Local POR 15 equivalent?

[rippie]

I have had to step up my pace on my project, due to some recent developments. Just finished welding the frame yesterday, so I will be prepping it today. I do not have time to wait for por 15 to ship. Does anyone know of a "next best thing" that could be found locally I am between two big boxes and would rather not use rustoleum "rust convertor." Home Depot has a product called corroseal that gets great reviews, but is only available online in my area. I have tried auto suppliers too without success.

I would appreciate any ideas. Thanks. Gotta go.

[Becky B.]

NAPA usually has Por-15 if you have one nearby.....

[Minno]

We sandblasted our frame and then used Rustoleum - the most expensive one we could afford at the time. Held up well so far.....

Kay

[Jim Foster]

Some automotive paint stores carry POR15.

[ROBERT CROSS]

I've had very good luck with KBS coatings. The website says there are several outlets in the DFW area.
Used it on our boat trailer with excellent results .

Bob

[perryg114]

You should be able to get the stuff locally at an auto paint store. Call around and see what you can find. Ebay has the best prices on POR15 I have found.

Perry

[Wabbiteer]

POR website says...
ELLIS COLOR SUPPLY - 23.6 Miles from Wylie, Texas
11570 REEDER ROAD , DALLAS, TX , USA , 75229
Phone 972-241-9706

[DryFly]

In my opinion, POR 15 is a good product but probably not much if any better than a lot of the other products on the market. My understanding is that the first step of the process is to get rid of as much rust as possible, then convert whatever is left to carbon. This is the same with every product I researched. Then you protect the treated frame members with a covering of some type of long lasting product that doesn't allow water/moisture molecules to reach the base metal. Of course the ability to maintain the impermeability of the finish is dependent on the coating being able to withstand the flexing of the finished member. Flexing causes cracks in the finish, which then can expose the substrate to moisture, and when that happens the rust cycle starts over again.
So I think, and my opinion is worth every penny I'm charging, that if you prep your frame well, use a rust converter according to manufacturer's instructions, cover the properly prepared frame member with a good finish coat or 2 or 3, then keep as much moisture from sitting on that frame member as possible, you've done the best you can, regardless of the hype from the manufacturer.
I'll bet a frame member that has been properly prepped and treated per Rustoleum's (or other legitmate manufacturer's) recommendations, properly covered, will last as long as POR 15, and definitely longer than you or I will own our trailers.
So, that's my 2c

[perryg114]

POR15 is not a rust converter. It is an encapsulant. It seals the rust off. It is a moisture cured urathane.


Perry

[Mixter]

Here's my .02 cents...

If I were to use an alternative to POR15, I would use OSPHO, which is a phosphoric acid rust converter and metal pretreatment similar to the POR15 metal prep. Then would use whatever good primer and paint you like. I would probably just use the rattle can Rustoleum primer & Paint. If you want to add some "chip" protection, put several coats of clear over it.

This is actually a pretty cheap and easy way. I got a gallon of Ospho from Ace Hardware for $25 bucks. It is also sold at Sherwin Williams paint stores.

Mic

[Melody Ranch]

Chassis
Saver is the equivalent of POR and available around here. My experience is that Rustoleum will bleed the with rust within a short time. (ask any pipe fence owner who made that mistake.) Ospho, and other converters just convert and really don't give that encapsulation like paint…..which you need to put over Ospho anyway.

[ROBERT CROSS]

15 is a great product for sealing out moisture in the dark.

It wasn't used on our boat trailer because it needs to be top-coated for UV protection.
Rusting from the inside is the concern on a box frame boat trailer, plenty of drain holes works best.

POR15 is the original, KBS is the ProPride of the coating realm.

Bob

[rippie]

This is great information. Thank you. Just curious also about application philosophy: I know you don't want to remove all the rust for por(product is not for bare metal). But I have a combination. Some bare metal, some still painted, and some pitted areas. Should por be applied first all over, then primed. Or should the application be patchy and overlapping: etching primer to bare, regular primer to painted, & por to pitted? I am personally wanting to just por the whole thing and avoid the others if it would be appropriate.

[Melody Ranch]

Part of the application instructions say to prep with Marine clean. That will take care of all your questions.