It’s no secret that media blasting is one of the best ways to clean metal and get it perfectly clean. Media blasting propels an abrasive media at the surface at a high velocity to knock coatings and corrosion off of the metal. This means that what’s left is virgin clean metal. Freshly blasted metal will quickly start rusting or corroding before your eyes. This is because any moisture in the air will latch onto the surface and kick start the rusting process. This is why DIY hobbyists and professionals alike are looking for the best way to seal up and clean freshly blasted metal. Below are our top 3 ways to clean metal after blasting.
- Primer- The best way to seal metal up is to apply a coating to the surface and seal it up. If you’re done doing metal work and are ready to paint or do body filler you can first seal the metal up with a good primer. The top primers for bare metal is Epoxy Primer and Self Etching Primer. Both of these will adhere to the surface and seal out moisture and corrosion. Be sure to apply enough coats to build a base that won’t easily sand or scratch off.
- Fast Etch- This Eastwood staple product is one of our most used products next to PRE. Fast etch is simple to use; simply mist it onto bare metal and lightly wipe the excess off of the surface. If you have light surface rust or flash rust the Fast Etch will remove it off the metal and leave a zinc phosphate coating. The coating that remains after Fast Etch flashes off is resistant to flash rust and will keep a bare metal part from rusting when sitting in a shop. Fast Etch leaves a coating that is a great base for painting or powder coating and simply needs to be wiped with PRE before top coating. We’ve found Fast Etch will last years before rust can form. This is great for long term storage of blasted parts and saves wasting primer when having to go back into a part for additional metal working.
- After Blast- This is our answer to an all-in-one cleaner and sealer for blasted metal. After Blast is a little more delicate than Fast Etch but has similar properties with additional cleaning properties. Like Fast Etch simply spray it onto the surface and wipe the excess off with a rag until all grease, dirt, and blasting residue is removed. The residual after blast will flash off leaving a light phosphoric coating that is good for short term storage of bare metal parts. We often use After Blast and Fast Etch as a 1-2 punch for cleaning and sealing of parts that will sit in bare metal for some time during a projects life.
So hopefully this will help you decide which option to use on your next batch of media blasted parts. If you want to see all of our Rust Solutions you can visit our site HERE.