Now that I am almost ready to start painting things and putting them back on, what should I use to clean the peices prior to painting. For example, if I decide to zinc plate the backing plates I have, or the hood hinges, what do I use, after I sandblast the parts, before I coat/paint. Len
My 2 cents: If you are going to have items plated, clean the parts as best you can without being heroic and send them to the plater. Get the grease and grime off. The plater will acid dip and/or steam clean the parts to keep his baths clean! What I do for painting is to start with Kerosene and a stiff brush for the grease and grime, or use a parts cleaner. Move on to detergent (Dawn, etc) for the really fine cleaning. Let dry. Just before you paint, wipe down with lacquer thinner or other solvent. For rust I have been using the deruster that Alan(?) sold here on the board. Seems to work great, at least for me. Sandblasting is a good alternative if you have the facilities, but I like the solvent as it only removes the rust. The most important aspect is to use good quality paint. I like the POR products or Rustolem products for parts. Of course if you are doing a concourse job then you want to use correct colors/finish and must use the correct paints from Eastwood, et al, or mix your own if you are a pro. Good luck and don't forget to have fun! - Bill :TU:
Bill; Thanks for your help. I sandblasted the parts clean. I will use the thinner when I am ready to paint. I am going to try some of the Eastwood products on the parts. I'll see how they turn out before I buy the new one. Len
Cool Len , just don't recycle that blast media if you blasted off the grease too, it will contaminate the next thing you blast. Post some before and after pictures! - Bill
Hey Len, I use similar methods to Bill's....Scrape off grease, scrub in kerosene, then a wash in either HOT water and Tide, or Castrol Degreaser (nasty stuff!). Rinse in hot water (dries faster), then blow dry. If I will be painting or powdercoating the part right away, I'll throw it in the oven to bake out any remaining moisture or grease. That's important for porous materials....like cast iron and aluminum. Engine and trans parts will get sprayed with WD-40, then wrapped in saran wrap to keep them clean. Parts that I blast (I like silicon carbide), will get rinsed in laquer thinner before coating. At times, I may also treat the part with a metal conditioner, like Picklex, for additional rust treatment. A hobbiest plating supply company, like Caswell plating, offers a degreaser/metal treatment you can wash parts in before plating. I think it's phosphate based... Carb cleaner/brake clean also works well for a final cleaner... Okay, I'm out of suggestions.......next!
Walt; Thanks for the detailed cleaning instructions. I have to admit I did not change the blasting media. Will see how things go this week and weekend. Hopefully, I will have the balance of the parts ready to send with the frame on Tuesday. Len
