How to restore corroded galvanized chassis while maintaining conductivity?

[eltopo]

Hi all,

I made the mistake of storing a piece of equipment in a garage without adequate protection (should have at least wrapped it in a plastic bag); picked it up a year later to discover rust/corrosion from a mysterious water source which apparently dripped out of the ceiling.

Fortunately, there was no significant water damage, apart from corrosion along one edge of a galvanized steel chassis (this happened at the bottom of the unit to which any dripping water would have flowed).  I removed the rust easily with abrasive pads and tools, but the galvanized coating is now gone from that edge.

As it happens, the chassis is designed to make an electrical contact to a rectangular EMI shield along all 4 sides- so to me, that rules out painting over the chassis edge to cover up the raw steel.


What would be the best restorative option?  (to cover the exposed steel edge and prevent future corrosion, while maintaining electrical conductivity)  I've looked up various conductive paints (brush-on nickel coatings, etc), though they seem to be typically intended to adhere to plastics and I'm unsure whether such a coating would be low resistance to the underlying steel surface.

The actual surface requiring repair (corroded edge) is relatively small, approximately 5mm wide by 20cm long (the width of the bottom edge of the chassis).  Will upload a picture in a bit once I find a USB cable... thanks in advance!

[tautech]

For touch ups something like CRC Zinc It should do the job well.
I get a few years exterior protection of repairs to galvanised steels in our damp NZ climate.
http://crcindustries.com/ei/product_detail.aspx?id=18412

The datasheet doesn't mention conductivity but an email to CRC should clear that up. 

IIRC there is little resistance to striking an arc with a welder unlike normal paints.