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I've done some fabricating in the past but I never saw steel as nasty as the batch I just got. I started building my table today and I feel like an oil field roust-about.

I think I'm taking it to the car wash and giving it a good wash and then a light coat of something, I don't know what. I don't want to spend my entire build being that filthy. I've seen some of the cars in the build log and the steel is shiny clean. Maybe I'm getting the wrong stuff.

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RacerDan
+442 Chevy 2.8
Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the
Ark, professionals built the Titanic.

Does it have a slightly rough surface, dark, with a scale you have to grind off to get to shiny metal? If so, that's hot-rolled material. It'll work fine, but I found it bitch to grind clean. It's like the oil they soak it in get into the material.

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I used a solvent/degreaser on mine, on each piece as I prepared to weld it into place - I didn't want to invite the dreaded rust virus into my steel supply. I don't think I'd wash it...once the water gets inside the tubes, it'll rust VERY fast, and it's almost impossible to get it out of square tube...

Ditto on not washing it. My metal stayed fairly shiny, up until we got a real heavy rain which put a puddle of water in the garage. Within days my entire chassis was covered in rust.

Water = bad.

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Midlana book: Build this mid-engine Locost!, http://midlana.com/stuff/book/
Kimini book: Designing mid-engine cars using FWD drivetrains
Both available from https://www.lulu.com/

The local metal depot in town only seems to carry hotrolled stuff. I take a rag to it when I get home. Its a BI*** to prep for welding. Nothing short of a grinder seems to do it. But I'd rather that than deal/worry about rust.

It can be pretty nasty. I soaked a rag with WD-40 and wiped everything down. That works to clean it up, but you need to use some sort of degreaser on any areas you intend to weld or paint. If there is scale, it should be ground or sanded off before welding.

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Jack Collins

As a rust prevent, motorcycle chain lube is a good solution. You can find it anywhere (carquest and others), in small quantities (dont have to buy 5 gallons at a time), is waxy and dries (still alittle messy but not wet like oils), and comes off easily with solvent for welding.

Has anyone found a good non-flammable solvent? Being a retired Firefighter I've seen my share of garage parts cleaning accidents. Diesel isn't too bad but you have to take care with the rags. And you will generate quite a few if you have to wipe everything down.

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RacerDan
+442 Chevy 2.8
Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the
Ark, professionals built the Titanic.

This is what I did, but I never degreased anything till it was time to paint. After a week or so the WD40 seemed to have evaporated completely.

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He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.

Simple green works pretty well. You could also go to the hardware or paint store and get some TSP (tri-sodium phosphate). Another one is the Purple Stuff, but it can be tough on skin and aluminum.

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Jack Collins

I used water and 3-in-1 shaken up in a spray bottle. That kept my sheet steel nice and clean, whereas my tubing got surface rust all the time.

I first saw that when shooting a 1919 shorty... after a 250 or 500-rd belt, the guy would spray the barrel with a squirt bottle filled with water and oil.

Probably wouldn't take long, or be much of a risk, to take it all outside and wipe it down with mineral spirits.

I wonder if there's any upside to hot rolled steel for car-building purposes, such as less tendency to crack, or less warping in welding.

With the pickup on the bottom (like most squirting devices) wouldn't it just squirt water? Maybe he added some sort of emulsifier. (a drop of dishwashing detergent or something?)

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He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.

No, if you shake it up well right before spraying, it "mixes" enough to spray both water and oil on the material. No guarantees on heavier oils--3-in-1 is a rather light oil.

I like the LPS stuff for shop use, because it comes in three grades, so you sort of know what to use for what. I think you can get it in spray bottles and gallon containers from the mail order places.

LPS-1 is a dry lubricant and dryer of some type,
LPS-2 is a light oil and will prevent rust for a little while,
LPS-3 is heavier oil with a wax part and will prevent rust for a year or more.

It's good stuff and you can have just what you need, when you keep all three...

I think WD-40 is basically just kerosene. SO it doesn't really do any of these jobs very well.

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