Wobblycogs CNC Mk1

[wilfy]

i'd find of source of TFR (traffic film remover) this is the stuff they put on at the car wash to remove tar ect off your car.. i used it to degrease an engine bay that had a cracked sump leak all over it before painting and it worked wonders, very little need for any elbow grease

[JAZZCNC]

i'd find of source of TFR (traffic film remover) this is the stuff they put on at the car wash to remove tar ect off your car.. i used it to degrease an engine bay that had a cracked sump leak all over it before painting and it worked wonders, very little need for any elbow grease

I manufacture TFR it's just a strong Alkaline detergent and won't touch Tar. For that you need petroleum based product, Kerosene works good for Tar.
Any strong washing up liquid washed with hot water will work. Good TFR is pretty much strong washing up liquid(detergent) with foaming and rinsing agents to help with streaking, cheap ones are very caustic based and dull paint.
If you do go in search of TFR try a truck wash because truck wash is very strong being strongly laced with caustic soda to aid cleaning.

[njhussey]

At work it's welded up and sent to the painters who shot blast it and then paint it. Only thing I can think of that will get the oil off is thinners as that's what I believe the automotive painters use.

[Wobblycogs]

After trying every solvent and cleaner I could get my hands on I gave up and attacked it with a flap wheel and wire wheel. I'd only used a grinder once before to chase out a couple of electrical sockets and it was so messy I never tried again. I can't believe how much I've been missing out though, everything is going to get a good grinding from now on :-)

The angle brackets were probably the worst and they were awkward because as were small. Here's a before and after shot.

So after a few hours with the grinder I'd turned a pile of oily steel into a pile of clean steel ready for the next step.

From reading around on welding forms it seems the next step is to pickle with phosphoric acid rust remover and then undercoat. Does this sound right? I want to get an undercoat on before starting construction as I think this build will take a while and I don't want all this work being undone. If I decide to get a welder it should be fairly easy to wire wheel off the undercoat in a few places. Any recommendations for undercoat? I was just going to pop down Halfords and get some car spray undercoat.

[Jonathan]

That's far too shiny ;)

Powder coating is surprisingly cheap and saves you all the effort. I wouldn't be surprised if you can find a local company who would powder coat the finished frame for £30-£40.

[njhussey]

I've just twigged what you were trying to remove...it's the protective layer that stops it from rusting too badly if you're going to leave it anywhere for a while :( my frame has been sat in a damp garage for nearly 2 years and only has a small bit of surface rust in a few places, and nothing a quick tickle with the grinder and flap disc won't sort before painting ;)



As Jonathan says powder coating is good but only on the finished frame as you can't touch it up like you can sprayed paint.

Halfords primer would be ok, though for the amount of steel you have it will cost an arm and a leg!!!

If you get stuck I have a friendly local (to me) painter who could probably do it quite cheaply. Or there is one place near Mitcheldean I think we have started to use at work for painting.

[Wobblycogs]

Hmm, power coating sounds good idea but transport could be a problem for the finished frame. I suppose if I drilled and tapped all the holes first I could get the pieces coated individually.

I'd come to the conclusion that it must be a protective coating of some kind. It was a messy job getting it off but I'm pretty sure the paint finish will be better without it and there was some rust that needed removing anyway. I think next time I'll try just spraying over the top of it first.

Time to starting googling for spray primer I think.

[njhussey]

Try your local motor factors, they might do bigger cans and probably be cheaper too!

[r0bsk1]

Use an enamel paint. It doesnt need a primer. I use it to restore motorbike wheels and the finish is ace!

[martin54]

Use an enamel paint. It doesnt need a primer. I use it to restore motorbike wheels and the finish is ace!

Not strictly speaking true problem is that you run the risk of the steel rusting under the enamel so although the finish looks good just now over time you may start to see blisters appear. To be honest I would probably look at buying a brush on primer rather than spray cans, your going to waste a lot of paint the size & shape these are. Brush on undercoat with a decent brush will be just as quick & will leave a suitable finish for what ever top coat you decide on. You can still buy it at a local motor factors or auto paint suppliers.