Having some damaged paint in some areas but aren’t ready for a full on sand blast yet? Then chances are you will be performing spot repairs. spot repairs can be very effective if done right. An advantage a customer would have is that it can save money and put off a full sandblast and repaint. This type of work is common on Industrial gas/ water tanks and sometimes bridges.
First thing as always you will want to do is clean your surface. On large jobs this means a good pressure wash and solvent wipe. Now that we can see all of our damage and paint defects we want to work very methodically . I like to work top down left to right. If you work organized like this you will be one of the more efficient workers.
The first tool you should grab is your flapper wheel on your grinder. It will rip off loose paint and underneath you will clean surface rust. Don’t be afraid to make repair look bigger than it was. You should be grinding the steel until it looks silver clean( no orange or red staining).
Second tool is your D.A sander with 60 or 80 grit. First feather the paint you were grinding back nice and smooth . You shouldn’t feel any sharp edges . They will show. Now that its smooth take it 1 step further and sand that edge so you can see a transition to the primer or mid coat. I like to have it show a 1/2 inch transition. Example If im fixing a white gas tank, I was grinding the steel, feathered and sanded back to the grey mid coat . Showing at least 1/2 inch of grey before feathering back out to the white paint. It will be an even transition from the steel repair to the grey back to the finish coat.
Next Blow off all dust and thinner wipe. you are now ready to paint. Typically you apply a first coat of zinc just to the steel showing you fixed. Second coat will be your midcoat over your zinc. Third coat will be midcoat again covering the last coat and covering the grey you feathered out. Lastly apply your finish coat. Check your coverage and mills before deciding for a final coat.
Spot repairs are a quick fix just make sure to work nice and square because a missed repair will defeat the purpose of this.
Comments
2 responses to “How To Fix Damaged Paint / Rust On Industrial Paint”
I do agree with all the ideas you have introduced on your post. They are very convincing and will definitely work. Still, the posts are very short for newbies. May just you please prolong them a little from subsequent time? Thank you for the post.
Thank you! I will be adding longer how to posts and tips in the future. feel free to request an article and i will try my best to add it