New hand rail rusting

[MoonMan2]

I got a hand rail installed at my front door in July of this year. Have started to notice spots of rust starting to appear.

Untitled

• MoonMan2
• 5 Nov 2011
• 1

Untitled

• MoonMan2
• 5 Nov 2011
• 1

Advice?

 

[RedHerring2]

Paint it.
http://www.screwfix.com/p/hammerite-smooth-silver-750ml/85324

 

[Alarm]

What was it sold as?
Not stainless steel was it?

 

[JohnD]

I was thinking it looked like a poor-quality brushed stainless. If it really is, you can rub it with a nylon pan scourer from time to time to get those marks off, it is just cosmetic. You might like to look for the order form and receipt, and check what the description of goods was. It is rather unsatisfactory but I have seen similar on stainless chefs knives. You may also find tiny cavities in the surface.

If it is zinc plated steel, then painting it is the only thing that will work. BZP is very thin and will erode away in a matter of months, soon there will be nothing left but rusty steel.

As it is a handrail I would not suggest any kind of grease or oil treatment.

p.s. are you near the sea, or an industrial or smokestack site?

p.p.s. Has some kind of cleaning product been used on it?

 

[Burnerman]

Bang on JohnD its poor quality stainless steel, cold rolled.
It could be possible to apply some sort of lacquer from an aerosol can which could help - once the rust was polished away.
JohnP

 

[MoonMan2]

Thanks guys, just checked the reciept it is stainless steel. It has not been treated in anyway. I live in a town not close to sea/industrial.

I will try a nylon pan scourer for the moment but have to say I am looking for a more permanent solution.

I live up north, so the cold temperature rules out painting it for the moment.

What about I cover it with cling film for the winter months then use the paint that redherring2 has suggested when spring kicks in?

 

[Burnerman]

Just my opinion mate but Hammerite is the worst product bar none to apply by brush.....the spray cans are better.
The stainless won't deteriorate to any great extent - at least it won't become red with rust - so wrapping it with clingfilm isn't necessary.
John

 

[Alarm]

I would ask the suppliers why this has happened, and what they are proposing to do about it.

 

[Stivino]

I would ask the suppliers why this has happened, and what they are proposing to do about it.

Ditto.

 

[MoonMan2]

It's got to the time of year when I will be shortly carrying this work out. I have bought the hammerite smooth silver spray.

Read the instructions and it says I should use "Hammerite special metals primmer" as an undercoat for galvanised metals.

Should I be using this first before spraying the silver paint on?

 

[r896neo]

you need some sort of primer really to ensure it takes properly.

 

[Stivino]

IMHO it won't matter what you do to that, it will come back.
You should have gone back to the supplier immediately.

 

[MoonMan2]

IMHO it won't matter what you do to that, it will come back.
You should have gone back to the supplier immediately.

I did go back to the supplier, they said it was simply surface rust and they would come up and polish it off.

As I can do that my myself, I saw no reason to get them out.

Do you think I am wasting my time Stivino by priming and spray painting it?

 

[Stivino]

I think it will come back. Polishing and painting might slow up the process but I can't see it stopping it. The very fact that it is there in the first place means something is wrong with it.
The red spots you see are rust which is iron oxide. Iron oxide occurs when iron combines with oxygen. The oxygen it combines with comes from water or, the moisture in the air.
You'd have to seal it off completely from that moisture to ensure it doesn't re-appear.