How to paint rusty metal door frames?

[LivMitch]

Hello there, 

I am prepping and painting:

• 6 internal wooden doors (painted with oil-base) 
• All have metal frames (painted with oil-base) - some rusty patches
• 1 bath patch – 5-cent coin size, rusting around edges of a previous repair (used Selleys Application Touch Up). 
• photos of all below.

Sanding

• What grit sandpaper do I use on oil-based paint metal door frames?
• How smooth does it have to be? I'm doing it by hand (1960s multi-indented
• What grit on wooden doors?

Rust 

• After applying rust converter (metal frames) how long should I wait to paint?
• Re bath repair, do I attempt to scrape off the old Selleys repair? (Seems solid, don't want to risk a hole/damage.)

Undercoats

• Metal frames and wooden doors – is Dulux Ultra Air Primer OK? 
• 1 or 2 undercoats (existing paint is cream, I'll paint a warm white)?

Topcoat

Is 1 top coat Taubman’s Ultimate Enamel metal frames and wooden doors OK? 

Hinges

I can’t take the doors off myself, they're too big/heavy.  Hinges are all heavily painted, some rusting.

• How do I do tackle hinges - do I strip them using turps or try a wire brush? 
• Would it be useful to apply graphite or WD40 before painting them or after?

Thanks so much for your help.

Liv

heavily painted hingedoor frame and doorframes).

re

[LivMitch]

Hi again Eric,

Have I sanded these enough? Am I look for bare silver metal or just a smooth rusted surface?

Is it ready for the Ranex Rustbuster?

Also, I'm finding the 240 grit sandpaper very light on. It's hardly making a difference...

Is the aim to sand back the first coat of paint mostly, or just to achieve a slight removal of the top coat?    Both these inner frame surfaces are 'sanded'. I spent about 10 mins sanding firmly. 

Thanks Eric, 

Liv 

[EricL]

Hello @LivMitch 

The goal is to remove as much of the loose rust as possible. It's not necessary to go all the way down to the steel. The work you've done is enough for you to apply the rust converter. Please keep in mind to give it enough time to activate before wiping it clean.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[LivMitch]

Hi Eric,

Just an update. Thanks for the Turbo Metal Builder's Bog suggestion but I'd like to suggest to anyone else who reads this post that it may not be the best product for true beginners like me for the following reasons:

• It's the consistency of hairy chewing gum and just as difficult to work with!
• I had 2 small holes to fill but as metal door frames are hollow, no amount of this stuff would fill them
• Despite following instructions, I didn't use enough activator and the bog didn't set - I had to paint over it anyway
• The finish was very messy
• I achieved a better result on another small hole with Selleys No More Gaps.
• $23 not well spent.

Advising beginners cannot be easy when you can't see the job. This is not a criticism, only a sharing of experience.

Your advice is very much welcome and appreciated Eric.

Kind regards,

Liv 

[TedBear]

Hi @LivMitch, sorry to hear that your introduction to filling wasn't so good.

Getting the mix of Bog to Filler right can take a bit of practice and it sounds like the instruction "not too much"  may have caused you to use too little. There should have been a guide on the tin as to what quantity of filler to use, but those instructions can can be unhelpful too, as they are often expressed as a ratio. I find the thing to look for is the change of colour, but again it would require some practice mixes to see how it sets.  Using too much results in it setting too fast, which can also give a disappointing result - and you already know what happens with using too little.

The reason @EricL would have suggested something like Builder's Bog (there is also Plastibond: https://www.bunnings.com.au/selleys-plastibond-400g-heavy-duty-bog_p1210327) is that while No More Gaps, will (hopefully) look OK once painted, it will not provide the frame with any of its lost strength from the holes, as the Builder's Bog would have done.  Hopefully that won't be a problem in your case if there isn't too much metal frame loss.

It will be good to see the final finish when you've got it all sorted.

[EricL]

Hello @LivMitch 

My apologies if the Builders Bog did not provide a satisfactory seal. It's good to know that you've managed to seal the other holes. Please let me know if you wish to return the product. I'll be more than happy to provide assistance and help you with the return.

Eric