Surface Cleaning For Epoxy Primer

WD9ER

Member
So I’ve got all the grease, gunk, dirt, etc removed from my WD-9. I’ve treated most of the fabricated parts with rust inhibitor, but not the cast parts as the consensus here seems to be that it will eventually cause paint lifting. Now I am putting pieces back together in preparation for primer. Being I have never painted cast surfaces before, I am wondering what the best way to clean the surface prior to spraying. Normally, I would just wipe everything clean with a wax & grease remover and spray. Can I use a spray bottle of wax and greaser remover to reach those hard to reach places? It seems like with the cast surface, the rag never comes back completely clean. Should I tack cloth it also?
 
Glennster has a method he uses, but it needs to be done in a shop that has a floor drain, so I have not tried it. I do it the hard way--soap and water and/or a cleaner such as 409, maybe even mineral spirits. The final step is wax and grease remover, and you are correct it takes a long time and the rag is hardly ever clean. As to rust inhibitors, I did that once without problems, but I am leery about it. It also loosens even more black crud, meaning you destroyed all the work you did previously. Other than what Glennster will say if he reads this, I have no other ideas. Other than steam cleaning or a hot water pressure washer if you have a place to use it.
 
Okay, hopefully glennster responds. I do not have a floor drain in my shop, but I usually wet the floor down to keep dust down when I paint. I have been trying to avoid using any water on the tractor to prevent rust. I more so thinking along the lines of an alcohol based cleaner that will evaporate.
 
As to the water, I do a small section at a time and dry it with a towel before I get flash rust.
 

Approx. five years ago, a friend who is a retired body shop owner, painted the sheet metal of a tractor for me. Three years later at areas where it had been rusty prior to his taking the paint off with a DA, there was rust bubbling up where there had been little pits. Another tractor got the sheet metal done at a local body shop. After about 8 years, at a place where the paint gets rubbed off from normal use of that model tractor, there were rust bubbles coming up. It depends on how long you want the paint to last, because if you leave rust down in those little pits, even under epoxy, it is eventually going to come back out at you. The jobber where I buy my paint introduced me to acid wash. I told him that I was blasting rust off from my dump truck body and painting it. He told me that I had better use acid wash. Like anything else you just have to follow the instructions, and if you do you don't get that white residue that some refer to.
 
Do you have any recommendations on a specific acid wash and what the cost is? Is this different than a normal rust inhibitor (phosphoric acid)?
 
for final cleaning i load a sure shot with wax and grease remover. i got it from napa, its a one quart metal can with a spray tip, you can load it with solvents or penetrating oil and pressurize it with an air hose. they are about 30 dollars or so. shoups sells them also. if you dont want to buy one, you can use an old spray gun, turn the air pattern all the way in so it shoots a small circle pattern and hose the cast down with that. start the final cleaning with something like mineral spirits, or cheap lacquer thinner (careful thinner atomized is highly flammable) then finish with pre-cleano type wax and grease remover.
 
Glennster, thanks for the info. I will plan on investing in a sure shot. One question, do you attempt to wipe everything down with a wax & grease remover or just use the sure shot sprayer and let it evaporate prior to primer?
 
(quoted from post at 09:04:05 03/06/12) Do you have any recommendations on a specific acid wash and what the cost is? Is this different than a normal rust inhibitor (phosphoric acid)?

Phosphoric is the main ingredient in all of them. Some have molybdenum or Chromium as an additional metal protector. Moly is probably better as the chromium is a carcinogen. You can go back in this forum to see what has been recommended. I got the Metal Ready by POR 15, then I found that the same thing is a available at restaurant supply stores and dairy supply houses for a lot less. it is sold as mineral film remover. Just follow the directions on the POR 15 or Ospho or whatever you find.
 
sheet metal, wipe down with a tack rag just before shooting. for cast, i use a red scotchbrite pad to scrub with. a rag will leave little hairs stuck in the cast and they are difficult to remove. after the scrub, just rinse it with the sure shot.
 
You are supposed to wipe the wax and grease remover off, at least those are the instructions for PPG DX 330. Use strokes in the same direction, otherwise it does not remove all the contaminants -- (I don't always do that).
 

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