Topic: When fabricating in steel...

I have built a welding cart in my shop and have not done a ton of this sort of thing, I was wondering...The steel has a slightly oily finish on it.  Part of the product is expanded metal, which is also slightly oily.

Q: What is the easiest way to remove all this to prep for paint?  Wipe with mineral spirits? Fire?  Simple green?

TIA

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Scott
Speed Racer Mach5 Mustang
Houston TX

Re: When fabricating in steel...

Stovebolt wrote:

I have built a welding cart in my shop and have not done a ton of this sort of thing, I was wondering...The steel has a slightly oily finish on it.  Part of the product is expanded metal, which is also slightly oily.

Q: What is the easiest way to remove all this to prep for paint?  Wipe with mineral spirits? Fire?  Simple green?

TIA

I like lacquer thinner...evaporates quickly and doesn't leave a residue.  Really flammable though. You can use almost anything, including dish soap and water if you dry it thoroughly afterwards. If you're stick welding, there are rods that are designed to work with dirty steel...just weld right through it.

Jim "Endo" Anderton
30 years of racing and still not Brambilla.....

Re: When fabricating in steel...

Well, trying to paint it, I got it welded up.  The oily crap residue makes it difficult to get painted properly, and the mesh is hard to get clean.  Thanks for advice...Yea, I used to clean parts with gasoline and gunk concentrate mixed up when I was a pup, my dad did that to break down the copious amounts of crud on those old engines...

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Scott
Speed Racer Mach5 Mustang
Houston TX

4 (edited by dculberson 2009-10-07 08:24 AM)

Re: When fabricating in steel...

Dilute simple green in a spray bottle, then follow with a clean nylon bristle brush, then spray down with water and use the air compressor to dry it off really well.

For drying stuff, I found that a cheap sand blasting gun with nothing hooked to the pickup tube works wonders.  The pickup tube just sucks air, and it pushes a LOT more air through.

Quad4 CRX - Wartburg 311 - Civic Wagovan - Parnelli Jones Galaxie - LS400 - Lancia MR2 - Boat - Sentra - 56 Ford Victoria
Known Associate of 3pedal Mafia, Speedycop, and the Russians.  Maybe even NSF.

Re: When fabricating in steel...

dculberson wrote:

Dilute simple green in a spray bottle, then follow with a clean nylon bristle brush, then spray down with water and use the air compressor to dry it off really well.

For drying stuff, I found that a cheap sand blasting gun with nothing hooked to the pickup tube works wonders.  The pickup tube just sucks air, and it pushes a LOT more air through.

How about an air nozzle then........

Sons of STIG
Judge Jonny, "So, what's the next formerly thought to be immune from winning that will steal the nickels?An MR2? A Fierro (ha ha ha)? A Datsun/Nissan Z? A Camaro?"

Re: When fabricating in steel...

lol.... air nozzle works fine, as does  laquer thinner..


Soap and water, followed by laquer thinner for me,  IF I care about the finish... but, this is Lemons, right?   Wipe'r off with an oily shop rag so you get that nice  red fuzz in the finall finish...

Owner: Stanford Motorsports (sounds better than it is!)
Lamest Day entry:  Team EAU RUDE  silver/red NON-CHEATING Sentra SE-R #40  (Crew Chief, Large Fat Bald Guy with white Mutton Chop sideburns)
Other nonsense:  Solo Director, Cincy SCCA, Board of Directors, Cincy SCCA

Re: When fabricating in steel...

SMSRACING wrote:

lol.... air nozzle works fine, as does  laquer thinner..


Soap and water, followed by laquer thinner for me,  IF I care about the finish... but, this is Lemons, right?   Wipe'r off with an oily shop rag so you get that nice  red fuzz in the finall finish...

Red fuzz? you must be using real shop wipers....real Lemons competitors use old T-shirts and the ripped underwear your wife makes you throw away

Jim "Endo" Anderton
30 years of racing and still not Brambilla.....

Re: When fabricating in steel...

Just an air nozzle doesn't put out as much volume as the sand blasting nozzle.  That was my point.

Quad4 CRX - Wartburg 311 - Civic Wagovan - Parnelli Jones Galaxie - LS400 - Lancia MR2 - Boat - Sentra - 56 Ford Victoria
Known Associate of 3pedal Mafia, Speedycop, and the Russians.  Maybe even NSF.

Re: When fabricating in steel...

what about Coca Cola? haven't you ever seen mythbusters?

Re: When fabricating in steel...

dculberson wrote:

Just an air nozzle doesn't put out as much volume as the sand blasting nozzle.  That was my point.

?!

Show me said air nozzle...

Sons of STIG
Judge Jonny, "So, what's the next formerly thought to be immune from winning that will steal the nickels?An MR2? A Fierro (ha ha ha)? A Datsun/Nissan Z? A Camaro?"

Re: When fabricating in steel...

Like this:

http://www.hy-xmc.com/img/45.jpg

just don't hook the pickup tube to anything.

Quad4 CRX - Wartburg 311 - Civic Wagovan - Parnelli Jones Galaxie - LS400 - Lancia MR2 - Boat - Sentra - 56 Ford Victoria
Known Associate of 3pedal Mafia, Speedycop, and the Russians.  Maybe even NSF.

Re: When fabricating in steel...

dculberson wrote:

Like this:

http://www.hy-xmc.com/img/45.jpg

just don't hook the pickup tube to anything.

Believe it's a sand blaster

Jim "Endo" Anderton
30 years of racing and still not Brambilla.....

Re: When fabricating in steel...

Yeah, that's why I said it was a sand blasting gun.

Quad4 CRX - Wartburg 311 - Civic Wagovan - Parnelli Jones Galaxie - LS400 - Lancia MR2 - Boat - Sentra - 56 Ford Victoria
Known Associate of 3pedal Mafia, Speedycop, and the Russians.  Maybe even NSF.

Re: When fabricating in steel...

Is that a sandblasting gun? (G)   Thanks guys, I'm going to clean that welding cart up today and finish the welds on our Lemons car.  It figures by the time I finish something I figure out how to make it easier....

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Scott
Speed Racer Mach5 Mustang
Houston TX