Welding Tips and Tricks

I built my dad a lift out of 2x2x.250 and 1.5x1.5x.250 hot rolled mild steel. What would the best way to paint it so the paint will last? I already have the metal all shinny and ready. All help appreciated!

Blaze,
I've found that an epoxy primer works best on bare metal if it's going to be constantly exposed to the elements. Your paint choice is only as good as the primer. If you're thinking rattle cans, none hold up all that well, again, the best primer you can afford and then all paints will hold up better.

Len

Rust-Oleum works well and if you ever need to touch it up all of the home stores sell it.

Epoxy primer ten four! Thx! Should I clear coat it?

My buddy paints so I can ask him for specifics, but is do a ppg I think it's k36 primer then two stage with clear coat. Pretty sure the k36 is an epoxy primer that is uv resistant so if it sits awhile it won't degrade.

Man, thx guys!

Not to go against what others have said but epoxy primer if used alone and left to the elements will chalk and is porous allowing water to go though causing the primer to lift off. I highly recommend you top coat the epoxy primer. I have a lot of experience with industrial coatings.
-Jonathan

Oh. I thought I was suppose to primer, paint and then clear?

Blaze659 wrote:Oh. I thought I was suppose to primer, paint and then clear?

Quite right. Jonathan was pointing out "not" to wait between primer and paint... Think of every crappy grey primer half-restored car you've seen some redneck drive...

Once the primer's cured, get some paint on it.

Clearcoat is an option... you can use a single-stage paint, or a basecoat-clearcoat system, but you should make that decision before you prime. A typical two-part primer will give you a narrow window of recoat time, such as "after 4 hours but before 24 hours", and if you wait more than 24 hours you have to sand everything.

Steve S

Blaze659 wrote:Oh. I thought I was suppose to primer, paint and then clear?

I know a lot of people use epoxy primer as one coat and within a year have problems. I was asked to paint a trailer with black epoxy primer and I advised against it stating that it would chalk and peel within a year. I was told to do it anyway and guess what happened. Keep in mind that epoxy is not cheap but it works really well as the base coat.

As Steve said, follow the manufacturers recommendations. I found that most don't know what "to touch" and "to recoat" actually mean and are not followed.
-Jonathan

I have heard a very good paint is POR 15 Rust.....something. Evidently its almost indestructible. Expensive but worth it. Google it.

Mick

weldin mike 27 wrote:I have heard a very good paint is POR 15 Rust.....something. Evidently its almost indestructible. Expensive but worth it. Google it.

Used POR15 a few times and it's indeed very good, but interestingly it actually works best on somewhat rusted metal to provide the 'key' for the paint to adhere to. Otherwise you need to roughen up the metal first or use their metal prep/etch to provide the correct suface treatment. If the surface is too smooth then it won't bond properly and can flake off.

'paint' in this respect is a bit of a misnomer as it's AFAIK a type of cyanoacrylate coating (related to superglue somewhat) that cures/hardens by reacting with the moisture from the surface and air and doesn't 'dry' as such.

Several types of POR15 coatings also do not like UV radiation much. It won't degrade the protection of the coating itself, but it will develop a weathered look. Needs a (clear) topcoat to finish it nicely.

Do not get it on your skin! It will need to wear off and you're stuck with coloured blotches on your hands for weeks.. (don't ask.. )

And all brushes and cans you use are basically toast and need to be thrown away after using it once it hardens. No way to get it off again. It's very tough and tenacious stuff that needs a grinder to be removed if it has bonded properly to the base material it's applied to.

Bye, Arno.

P.S. they also sell it in sets of smaller cans.. This can be very useful so you only open (and use) a small amount at a time as it will start to react and harden when exposed to air, so an opened can is basically a ticking clock and will cure over some time.

Yep I heard it was a "rust converter" type thing. Their website says if you paint with the rust paint and then the bed liner paint, you will NEVER need to paint again. Good thing because I think you would have to mortgage the house to buy it.

Mick

An industrial type primer and top coating may be expensive, but any of the zinc rich primer and top coat systems need a blasted surface profile to be effective. Take a minute and look up a paint store in your area that handles these coatings(Sherman Williams for example). They have representatives that can provide you with all of the information to make for a successful coating project that will last for years in the harshest of environments.

I was not suggesting that the epoxy primer be left unpainted, just the opposite. I said your paint is only as good as the primer beneath it.

Len


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