Thompson's Water Seal, Anyone?

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Hippie
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Thompson's Water Seal, Anyone?

Post by Hippie » Thu Nov 08, 2007 1:02 pm

I know it's really for wood and brick, but I saw some Thompson's Water Seal in an aerosol can at the Hardware store so I got some, swapped the nozzle with a nozzle from a spray can of Gumout so I could put a straw on it, and sprayed it liberally up into my drain holes.
It dries kind of waxey and beads water.
Anybody tried this? Is it a good thing?
...I figure that is more or less what the automotive undercoating shops do to the insides of the doors and stuff.



Rob
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MeyerII
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Post by MeyerII » Thu Nov 08, 2007 1:31 pm

Depends what Thompsons is made out of. I seem to remember that silicon-based stuff is bad ju-ju for metal.

 
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Hippie
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Post by Hippie » Thu Nov 08, 2007 7:33 pm

I think it's kind of like a thin Waxoil. Petroleum evaporates leaving behind the waxey film. I've never seen it damage metal though.

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Post by Amskeptic » Fri Nov 09, 2007 9:02 pm

Hippie wrote:I think it's kind of like a thin Waxoil. Petroleum evaporates leaving behind the waxey film. I've never seen it damage metal though.

Rob
So. . . . get some WaxOyl or however they stinkin' spell the stuff for their precious tradmark. I like your creative thinking, and yet cannot imagine why it would not work for your car's inner cavities. . . .
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Hippie
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Post by Hippie » Sat Nov 10, 2007 6:52 am

Well, I haven't actually used Waxoyl, or however they spell it, but from all I've read it seems to be about the same. Maybe not even any thicker than the Thompson's (I can spell that).
But Thompson's is available up the street. Waxoyl must be ordered. (At least in Des Moines, Iowa.)
I did test it on a piece of cardboard painted with engine paint and a bare sheet metal surface before spraying it into the car. I saw no evidence of damage to to the paint or metal on or off the car...Just stinks like kerosene until it's dry.
It left a flexible waxy film that beads water.
Of course it's good to test these things yourself before trying it, but I think a layer of this might help seal the old inside-the-body-panel-paint and help shed any water that gets past the window seals into the lower door and body panels or rocker panels.
I hit my truck and Ann's rear wheel wells, too.
(You know where Honda products can get that rust blister over the rear wheel arch after so many years.)

The stuff comes out of the can pretty fast, so you'd want to watch not to soak the inside of the doors where the upholstry covers it or wet any radio speakers.

I'll post again in ten years and let you know how it works out. :joker:




Rob

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satchmo
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Post by satchmo » Sun Nov 11, 2007 9:28 am

I use this 3M Rustfighter stuff for the rockers, the lower inner door cavities, the seams around the edges of the battery trays, and the little holes into the frame rails any place you can access them. From what I understand, this is a pretty good equivalent for Waxoyl. It sprays out in a thin, milky mixture, flows into crevices nicely, and keeps a semi-waxy, self-repairing coat on the surface. I've had good luck with the stuff so far.

Tim

[albumimg]1486[/albumimg]
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second, by immitation, which is easiest;
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Hippie
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Post by Hippie » Sun Nov 11, 2007 8:15 pm

Awesome. That 3M stuff is exactly what I would have used if it were available.
I bet if I asked the counter guy why they don't sell it, he'd say because they don't sell much of it.
To which I'd reply, "I'll bet not, since you don't have any on the shelf to be sold."
Drive's ya nuts.


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Post by Amskeptic » Sun Nov 11, 2007 9:00 pm

Hippie wrote: I bet if I asked the counter guy why they don't sell it, he'd say because they don't sell much of it.
To which I'd reply, "I'll bet not, since you don't have any on the shelf to be sold."
Drive's ya nuts.
=D>

Dry sparkling with a touch of vinegar
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Hippie
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Post by Hippie » Thu Jan 03, 2008 2:35 pm

satchmo wrote:[albumimg]1486[/albumimg]
I finally got a couple cans of that. Jocko's had one and I ordered one. It does seem a lot like the Thompson's but lays on thicker per coat.
I did the pickup truck with it...I figured, why not. Soon as it warns up (supposed to this weekend) I'm gonna hit the Bus with it.
Thanks for letting me know about this product.
I think it'll be just the right thing to coat over the inside knooks and crannies where I have shot rust killer and compressed air (per Colin).


Rob

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Post by Sylvester » Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:04 am

I am going wabbit, I mean rust hunting this Spring. All this looks very interesting, I have to start buying it now.
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue, I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace. Where never lark, or even eagle flew. And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod, The high untrespassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

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satchmo
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Post by satchmo » Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:54 am

I use the 3M Rust Fighter in the following areas:

- Take off the front footwell panels and spray the seam between the floor and the nose panel

- Take off the front door panels and apply a liberal coat on the inside bottom of the doors

- Spray the seams inside the front seat stands

- Find every access hole you can in the rockers and spray away

- There are some drain holes fitted with a rubber plug in each corner of the cargo floor, as well as the seat clamp fittings. Those always seem to collect a little water and rust. Spray them all. Spray around the edge seam too.

- The B-pillars just behind the front seats have a grommet that can be removed. Spray in there.

- Spray a layer over the seam around the battery trays, and a little over the drain holes there.

- Spray a bunch in the holes just above the back bumper and below the tail lights (if your model has them).

- If you have a sunroof model, coat the drain holes/drip edge if they aren't completely rusted and clogged already

- If you have a walk-thru model, there may be a couple drain holes between the front seats. Those deserve a little coating too.

