolation without critical surface preparation, designed to protect any metal area that’s exposed to humidity and/or corrosive fumes. Provides up to two years protection, doesn’t peel or flake, is self-healing if scratched, is easy to apply and remove.
While the three products are designed to be used together as a complete rust converter protection system, each can be used independently or with only one of the others.
One of the greatest challenges for any organisation is to reduce the time spent on maintenance. Downtime, if not managed adequately, can cost an organisation time and money.
Ensuring that downtime is well-utilised to prolong the longevity of equipment is crucial. A high-quality rust converter system is simple to achieve and can be a valuable tool to incorporate into any maintenance strategy.
This sponsored editorial was brought to you by Chesterton. To learn more about Chesterton’s rust converter protection system products, coatings, lubricants and more, visit https://chestertonlubricants.chesterton.com/en-us
Corrosion processes are responsible for numerous losses mainly in the industrial scope. It is clear that the best way to combat it is prevention. In addition, if corrosion effects are considered in the design phase and the right decisions made prior to construction, structures can be built to last and protected for as long as possible. In working with folks in the protective packaging industry, I know the importance of being pre-emptive when it comes to corrosion prevention or else you could wind up spending a lot more than you’d like.