I used 16 g sm to build my bed sides . It has a black coating on it and I don't think it is mill scale . May be some sort of pickling ? Do I have to take it all off down to metal are just clean and paint ? I sprayed an area with rust blast , washed and sanded with paint stripper , took almost a full hour . This would make for about 15/20 to do bed . I don't won't to blast because it a large flat area and don't want to warp . Thanks Blue
Panels are 9/3 feet long and I'm scared to warp them plus 200 miles to a blaster as I only have a cabinet blaster .
Do you have a tractor supply or hdwr store near?You can get a siphon blast gun for 18-25$ sand in 5 gallon bucket and shoot.Its a little slower but works.
When you Sand Blast, you warp the panels, not to mention the mess sand blasting makes. And you end up with sand in every crack of your body, including the Great Divide. I said "enough of this ****" and I ended up using paint remover to remove the paint. I used Navel Jelly in areas that were heavily rusted and once all that was done, I used a 60 grit sanding disc and went to town. When it comes to paint removal and rust removal, it takes time to do it right. Also, once you've gotten down to clean metal, wipe it down with thinner and brush some metal prep on it.
D.A. Sander and whatever grit paper you choose. I usually go with 80 grit and then lightly sandblast any rust areas. Wipe it down with thinner and then Metal Prep....... Jeff
Contrary to popular opinion you can blast sheet metal without warping,,especially if your using a siphon type gun and use common sense...I've been doing it for many years with no adverse effects on the metal. All the OP is wanting to do is clean the metal and prep for paint. HRP
YES. You should get to clean, bare Steel. Once it is clean and bare, immediately Epoxy Prime the surface with (2) medium wet coats and either paint on top of the Epoxy (within 8 hours) -or- apply a urethane primer to the Epoxy Primer (within 8 hours) if you plan on block sanding, etc.... Good Luck, VR&C.
I just haven't had any good experiences with sand blasting, whether I had it done or whether I did it myself. Plus, it makes a big mess. That sand goes everywhere to the point when I finished blasting, i would break out my beach umbrella, beach chair, and a pina colada and hang out in that beach I just created. haha.
Having use 3,300 lbs of sand on every square inch of our wagon I never warped anything,possibly because I have being doing it so many years I know to keep moving,,that's where a lot of novice screw up..they see a little place where the paint is stubborn and concentrate on one spot and heating up the metal instead of moving around. HRP
Wow, that's a lot of sand blasting but it's just ain't for me. As a matter of fact, I threw my pressurize sand blaster in the trash. Is your wagon finished or?
The black stuff is scale typical of hot rolled sheet. Pickling is an acid dip that removes scale, It is not a coating. The scale on HR sheet is a lot tighter and more black in color than the scale on hot rolled shapes like angle and channel. At this point, there's not much you can do other than blast it off or sand it off. If you sand, a blue zirconia grit flap wheel on a 4 1/2" grinder will hold up better than most anything else. Probably will take 80 grit to take it off. FWIW, you can usually get hot rolled pickled and oiled sheet for about a dime a pound more than hot rolled black sheets. They're as clean as cold rolled sheet and come with oil on them to prevent rusting.
Next time use cold rolled! You can wet a towel with muratic acid (pool acid) and wipe it down. Try to keep it wet for about 20 minutes. Then pressure wash. Repeat as needed. Acid will eat aluminum, and will rust quickly when done. Rinse well, and neutralize with baking soda.
Where I am I can only get heavier gauge steel in hot-rolled, and strip the scale with muriatic (hydrochloric) acid. Way quicker, simpler and cheaper than abrasives. Even after neutralising with soda I still see flash rust, so I dry it and hit it with phosphoric acid (Ospho or similar) immediately. I would have been easier to do before you made the bed, but doing what Walker described should work out fine - just look out for acid getting trapped in any seams, if you don't neutralise it will corrode REALLY quick... And make sure whatever paint goes on first is compatible - both phosphoric and soda can have issues.
Thanks everyone , this is the only 16 g I could find at the time and it was 225 miles from my home . Got it at metal building supply and they bent it up for me . I like to buy paint grip but none in far west Texas right now ,oil boom . I will sand it off .
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