Help me save this rusty DIY

[Teaching3bears]

I found an old rusty wire chair that was used outside.  It has some bad rust spots on the top and the arms.  I thought that it would look really nice for DS's desk if I painted it blue.  I was told to sand the rust til it is not bumpy and use 2-3 coats of Rustoleum Tremclad spray-ain't.  I sanded and did coat#1.  The color looks great but the rust spots are still there as big patches of rusty brown.  I doubt more coats will make a difference.  The people at Rustoleum told me of a product I could use to apply to the rust spots before repainting.  I don't want to spend money on another product because the chair might not work out anyways and my son might not like it.  This is partly a project for me to try out using spray paint.  I plan to wipe the rusty patches with vinegar, sand and try again.  Somehow I don't think it will work.  I don't think there is really a way to soak the rusty spots in vinegar.  

The people at Rustoleum said it would not work to apply a wall primer to the rust before painting.  What if I put masking tape over the rust before spray painting, or a paper label sticker?  I know there would be a line but it would look better than rust.

 

[Tap]

Any kind of sticker will likely curl or disintegrate with the paint.  If you want to seal the rust, you will need a product designed for rust.   Anything else may cover it but the rust color will work its way through the paint. 

[fairfarmhand]

Try krypton spray primer. 

 

Eta: krylon

Edited August 24, 2018 by fairfarmhand

[Katy]

Don't use vinegar, that's one of the things you use to make objects rust.

First ask DS if he can sit on it and if he'd like it if you fixed it up.

Then get a rust neutralizer spray like this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Loctite-10-25-oz-Extend-Rust-Neutralizer-Spray-633877/100371820

Then prime and paint.

[itsheresomewhere]

There is a primer for rust to stop and seal. It should be in the spray paint area.

[Teaching3bears]

So, I noticed that there is a very rusty spot where the blue paint managed to stay because I sprayed thicker.  I am thinking of either putting some white wall primer with a paint brush over the rusty spots before I do additional coats, or just putting about 7 coats on the rusty spots.

 Which do you think will work better?  Will the white wall primer make it blobby or uneven?

[hshibley]

You can try Naval Jelly to remove the rust https://www.homedepot.com/p/Loctite-16-fl-oz-Naval-Jelly-Rust-Dissolver-Bottle-553472/203009241 and then spray it with a rust stopping spray paint primer https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-Stops-Rust-12-oz-Clean-Metal-Primer-Spray-Paint-7780830/100143442. It's worked well on my projects.

[gstharr]

You should sand off the first coat. Apply a coat of Rustoleum  Rusty Metal Primer (Walmart $9/qt). Then paint.