Understanding Corrosion and How to Protect Against It

If you are like most people, the thought of losing your machinery and equipment to corrosion frightens you. That’s because it is expensive to repair and costly to replace. Once you search out ways of understanding corrosion, you’ll learn how to protect against it. This will save you money, time and sanity in the long run.

Understanding Corrosion

When metal corrodes, you end up with iron oxide, otherwise known as rust. Iron ore is the main component of steel. Not only does it hold moisture, but it immediately wants to regress back to its natural composition of a dark red and grainy texture. In understanding corrosion, you need to be aware of the three elements required for the corrosion to take place. You have a metal which is corroded, a metal which is protected plus the current-conduction medium of the two. If two metals of dissimilar substance are put in contact, one will corrode while the other is protected. Here are a few examples:

• Metals under stress corrode while unstressed metals remain protected.
• Galvanized (zinc) fittings on steel pipes corrode while the steel itself stays protected.
• Steel that is freshly cut corrodes with the thread of pipe rusting first.

An exception to this is when metal comes in contact with the weather. No matter what the composition, the steel will corrode as a result of moisture.

Protecting Against Corrosion

To extend the life and durability of metal substances, protection is key. While many options are available to you, one of the best is to paint the metal. Finished coatings provide a barrier between corrosion and the metal. There are multiple ways this protects your valuables:

• With the proper coating, oxygen and water found in the environment doesn’t make it to the metal’s surface as fast.
• The coating’s pigment changes the properties of the surface composition. This makes the steel less reactive with moisture.

Understanding Corrosion: Choose your Coating

It doesn’t do any good understanding corrosion unless you know exactly what coating is best for your needs. Before moving forward on protecting the metal, you’ll want to ensure that product meets these requirements:

Quality

After spending the time to coat your metal, you won’t want to do it again for many years. That’s why investing in a high-quality coating the first time is essential. Not only do you want a product that is anti-corrosive, but also fade-resistant, weather-resistant and abrasion-resistant. Not only does Durabak fit all those qualities, but it is also simple to apply. Choose to use a brush, roller or sprayer.

Aesthetics

Most things you’ll coat will need to look good. Color retention is essential. Not only does Durabak come in over 18 colors, but it is also UV-resistant and doesn’t peel or chip. This ensures you the same look now as it will in years to come.

Price

It’s no surprise that the higher quality products are going to cost a little more. The great thing about Durabak is that you don’t need much to get the job done and it won’t need reapplication for many years. In fact, if you have leftover product after your project, you might be interested in adding a non-skid paint to a metal ramp, making your horse trailer less slippery or resurfacing the deck of your boat. Durabak is capable of this and so much more.

Conclusion

Understanding corrosion is much simpler when you know that there are ways to prevent it. Protect your truck, boat and other valuables from rust plus wear and tear when you use Durabak. If the U.S. Navy trusts our product to protect their equipment, there’s no reason you shouldn’t as well.