Prepping old iron for new paint

[triguy46]

I'd like to repaint my NH 56 rake. It has all the red worn off/rust covered, and the yellow is faded and chipped. Would having it sand blasted be the easiest approach to prep it prior to painting?

[BCFENCE]

I really dont know much about painting but if it was me i would spray primer on the first coat, then one coat of paint, then i like to mix the last coat alot thiner , this makes it shine alot, that would be 3 coats all together.
THOMAS

[stevemsinger]

I do agree you want to primer it, but sand blasting is a great way to get all of the hard to reach places. I have also used gels that remove rust and old paint but I believe sand blasting is best. Just have to be careful not to get it into bearings and gear boxes.

[fxrupr]

How much time you got????

If you own a sand blaster so much the better, but if not try this. Buy about 4 cans of the cheapest easy off oven cleaner you can find. Disassemble as much of the machines as you can to get the small parts in one place. It will eat rubber and plastic so remove that stuff or count on buying new.

Follow easy directions on can ( joke) actually do it on a sunny warm day.
It may take several applications and then hosing off with high pressure water but it will take off the paint, grease and loosen some of the rust. Easy Off is Lye a strong base.

Next get a couple of gallons of Phosphoric acid rust reducer or I use floor tile cleaner which is straight Phosphoric acid. Use heavy rubber gloves with any of this stuff. After hitting the worst spots with a heavy wire cup on an angle grinder, brush on the acid converter and let it sit. When it starts to dry and turn white in places I give it another shot. I used to put it in a spray bottle and squirt it but I kept getting it on me and breathing it and I didn't like it. If you don't think it's strong look what it does to the concrete when it drips. Be careful. And to think that's what they put in Coke Cola.

It doesn't hurt to hit it with high pressure water again as this knocks off a lot of crud loosened by the acid. Then give it another coat of acid.
Once you have it looking pretty shiny and not rusty, let it dry well and then get it primed right away so it won't flash rust back.

I've heard guys say to always use epoxy primer then your top coats but for utility work I use Ace Hardware oil base primer and enamel Paint. The primer is sandable after it dries and the paint is pretty good if you like the colors they offer off the shelf. Price is right.
Have you seen what they are getting for regular old paint thinner now?
John

[mf124gy]

I'd like to repaint my NH 56 rake. It has all the red worn off/rust covered, and the yellow is faded and chipped. Would having it sand blasted be the easiest approach to prep it prior to painting?

For the rusted parts, use Gemplers Rust Converter.

Rust Converter Frequently Asked Questions | Gempler's

A lot easier than sand blasting.

[mlappin]

I've tried almost all the supposed rust converters out there. Some work, some don't. So far I've found the best product is a primer from Rust Oleum. It contains fish oil which also binds with the rust and will stop it. Its simply called Rusty Metal Primer. However according to Rust Oleum if their primers are used their topcoats are also supposed to be used. If their is something behind that or its jsut a sales gimmick is beyond me. I've used the Rusty Metal Primer on the u trough auger in the grain pit, several gravity wagons and grain trucks frames and beds and used the Rust Oleum topcoat as well.

If you actually want a finish that could be considered as good or better than new, sandblasting is the way to go most of the time. I even own a sandblaster but if it's a big enough job by time I pay for the blasting material and my time to do it, its more cost effective to pay a commercial outfit to do it.