"Jay Pique" wrote

Now for the real question - how do we prevent this table and chairs
from rusting? Not much response from the metalworkers grumble.

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My comments on working with metal.

Hot rolled steel is a lower quality steel and it will rust in a second.
Particularly if you weld it. Cold rolled steel is smoother and does not
rust as easily. If I absolutely did not want it to rust, I wirebrushed it
with an angle grinder and immediately primered it. You can get primers for
both clean metal and rusty metal.

Steel tends to rust if heated anyway. One secret to a good paint job is
similar to applying any kind of finish on any kind of surface. That is to
make the surface absolutely clean and bare. And if it sits for a day or
two, it will not be clean and pristine anymore.

I used at least two angle grinders with wire brushes on them. I then used a
hand wire brush. I then used some emory cloth. Then I got the primer on it.

I used to make gym equipment. I was always being offered hot rolled round
stock for cheap. The cold rolled stuff was at least half again as much and
in some diameters, twice as much. The hot rolled crap would pit, rust and
generally degrade before your eyes.

Any piece that went out with hot rolled stock came back and had to be
replaced. Other shops actually gave me a bunch of the hot rolled stock. I
used it to build jigs, etc. I never used it personally in any of the good
stuff I built.

One good reason to make good welds is that there isn't any pits or cracks
for the rust to grow in. Which is why all welds were ground if necessary.
There is little need to grind a good weld. And the rust starts growing
right next to the weld where the steel was heated.

Rust is the enemy of any metal piece that must be smooth and/or must look
good. Enough care in building it and a good clean up before painting helps a
lot.

HTH