steel plate rusting in storage

[4130metalworks]

hi group, lately the weather has been really humid or constantly raining and my steel stocks are surface rusting quite badly. Is there any coating others have found that protects the steel? I was thinking of spraying either a light oil or wax, would be great if it was paint safe and didn't need to be removed prior to plasma cutting

All suggestions are welcome

[Joe Jones]

Rust is a problem. I would get one of those 2 or 3 gallon garden pump sprayers, and fill it with some light oil like 3 in 1, or maybe some diesel fuel. Spray the metal on both sides.

WHATEVER you spray onto the metal, it will need to be removed (anther sprayer filled with acetone or paint thinner or ???) before painting. Paint will not stick to an oily surface.

I do not believe the coating would affect plasma cutting, since it would be incinerated the moment the torch fires.

You could try vegetable oil and use Dawn detergent to wash the metal prior to use, but that is only a GUESS.

Joe

[cuttinparts]

Vegetable oil will leave a nasty mess that's difficult to get off once it hardens. Would be better off with the diesel fuel or wd40 or something along those lines.

[4130metalworks]

thanks for the suggestions, after doing a bit of research penetrol paint additive might be the go. Its meant to penetrate the steel and displace air and moisture while drying to a coating thats suitable for paint. Only issue would be cost

[Joe Jones]

thanks for the suggestions, after doing a bit of research penetrol paint additive might be the go. Its meant to penetrate the steel and displace air and moisture while drying to a coating thats suitable for paint. Only issue would be cost

Can you paint over RUST with Penetrol? I thought the issue was RUST!

Joe

[Joe Jones]

WD40 is bad. It is designed to preserve steel in an enclosed environment, and EVAPORATE when it is exposed to air, leaving nothing behind. WD40 will CAUSE the metal to rust.

Joe

[adbuch]

"Phosphate coating, a chemical treatment, creates a protective layer on steel that prevents rust and corrosion, making it ideal for CNC plasma cutting applications."

"Yes, you can plasma cut phosphate-coated steel, but ensure proper ventilation and ground connection for a clean cut, as the phosphate coating itself doesn't prevent plasma cutting."

[4130metalworks]

thanks for the suggestions, after doing a bit of research penetrol paint additive might be the go. Its meant to penetrate the steel and displace air and moisture while drying to a coating thats suitable for paint. Only issue would be cost

Can you paint over RUST with Penetrol? I thought the issue was RUST!

Joe

Sorry for the confusion Joe, i am trying to prevent new sheets of steel rusting from the weather. The sheets that have already rusted i’ll cut up like normal and soak in acid

[Joe Jones]

If you really want to prevent rust, build an air tight room to store your metal in. Close the door, and open a valve on a bottle of liquid nitrogen. Use a pressure regulator to maintain a positive pressure inside of the room. It doesn't take much pressure at all. Just enough to prevent air from entering the room. The nitrogen will displace oxygen, and rust will not occur. When you close the tank and open the room, you will momentarily expose the metal to the moisture in the air, but the nitrogen will replace this quickly, once the room is closed again.

For a cheaper solution, create a storage space where you can plug in a dehumidifier and run it 24/7. Remove the WATER from the air, and you will not get any rust.

Joe

[The-Meerkat]

Maybe try some inexpensive zinc anodes from Amazon. Small boats use them on the motor. Yachts and ships have “Bonding Systems” using zinc, wire and connectors. A simple “Bonding System” could be a zinc attached to a wire with an alligator clip on the end. The alligator clip clamps onto the steel you’re protecting. Then make a second wire/alligator clip to clamp on the other end of the steel and attach the other end back to the zinc to make a circuit. That’s it. Your steel will be protected until the “Sacrificial” zinc is used up gone. That could be months or years depending on how much corrosion/electrolysis the zinc interrupts and sacrifices itself for.

I’ve had a few boats with bonding systems and they work very well as long as there is zinc remaining and the wiring has no breaks. I even know a guy that wires a zinc or two to his anchor chain with baling wire with excellent results.

I personally have a couple zincs sitting at opposite ends at bottom
of my water table/tray/tank on my plasma table. I throw a couple of new ones in every time I clean that out. (Usually once a year).

It’s just a suggestion. I think I’m going make a little bonding system for my steel now. Where I live is mostly dry, but I think I have everything here to put one together quickly. I’m going to try it too.


Good luck and all the best.

[4130metalworks]

Thanks Scott, that's an interesting solution I hadn't thought about
I did find a protective coating by gibbs, it's meant to protect against rust and be paint safe for years. Lots of hot rodders swear by it

[djreiswig]

Never thought about zinc to protect your water table. Interesting.

[Deezl Smoke]

Very interesting about the zinc idea. Battleships use tons of it. I watch the museum of battleship New Jersey on youtube.