can anyone give me the name of a product that will keep my metal art from rusting without colouring it. for example fish oil, though I think it will be prone to collecting dust too much. any help would be good thanks
I BELIEVE YOU CAN GET IT CLEAR POWDER COATED. Or for a cheaper option, I use Rustoleum Clear coat, but make sure it is rust free and wiped down with a degreaser first. Just my opinion and what I do. Larry Cameron Rusticmetalart
thanks Larry. powder coating is on my hit list of things to learn / do. I will get onto my search engine and look into the Rustoleum .
I brush steel and clearcoat with super durable clear powder...no issues. The neat thing is that it makes the part feel "softer" as it adds sufficient thickness that the edges don't feel as crisp/sharp.
My knowledge of powder coating is very limited. so if I understand you correctly sandblasting is not a requirement for powder coating as I ignorantly believed it was ??? thank you for the help it is most appreciated it may be time I learnt how to powder coat off to U tube I go again.
For the powder to stick the surface needs to be clean and for that I'd think you would want to take the mill scale off.
You need a "rough" surface to allow a greater surface area for the powder to adhere to. Blasting is the fastest mechanical method to get this surface, however brushing can be done if the finish is desired. I'd never brush a finish to prep for an opaque powder coat, way too much work. That's why blasting or acid etching is normally done. These are some parts I just brushed this morning, will be forming and powder coating them shortly! This is a pair I finished a while back. Clear powder coat applied. You can't get a brushed finish with mill scale on the surface. Start with cold rolled material or else remove the mill scale hydrochloric acid.
Ok I am going to show my ignorance and ask how you brush the metal I am guessing that it requires a wire brush but that is a large surface and consistency would be vital for a quality finish like you have there. I am imagining a wire roller on a flat bed for that type of work ? to note that finish you have there is absolutely alluring to me. very nice it has a stainless look to it
I have tried many methods and have now settled on using an Ingersoll Rand inline sander. It's around 18" long and has a 2-1/2" or so width of sandpaper. I find to create a nice brushed finish on a flat surface you have to use a sander with a flat surface. Grit all depends on the base material to start with. Sometimes you can start at 100+, sometimes you have to go 40/60 and work your way up. I don't go much past 180 for a #4 architectural brushed finish. Smoothing things out and softening the brushed finish can be done by sandwiching a scotchbrite pad between some heavy grit (40/60) sandpaper and the part itself. It helps even out the finish when I am finishing up the brushing process. This was shot when I switched from an the belt sander...to the inline sander. I don't use the belt sander much anymore now that I use the inline sander. You can see where I use the scotchbrite sandwiched between the sandpaper and the part. Can't do that with a belt sander! Subscribe to my channel if you want to see more videos.
Powder coating is a great option but if don't have access or its not cost effective here's a great diy solution. I use this on all my bare metal pieces. Works great and very durable. Available in satin and gloss. They also have several other great metal working/fabrication items. http://www.eastwood.com/diamond-clear-satin-set.html
The ultimate would be a magnetic chuck with a felt surface. You can suck down carbon steel parts without scratching them or having the clamp in the way. That'll be my future project whenever I have time. lol
I cant imagine that being to difficult these day, I recently saw one of those rare earth magnets on wheels like a broom for cleaning the work shop. I didn't look to close but it was about 400mm long and I would think that two would be a good start. the advantage with them is you can turn them on and off but they don't have a power supply like an electro magnet would have. I have a small one that I use all the time it is so easy to get the rubbish of without using plastic bags.
We rubbed our desert race car cage down with linseed oil. It smells kinda bad and stays tacky for about a day. But we've taken it out to our local sand dunes next to the ocean and its held up very well. I believe we did 2 coats about a couple weeks apart. We even wash the car off after races and with drying it as much as possible after wards its stayed rust free.
