Any way to keep mild steel sculpture shiny outdoors?

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I'm thinking about making a sculpture out of mild steel. If I get it down to shiny metal and polish it up, is there any way to keep it looking like that outdoors? Permanently?  I haven't made the jump to stainless yet, maybe later. Just wondered if I could get away somehow with using 16 ga mild steel.
Reply:You will need an automotive clear or something like POR-15. It needs to be for outdoor use and not yellow being exposed to UV.Even with those, you may get rust spots developing. Sent from my SM-G996U using TapatalkMillermatic 252 MIGMiller Dynasty 200DX TIGMiller Spectrum 625 PlasmaAltas 12x36 Metal LatheBridgeport Milling Machinewww.psacustomcreations.com
Reply:KBS sells something called like "DiamondFinish" that might be right...Last edited by BaTu; 3 Days Ago at 02:35 PM.
Reply:How big are we talking ? I've done yard art and used Rustoleum Clear Coat. Heating up beeswax works to and brush on. You can also get an estimate for Clear Powder coating too. I've done horseshoe outside plant holders and used clear coat Rustoleum. It held up OK but I suggested an additional coat before winter. They still look good. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Reply:Nickel, or chrome platebumpers hold up pretty good??Cadmium plate, with clear chromate.Zinc plate with chromate does not hold up as well as cadmium.In the end,, making the item out of stainless will be the low cost, environmentally friendly , answer.That is why all the art that you see is stainless,, because, somebody jumped through this hoop before you,,,
Reply:There's an artist here that must make all his sculpture out of steel because they're all painted. I could go that way but liked the shiny look and wondered if there was a permanent way to protect it from changing. Maybe I'll have to rent an argon tank and head toward stainless. Without having done a mockup, I'm thinking the pieces will be at least 5' tall. That's a lot of work to have to redo later due to rust or corrosion.
Reply:Clear powder coat.
Reply:

Originally Posted by JD1

There's an artist here that must make all his sculpture out of steel because they're all painted. I could go that way but liked the shiny look and wondered if there was a permanent way to protect it from changing. Maybe I'll have to rent an argon tank and head toward stainless. Without having done a mockup, I'm thinking the pieces will be at least 5' tall. That's a lot of work to have to redo later due to rust or corrosion.
Reply:I polished a large bronze foyer for a bank about 10 years ago. I used clear coat from napa. We sanded everything to a clean finish, acetone or whatever cleaner, then clear coated. 2 coats. It has held up good for over 5 years but I havent checked on it in a long time. Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
Reply:

Originally Posted by JD1

Maybe I'll have to rent an argon tank and head toward stainless
Reply:Permalac, flood penetrol, or 2k clear coat (automotive style 2 part paint) are your answers.2k clear is what they use for cars (with proper prep should last 5-10 years at least), can be bought in spray cans (easy solution), DO NOT BREATHE or let anyone near while spraying without a respirator, this 2 part stuff is HELL for lungs.The downside of 2k is if you need to touch up or recoat you need to treat it like a regular paint, ie lots of prep work.Permalac and Penetrol don't last nearly as long as 2k but are much easier to recoat or touch up, you just clean and spray on top of old coat - I don't even scuff the old coat most times.
Reply:Clear coat only lasts so long outside, inside it lasts a long time. Fighting rust here is an eternal battle outside, constant rain, and high humidity. Your location may determine what method is best for you. If its going to be outside, either go stainless and aluminum, paint, or embrace the rust patina. Recoating, is more tedious than the original coating. I never seem to have the same energy reworking something, especially if its ornamental.The Flood Penetrol on rust, I accidentally discovered, and confirmed here works well. Never tried it on polished steel.What is passivation treatment?Passivation is a widely-used metal finishing process to prevent corrosion. ... The chemical treatment leads to a protective oxide layer that is less likely to chemically react with air and cause corrosion. Passivated stainless steel resists rust.

Walter SURFOX is a leader in metal finishing stuff :        https://www.walter.com/surfox/passivation                                                                                                                                                                 https://www.walter.com/en_US/surfox/tig-welding                                                                                 https://www.walter.com/en_US/surfox/mig-welding                                                                                                                                                                 https://www.walter.com/en_US/surfox/surface-finishingThere are other companies making equipment, but this site is very helpful at one page explanations. It never hurts to have a straight argon tank in the shop. Good for both Aluminum, and Stainless steel.Hope this Helps       https://www.weldingweb.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gifLast edited by albrightree; 2 Days Ago at 09:03 AM.Airco 250 ac/dc Heliwelder Square waveMiller Synchrowave 180 sdMiller Econo Twin HFLincoln 210 MPDayton 225 ac/dcVictor torchesSnap-On YA-212Lotos Cut60D
Reply:Penetrol and permalac do indeed work on rust, I forgot to mention that (per albrightlee).  If you want to preserve a current patina or mixed patina/clean steel they will work for that application (they both have oils to prevent further rusting/stop current rust where it is).Rust under a 2k clear coat will cause the clear coat to fail in short time in my experience.In my experience a properly prepared 2 part clear coat can last a LONG time outdoors (It's what they use on cars).  Rustoleum style clear coats definitely don't last long outdoors, especially in harsh environments.Last edited by SlowBlues; 2 Days Ago at 09:33 AM.
Reply:Stainless steel can have chromium, and other hard metals in it,, so,,,what happens is, when you "work" or shape stainless steel with regular steel tools, the non stainless steel transfers from the tools to the surface of the stainless steel.You can even take a piece of stainless steel sheet, slide it on a steel welding bench,, and the stainless steel will now have steel on its surface.That steel on the stainless is not rust resistant, so,, it rusts.  

Many times, stainless steel parts are dipped into acid, to remove the steel that was transferred,, that can be called passivation.It is the opposite of "activation", which is what happened when the steel was wiped onto the stainless steel.The WORST thing to see is using a belt sander on stainless steel,, after that belt had been used on regular steel,,WOW!! you end up with a disaster of deeply imbedded steel particles in the stainless, and those particles REALLY want to rust!!


Reply:Even if you don't embed non-stainless steel in the stainless steel, putting scratches in it (by sanding or wire wheeling) is generally a good way to get crevice corrosion. Basically what happens is that the microscopic scratches act like microscopic "batteries" when dew or another electrolyte gets into them, and you get galvanic corrosion between dissimilar metals (such as chrome, nickel, iron, carbon, etc) within the stainless steel matrix. I always cringe when I hear of guys removing rust on stainless fittings on their saltwater boats by wire wheeling because that's a great way to make the corrosion far worse, even if it "looks good" temporarily...
Reply:Le Tonkinoise varnish. Linseed and tung oil, cheap, no solvent, dries well. Lasts.Do not believe everything that you think.
Reply:Polish it every day.Blast, spray and bake on coating in a metallic finish like Cerakote
Reply:Some stainless alloys will rust right out of the box, I think that holds true to 400 series & above.IMPEACH BIDEN!NRA LIFE MEMBERUNITWELD 175 AMP 3 IN1 DCMIDSTATES 300 AMP AC MACHINEGOD HELP AMERICA!"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” BENJAMIN FRANKLIN