Protecting rusty metal poles with Wattyl Kill Rust products

2025-10-05T12:00:00+10:00

At the back of our house we have five poles that support two balconies, that are concreted into the ground.

The previous owner had raised the level of the backyard at some point, and buried part of the poles under soil and grass.

When we had a building inspection when purchasing the house, the inspector had advised that the poles were rusting and in need of repair.

I forgot about that until about ten years later when I thought I better do something about it.

I dug around each pole and uncovered it and the rust was very bad.

I planned to protect what was left of the poles and then cover them in concrete and asked on forums whether this was a good idea. Most people suggested I should get them professional cut back and new poles fitted. But I went with the minority who said to treat the rust, paint them in some sort of protective paint and then raise the level of the concrete.

After a little investigation and failed orders for some Rust-o-leum and Eastwood products I settled on the Wattyl Kill Rust system from the local Mitre 10.

The first step was to use a wire brush to remove as much of the rust and flaking metal as I could. I removed a lot but probably should have done more than I did.

Next, I cleaned the poles with mineral turpentine and then applied Rust-Eeter which is a rust converter. This stuff is strong-smelling and goes sticky quite quickly so is best poured into a container a little at a time and have a few brushes ready as they go hard quite quickly.

This turns into a solid black coating and requires twenty-four hours at minimum before applying the Heavy Duty Primer.

The primer also goes sticky and dry pretty quickly so it is good to have a few spare paint brushes ready to go. Lucky I bought about 10 or 20 paint brushes from Aliexpress for this project.

The primer needs to be left for a minimum of four hours before applying the top coat, Epoxy Gloss Enamel. This comes in various colours or can be tinted. Fortunately Brunswick Green is the colour I need and is available off the shelf at Mitre 10.

The top coat goes on much easier. I only needed one paint brush. Maybe Brunswick Green wasn't quite the best match though.

You need to wait a minimum of 16 hours after the first coat before applying the recommended second coat.

I was now able to repair the storm water plumbing.

A week later I started work on concreting. I used cardboard to create a mould for the concrete and as I added concrete I started filling in around the cardboard with soil so the flimsy cardboard would kept its' shape. The cardboard will decompose over time. The result is not pretty but will hopefully do the job of protecting the poles for years to come.

Gainsborough Trilock door latch won't stay closed

2025-07-06T12:00:00+10:00

If your Gainsborough Trilock door won't stay closed it could be caused by a broken spring for the latch/deadbolt.

If the latch/deadbolt is not springing out as far as it needs to then you will likely need to replace the spring.

You might be able to get it working again by stretching part of the broken spring but that probably won't last long.

You can buy new springs in Australia for about $23 to $33 posted but if that seems excessive for a tiny little spring then you can find a generic spring from somewhere else cheaper.

For example, I bought a packet of 20 springs for less than A$4 from Aliexpress.

The size of the spring that worked for me is 3mm outer diameter, 30mm long and 0.5mm wire diameter. It's a pretty tight fit so you probably wouldn't want to stray from those dimensions. Even slightly thicker wire might not fit.

There are probably better guides on how to replace this part on YouTube but the basic instructions are as follows.

Unscrew the four phillips head screws that hold the inside to the outside.
Be careful as you separate the inside and outside parts. There is a part that slots into the outside part from the inside. This part can go on four different ways and affects how the lock works (various options for whether you need the key to unlock from inside, etc). You can work out which way is correct but it is easier if you take note of how it was installed.
Once you have the inside and outside parts off you can remove the two screws from the cylinder - one on the inside and one on the outside - that secure the bit that sticks into the door frame.
Then you can can unscrew the two screws on the side of the door and attempt to pull that outwards. You need to rotate the cylinder or rock it back and forward until the latch/deadbolt slides out.
Then you can pull the latch assembly apart and find the pushrod and spring.
Fit your new spring on the pushrod and put the latch assembly back together. Then slide that back in the door, again rotating the other part until it can push into place and screw it in in.
Then put the two screws back into the cylinder.
Screw the four spacers into the outside door part and then hen put the outside part in and align that inside part with it, then attach the inside part and check the lock works how you want it to.
Then install the four screws and you are done.

Hopefully that works for you.

One extra tip is do not test the door without the plate installed that attaches to the latch assembly on the side of the door. This can cause the latch/deadbolt to get stuck in the door frame and you may find yourself locked inside or outside and unable to open the door, like happened to me.

If you're in Australia and need a spring I now have 19 spares. Feel free to contact me and maybe I can send you one.

johna's blog

Protecting rusty metal poles with Wattyl Kill Rust products

Gainsborough Trilock door latch won't stay closed