Frame cleanup options

[David H.]

Anyone ever use or hear of using Acetone to clean up a frame prior to painting instead of blasting it with sand or glass or what all? It has been suggested that it will work very well in a controlled application. What are your thoughts. Thanks.

[Paul J.]

Re: Frame cleanup options

I would think that you would want to use soap and water first, followed by a degreaser and/or a stronger solvent. Maybe laquer thinner, or Toluol, Xylol, MEK or something like that. Chemtool also comes to mind.

But after you've done all of this you still should put some tooth into the existing finish, so you're either sanding or using a wire wheel.

I prefer to strip it by blasting and start with clean metal.

Paul

[David H.]

Re: Frame cleanup options

I did the soap and water, then degreaser twice. Then went over it with hand tools to clean up the tough spots. It's pretty clean and ready for the next step. I was going to sand blast but if I can do it another way I would prefer to avoid the mess of the sand blast. I have decided to do it myself. I dont like to hand it off to Bubba if I can avoid it. Plus I like getting to know the car up close and personal. I have found every little scratch and ding on it.

[Harmon C.]

Re: Frame cleanup options

I had good results with Rust Cure. Other products are sold that change rust to a paintable surface and most contain acid.

[Chuck S.]

Re: Frame cleanup options

Anyone ever use or hear of using Acetone to clean up a frame prior to painting instead of blasting it with sand or glass or what all? It has been suggested that it will work very well in a controlled application. What are your thoughts...

I'm getting the vision of a nearly virgin frame.

Acetone is very similar to lacquer thinner or MEK as a degreasing solvent...in fact, my experience is that acetone is not quite as efficient a solvent as lacquer thinner or MEK.

No petroleum solvent is going to have any effect on rust, and virtually no effect on paint...depending on the type of paint, acetone or lacquer thinner may remove the paint, but it will be slow. The better choice for paint stripping would be simply strip it off using gel paint stripper from home stores, but better plan on wiping it down well with lacquer thinner and painting the frame quickly before rust forms.

If you have localized rust areas, you might consider localized sand blasting of those areas only. I wouldn't use a coarse media, however...you might texture the steel where it will be visible after paint; glass beads or beach/river sand would work if they remove the rust.

[David H.]

Re: Frame cleanup options

This frame is in VERY good condition. No rust other than the normal surface rust. No rust thru anywhere. No flaking anywhere. That is why I even considered a simpler clean up before paint. But, it sounds like a very fine media sand blasting will do the best job. Is it then necessary to paint immediately? Will it develope surface rust quickly after sand blasting? Thanks.

[Chuck S.]

Re: Frame cleanup options

This frame is in VERY good condition. No rust other than the normal surface rust. No rust thru anywhere. No flaking anywhere. That is why I even considered a simpler clean up before paint. But, it sounds like a very fine media sand blasting will do the best job. Is it then necessary to paint immediately? Will it develope surface rust quickly after sand blasting? Thanks.

That answer will be completely dependent on the relative humidity where you live. What is your past experience leaving bare steel parts outside?

In most areas, once steel is stripped of paint and existing rust, you can expect fine rust to begin forming on the surface immediately. It may not be visible for a while, but it's growing there. When I lived in El Paso, which is literally in the desert, I could let parts blasted to white metal remain in the blast cabinet for months and they would still appear as if they were just blasted yesterday.

When I was working as an engineer in the gulf coast petroleum business, I always thought it ironic that DuPont specified prep for their Imron epoxy coatings to be sand blasted steel substrate to white metal and top coating that steel within 24 hours. To meet that spec on the huge storage tanks we had, you would have to let the sand blaster get a one day headstart before you started spraying, because there was NO WAY you could blast or paint the entire tank in one day.

I would say that you don't have to worry too much about painting it the same day you strip the frame, but I would plan on painting it as quickly as possible once you have it stripped. In other words, don't do like some of us and strip it because you have some time, then let it set around for months or years before painting. A final lacquer thinner wipe down immediately before paint will help to remove anything that has formed meantime.