Painting welding table frame

[murrayj70]

My question is do I need to get that coating off the square tube before using primer. I have some slight rust in a few areas. Just need some tips on best way to paint this. What is this coating on the square tube?

 

[sberry]

Scuff this with some purple Scotchbrite, paint in a plastic cup and spread it on with a sponge brush.

 

[dr_clyde]

Just get any oil or loose rust off.

The mill scale is fine to paint over.

 

[Superbec]

That coating is mill scale , it's an oxide formed at high temp , when they hot rolled the tubes, you can paint over it or just leave it be.

My welding table did fine with no paint for 8-9 years now .

 

[Krang]

You can paint over the millscale but you still need to roughen the surface, and clean off any oils or dirt.

The one mention I will make for cleaning the millscale off (it’s a pita to do so, FYI) is that the paint finish will be ever so slightly better.

I would say use this as a test... if you are grinding the welds for asthetic purposes, clean the millscale. If you don’t grind the welds, don’t worry about it.

Cleaning the millscale is cake with a stripping grinding pad, but first clean the surface with a diluted degreaser and green scuffing pad, then wipe with paint thinner or something. The stripping pad works 100x better if the metal doesn’t have oil on it.


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[bad_idea]

Wipe the frame down with mineral spirits and coat with rustoleum rusty metal primer followed by rustoleum oil based paint. The cans of paint/primer not the spray cans - will be cheaper. I painted my benches ten years ago and they look great still. They spent about a year behind the shed out in the elements when I moved while I built the new shop. Paint held up just fine. Don't sweat getting the rust or mill scale off, just get the loose stuff off. It'll be fine.

 

[murrayj70]

I don't want to go to all the trouble of removing mill scale if I don't need to. I think I will just try scuffing then wipe down with cleaner add rustoleum primer and paint.

 

[sberry]

I don't always prime stuff like that, even simply paint the flats you can see. These shelves were green. Don't even notice only faces are white.

 

[fasteddie]

I like to use Rustoleum self etching primer on bare metal, the rusty metal primer is good too but the self etch really bites into the surface. If you're using any rattle can paint, pay attention to the recoat times printed on the can. Usually top coat within one hour or after 24 hours. Rustoleum enamel gets a bad rep because it takes a long time to dry and about a month to fully cure. If you are spraying or need to thin it, use naptha. it will speed up dry time. Once it cures and hardens it's tough as nails. No, I don't work for them or sell paint.

 

[gearhead1]

For something like that, I take a clean low lint cotton rag and soak it in acetone. Use nitrile gloves and wipe all the preservative off of the matal. Then paint with rustoleum.

The back of the rustoleum can said acetone could be used to thin the paint, so that’s why I use acetone. Rustoleum is readily available. Good enough for most projects.

 

[tarmy]

I paint all mine...

I always clean the metal before welding with degreaser...then grind clean to shiney metal for areas to be welded.

Wipe down as others mentioned, prime with metal primer and spray with appliance enamel paint. It seems to hold up better.

 

[kerrynzl]

Wax and grease remover on a rag.

Then thinners on a rag.

The etch primer [or a zinc paint for a one step finished coat]

 

[sqznby]

Nice lookin base.
Hit it with a wire wheel and to get the rust off and wipe it down with some acetone then prime or paint.
Primer really isn't necessary but will help with longevity as long as its prepped correctly.

 

[murrayj70]

I am happy with how the frame turned out. This is really my first useful project since buying welder. I tacked everything and my daughters boyfriend wanted to weld it so I let him weld it up. Hopefully with the painting tip from all of you this will last a lifetime.