Preping a welding project to paint

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So my friend stooped by my garage to see what  I'm building. And we started talking about how to paint my many projects. He said you could sand blast it or just use primer than paint . And i was thinking using a fine flap disk than primer than paint or my mini air grinder to get off the spatter and other things. So who's right ? Also should i use a spray paint can or a spray gun. Also what other paint  companies are there beside rust olem ?  ThanksMillermatic 211 with mvp plugs miller titanium series welding helmetstihl chain saws 8 ft welding table
Reply:It all depends on what kind of quality you are looking to achieve. Searching for proper paint preperations is your best bet.
Reply:There are a million ways to paint anything. I prefer powdercoating, mainly because it's done by someone else. I hate painting. Sandblasting is one of the best ways to prep for paint. The rough surface grabs the paint pretty well. Sandblasting will not remove weld spatter.The main advantage to a spray gun over rattle cans is volume, you can put down the material faster.Ian TannerKawasaki KX450 and many other fine tools
Reply:A flapwheel will often times make something too smooth for paint to stick.  OR at least the paint will scratch off easy.My name's not Jim....
Reply:Bare metal is good.... Really doesn't matter how you get there.Paint = Anything is better than nothing. I have problems with someone who paints with the "latest and greatest" top coat that eventually will need to be sanded / blasted off. I think I've even stripped down a few old Short Hoods that had pipeline coating on them. What a mess....Thanks,HoboLincoln SA200's... at least 15 - 20. They come and go. Growing partial to the "Short Hoods" in my old age. Last count on Short Hoods was 13 in possession.
Reply:sandblast with #1 silica sand. Its really cheap, like 5$ for 80 pounds, then clean with a body shop metal prep. Its a clear fluid that usually comes in 1 gal containers. I use sherwin williams. then use self etching primer. It actually acidically bonds with the metal to give a very durable base. Then paint with a good paint. If you dont want to go to all that trouble, flap disk with 65 or so grit, clean it off with an air hose, self etching primer, paint.
Reply:I use an old file to knock the dingleberries off, then a soft wire wheel. Sanding wheel if needed. Then i wipe it down with mineral spirits on a rag.  this does two things.  It degrease's and the rag will hang on any thing that need to finish knocking off or sanding. Primer coat, then a couple of paint coats. I use Krylon exclusively.Two turn tables and a microphone.
Reply:Originally Posted by fortyonethirtyThere are a million ways to paint anything. I prefer powdercoating, mainly because it's done by someone else. I hate painting. Sandblasting is one of the best ways to prep for paint. The rough surface grabs the paint pretty well. Sandblasting will not remove weld spatter.The main advantage to a spray gun over rattle cans is volume, you can put down the material faster.
Reply:Originally Posted by stihl91should i use a spray paint can or a spray gun.
Reply:This is the process I typically follow:Clean whatever I'm going to paint with SimpleGreen or another water based degreaser.Dry and then wipe with mineral spirits, alcohol, or acetone.  Use whatever I have, but prefer mineral spirits.Rough the surface with 3M pads or med grit sanding paper.Wipe down with Ospho.  this converts any rust on the surface to a stable black surface. It also cleans the dirt from surface prep away.Prime with red oxide primer.Paint with top coat.I've used a lot of rattle can paint, but I'm finding a strong need to buy a spray gun.  Graco makes some reasonable units that aren't too expensive, I think.  I'm painting smaller objects, so I'm not looking at the big siphon sprayers that draw from 1 gallon or 5 gallon cans.  I've gotten good results with a $20 sprayer from Campbell Hausfeld too.I've seen some water-based alkyd enamel paints that seem to work well and stand up.  Water cleanup and less fumes are a big plus to me.Nothing is as good as 2 part urethane or epoxy paint for durability and looks.  But those are too much trouble for the type and amount of painting I do these days.Last edited by A_DAB_will_do; 08-10-2012 at 09:00 AM.Benson's Mobile Welding - Dayton, OH metro area - AWS Certified Welding Inspector
Reply:For really small jobs or prepping joint areas on mild steel, I use a hand blaster, Quikrete Fine Sand AND a half mask resiprator among other PPE as it contains silica. The Fine Sand is readily available and inexpensive and leaves a surface the paint can bond to. Drawback is it messy, so I do that operation outside. Blast cabinet and larger compressor would be better....... some day maybe. Bigger jobs get sublet to a commercial sandblast outfit.Coatings reliability is, in my experience, all about the prep before any brand or type is applied. Powder coat process is multiple clean/rinse/etch/rinse stages. IF all the nooks and crannys are coated, it's very durable, reliable and maintenance free metal protectant.Paint is reliable also but more time consuming. Prep before and between base and topcoats and the dry times for those. Plan your "stuff" out. Watching paint dry is VERY BORING but is a good test of patience.
Reply:Thanks for all your advice it was very helpful. I think i may try a air paint sprayer just to see if i like using it. And i will post pics of my build in about a week or so. Thanks againMillermatic 211 with mvp plugs miller titanium series welding helmetstihl chain saws 8 ft welding table