Rust can quickly become a big problem. It ruins the functionality and stability of important machinery and it can cost your business thousands. Knowing how to prevent rust effectively can save you money and prevent serious problems. As with many things, some small preventative measures upfront can save you lots of money, time, and frustration later on. We've collected the best ways to prevent rust, so you can find a strategy that works best.
To prevent rust is to prevent moisture from reaching th metal, or by using a material that corrodes more slowly. The following are 9 best ways to prevent rust.
1. Use an alloy: The use of alloys, like stainless steel, is one of the most common ways to prevent rust, or slow it down. Stainless steel isn't suitable or economical for all applications, but it will work for many.
2. Apply oil: A coating of oil will help to prevent rust or slow it down, since it inhibits moisture from reaching the iron in the metal. However, an oily surface might be problematic for some tools or machines and poses environmental and human health concerns.
3. Apply a dry coating: Special rust preventative products dry with no residue and form a protective barrier over metal parts and equipment. These are effective for products in use, in shipping, storage and more.
4. Paint the metal: A good quality paint will slow down rusting by preventing moisture from reaching the metal.
5. Store properly: Store metal parts or products in a low-moisture area, or inside a temperature and humidity-controlled environment to significantly slow down rust. Use of desiccant drying agents in this storage are also helpful.
6. Galvanize: Galvanizing coats iron or steel in zinc to protect from rust. Zinc corrodes at a much slower rate than iron or steel, so it's highly effective for slowing rust.
7. Bluing: This process creates a layer of magnetite over the metal to prevent rust. The metal must be regularly oiled to maintain rust resistance, and it will turn blue or black in the process.
8. Powder coating: A layer of acrylic, vinyl, epoxy or other substances will prevent moisture from reaching the metal, thereby preventing rust.
9. VCI packaging: Vapor corrosion inhibitors (VCI) are a type of chemical compound that when infused into various packaging materials, protect metals by emitting rust eradicating vapors into an enclosed air space to prevent corrosion on a metal surface.
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