• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.

    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Dealing with pits

Basil

Administrator
Staff member
Boss
Offline
I have bead blasted a couple of brackets that hold the horns to the frame on my 67 EType. When I got all the paint and rust off, they were pretty badly pitted. I could just primer them and paint them (black), but I'd like to fill in those pits first. What would be the best way to deal with the pitting (mostly from rust)?
 
You have a number of choices here:
1. If the pits arn`t too severe you could consider sanding them out. {Probably wouldn`t be my choice I must admit}
2. You could consider filling them with lead. Would require a flame source, acid flux and some lead filler wire. {will require sanding smooth afterward} HINT: Don`t use rosin core wire for this if you decide to go this route.
3. Then there is silver solder, a little more expensive materials wise, But the same process as the led application with exception of the flux {you`ll need silver solder flux for steel} silver filler wire and a slightly hotter flame source.
4. Brass, again the same process different flux and filler wire, sanding smooth to finish required.
5. Epoxy, you are on your own here sanding to finish required.
6. bondo, Again sanding to finish {most likely NOT my choice at all!}
7. Several coats of high build primer. Probably not one of my choices either.
You could even run beads of steel over the damaged area but you are talking massive amounts of heat required as well as massive grinding/sanding to re finish.
My choice would probably be lead Just because of the ease of application and workability.
Silver would be my next solution, then brass BUT ... I would most likely go with what I have on hand at the time and that would be lead, silver or brass even though I do have the equipment, knowledge and material to refurbish the steel with steel I would only do so as a last resort because of the intensity of application and workability.

P.S. What ever you decide .... remember ANY type of welding/soldering process requires a good deal of ventilation as well as eye and ear protection especially when sanding/grinding.
Hope this helps
 
Happy Birthday. Basil!!!!!
 
Kerry's #5!!!

Epoxy primer and AllMetal to flatten out th' surface. Re-paint and install.
 
Back
Top