On Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:12:20 -0800, "SteveB"
wrote:

I'll have to try that. Gas works good, but I've always been nervous working
with it. And if you work with it much, it causes your skin to dry out so
much it cracks. Now I just have to find a place that sells kerosene.

Steve

Diesel fuel is as close to the same as kero as doesn't matter for this
job. It just stinks a bit more. Mineral spirits (aka paint thinner)
works well too, and it's often cheaper than either diesel or kero per
gallon.

Get a can of Gunk SC. Auto parts store, or
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/ep/grease.html

One can of this will last for years because you mix it about 9:1 with
kero, diesel or mineral spirits and a little of the mix goes a long
ways. It works way far better than solvent alone.

Slop it on with a brush or rag, maybe scuff it a bit with a scrub
brush if the goo is really thick. Let it cook a couple of minutes,
then hose it off. The result won't be quite clean enough to paint
successfully, but it'll certainly be pleasant to handle and easy to
weld. I prefer to grind off millscale for MIG welding because I think
I get better results. I never bothered with stick (6013 and 7014)
because it didn't seem to make any difference.

If the steel is just coated with medium to heavy slimy**** dirtyawful
oil, as is the case with new steel where I buy it in Minneapolis, the
approach I take for small lots (a few 20-foot pieces) is PPG/Ditzler
DX579 metalcleaner. It's about 8 bux a quart but ya dilute it 2:1
with water -- and 4 oz of the diluted stuff will do all the 20' steel
bits I can fit on a pair of sawhorses. I've not yet used up the
most recent quart I bought several years ago. It's a strong
detergent with phosphoric acid. Rubber gloves not imperative, but not
a bad idea. This is the stuff autobody guys use as "acid prep" on
bare steel before priming. Autobody metal is not usually greasy, but
I've found that the stuff does remove yard preservatives from steel
very effectively. Also see footnote.

Slop it on with a disposable brush or rag, let it work a few minutes,
hose it off. The appeal to this stuff for me is that it leaves the
metal squeaky clean and also somewhat passivated against rust. I
can thenceforth handle it without getting dirty and I can stock it for
weeks or months without getting any rust even in Minnesota.

Most steel fabrications are painted after welding, right? This
treatment leaves a surface that enables about any paint to wet, flow
out and level beautifully, even (urp retch barf gag) Rustoleum.

Awright, I sometimes use Rustoleum. My bitch with it is that it
never gets really hard. It can look decent and it holds up OK
outdoors if nothing touches it, but it is not a rugged finish.
However, it is cheap ... uh, economical ... and cheap does appeal when
it'll suffice.

Footnote: About the only thing more persistent than silicone is
herpes. Metal previously painted and waxed with silicone
preparations can be problematic even when DA-sanded to bare metal. I
have never once had a paint failure on metal that was treated with
DX579.

DuPont and others must have similar products that work as well and
maybe better. I merely mention what I have discovered to work fer me.