Will radiator enamel paint work on rust on a washing machine?

purplestar133

Hi everyone,

I've moved into a house with a washing machine already there. It works really well but there is a rust patch on the ledge inside the door. The door seal isn't leaking and it hasn't been a problem so far but to stop it spreading I'd like to patch it up if possible.

I've got some radiator enamel paint and - knowing nothing about enamel - wondered if I could use this to cover the rust patch?

Le_Kirk

I would suggest you need to use a rust stop type product (kurust by Hammerite for example) first otherwise the rust will come back through whatever paint you put on top.

purplestar133

Thanks, will have a look for some.

knightstyle

Yes, get something to kill the rust and then you can paint with the radiator paint.

Ebe_Scrooge

I'd be tempted to use some fine sandpaper / emery cloth to get rid of the worst of it first, make sure you get down to some reasonably sound foundation, then use Kurust. Otherwise you can find that it'll start to flake off.


Ideally you'd get rid of every trace of rust, but the problem there is that you can end up leaving just a paper-thin bit of metal, depending on the severity of the rust. So a good compromise is just to remove any flaking bits, then Kurust, then enamel.

Ectophile

purplestar133 wrote: »

Thanks, will have a look for some.

If you have no luck in a DIY store, try a motoring store instead (e.g. Halfords). It's often used when patching up old cars.

purplestar133

Thanks everyone!