- I'm not sure which models have some plastic grommets inside the wheel well (tire side) that look like they would break if you tried to remove them (mine does). There are also some rubber grommets over the rear wheel wells accessed from under the side panels in the rear package tray, so maybe that is a better way to access that area (I'm not really sure of the internal anatomy of the bus there).

- Spray a layer in the spare tire well if your model has that

Good luck, Tim


PS: If you have never taken off the front door interior panels, be prepared to 'rinse' out the inside with a hose or something. Water, along with dirt, has been sitting there for 30+ years. Mine looked like the bottom of a river. You need to get that out, dry it, treat the rust, and coat it. Replace the plastic liner with a new one as well.
By three methods we may learn wisdom:
First, by reflection, which is noblest;
second, by immitation, which is easiest;
and third, by experience, which is bitterest. -Confucius

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Post by Amskeptic » Wed Jan 16, 2008 10:46 am

satchmo wrote: - Spray the seams inside the front seat stands
If these are the compartments under the seats, I would not spray them. Interior areas can be useful storage. Clean, touch-up as necessary, and apply car wax.
satchmo wrote: - There are some drain holes fitted with a rubber plug in each corner of the cargo floor, as well as the seat clamp fittings. Those always seem to collect a little water and rust. Spray them all. Spray around the edge seam too.
Here again, I would clean thoroughly and wax. Being out of the elements, these areas will hold up indefinitely. Any sticky waxy residue will become dirt traps that eventually compromise the capacity of those little rubber plugs with drainage slots.
satchmo wrote: - The B-pillars just behind the front seats have a grommet that can be removed. Spray in there.
Is this factory or was there a undercoating program applied to your bus?
I can't visualize what you are describing. . .
satchmo wrote: - Spray a layer over the seam around the battery trays, and a little over the drain holes there.
Inside the engine compartment, I would only clean and wax. You want water to have only hard slippery surfaces to drain from. Under the car and inside of body cavities, wax properties make sense. Around the battery, any off-gassing acid will "stick" to the waxy residue and work its way to the metal, whereas with clean waxed paint and a rainy drive will allow water to rinse the acid down the battery tray drain holes, whose undersides, yes, should be treated.
satchmo wrote: - If you have a sunroof model, coat the drain holes/drip edge if they aren't completely rusted and clogged already


I would clean, touch-up paint, and apply your usual car wax at each wax-the-car day. These gutters and drains want a hard slippery surface.
satchmo wrote: - I'm not sure which models have some plastic grommets inside the wheel well (tire side) that look like they would break if you tried to remove them (mine does). There are also some rubber grommets over the rear wheel wells accessed from under the side panels in the rear package tray, so maybe that is a better way to access that area (I'm not really sure of the internal anatomy of the bus there).
I have not removed mine in 13 years, but I can see that they would love to shatter this time. Are there shallow rubber plugs of the correct diameter that we could insert in their place?
satchmo wrote: Replace the plastic liner with a new one as well.
. . . and if you have the extractor vents in the door, please be sure to glue the big front-to-rear inner flap on the vapor barrier. I had an annoying incureable leak that warped my door panels because my little guess flap over the extractor only wasn't what the factory required.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Post by satchmo » Wed Jan 16, 2008 12:25 pm

To each their own. This stuff is basically a thick coat of wax that is easy to spray on. It does get a little coated with dust, then quits being sticky. I agree that drainage grommets need to be free enough to drain, so keep those open. Those wells in the cargo floor for seat attachment don't drain at all, so it's nice to protect them from standing water (axle grease could do the job too, I suppose).

I like to know the spot welded seams are as protected as I can get them on the interior. When I hit the deer and peeled open the spot weld seam on the front just above the bumper, there was some rust between each spot weld. I can imagine some water gets under the seam in the battery trays too. As for the under seat areas, when was the last time you saw a pristine area around the brake fluid reservoir? I'm not sure if the 3M works to protect that area, but I am trying it out.

I wouldn't use the 3M in under-body or exposed areas. It's listed as an 'interior panel coating.' I coated the seams under the bus with fibered plastic roof cement, especially where the factory seam sealer/caulk hardened and fell out.

As for the B-pillar grommets, don't you have them? A picture is worth a thousand words:

[albumimg]1621[/albumimg]

I think you can also take the shoulder harness bolt and/or the seat belt hanger above it out, and spray in there.

Good luck, Tim
By three methods we may learn wisdom:
First, by reflection, which is noblest;
second, by immitation, which is easiest;
and third, by experience, which is bitterest. -Confucius

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Hippie
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Post by Hippie » Thu Jan 17, 2008 3:51 pm

Having used this stuff now a few times, I can't imagine an evenly applied 2 light coats --keeping the can moving, like spray paint--would interfere with drainage.
It might if you kind of soaked it on in one spot.

The way I worked it was by making two crosswise cuts in opposite sides of the applicator straw, cutting about half way through it each time.
One cut was about 1/4" from the spraying end and the other about 1/4" back from the first. Then I bent the straw so that it opened up the cuts...about 30º at each cut point.
This made sort of a Z in the end of the straw.
Spraying with it now, it not only sprays out of the end, but also makes a fan spray out the sides of the straw.
Pushing the straw up into the drain holes, etc., I would plunge it in and out while spraying, then turn the can 90º, and repeat.


Rob

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Post by Amskeptic » Thu Jan 17, 2008 6:07 pm

satchmo wrote:To each their own. As for the B-pillar grommets, don't you have them? A picture is worth a thousand words:
Oh yeah, those. . . . So, what the heck, let me try a thousand word essay on the location of the b-pillar plugs. . . later.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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