What do you clean with?

[Leathernek]

I was just wondering what ya'll cleaned your parts with after blasting and cleaning and prior to priming and painting. I've been cleaning parts with brake cleaner, but I didn't know if there was something else ya'll might use that would be more effective. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Josh

[jkeesey]

Denatured alchohol works pretty good

[Leathernek]

???

[MrTube]

I've never heard of cleaning with brake cleaner before painting, I would think it would leave a residue.

Denatured Alcohol yes.

[pat in Santa Cruz]

brake cleaner works in a pinch, but it gets expensive. Paint stores sell a wax and grease remover that works well.

[Kevin in NJ]

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The proper stuff.

It is called wax and grease remover. It is formulated to raise the contaminates to the surface of the remover so they can be wiped off.

Other products are solvents and wiping will just spread the contaminates around the surface more.

Go to your local paint store and get the right stuff.

Generally a sand blasted part is pretty clean to start so it is tough to get into trouble. But if you try to work with putting a coat of paint over say a oil pan you might run into troubles without proper cleaning.

Learn more here: Wax and grease removers

[darrylkmc]

You want to make certain that all contaminates are removed BEFORE any sandblasting operation.
If grease and oils are not removed prior to the blasting you will drive in or impregnate the contaminates into to blast profile and you will never be able to completely remove it.
I do surface preparation, sandblast and painting inspections nearly every day for oil field service work.
There are several solutions such as Devoe Devprep 88, Carboline Surface Cleaner #2, or numerous pressure washer cleaning products that are all water based and are manufactured for pre-blast cleaning or cleaning existing coatings prior to painting.

And try to avoid using Silica Sand

Hope this helps

Darryl in Fairbanks

[JBill]

I give stuff a final cleaning before painting with window cleaner that has ammonia in it.

[ctlikon0712]

I know a paint and body man who does high end restorations. For all small parts he uses brake cleaner. Unlike carb cleaner or alcohol it doesn't leave a residue.

[Dune Country]

for bare metal go to Ace or Wally World and get inexpensive lacquer thinner, use out doors or with a respirator, fumes!
for primed surfaces before top coat I use Martin Senior Final Wash.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

My experiences is that cheap lacquer thinner actually has water in it, and if you a heating something (prior to powdercoating, etc.) it is OK as the heat with evaporate it off but there is a reason why cheap thinner is "cheap".

Aerosol brake parts cleaner comes in economical qualities or in purer quality. It is very expensive when using it in aerosol cans. Depending on your plans, you can do as I do. I buy Brake parts cleaner in 5 gallon containers and use a barrel pump to either load into a cheap spray gun, or a pressure sprayer (like pictured below) to use on mechanical parts.

On sheetmetal parts, using Phosphoric acid to treat the bare metal works well. Lowes sells a Phosphoric acid brand called Jabco that we screw on a trigger sprayer off of a Formula 409 bottle to spray it on the sheetmetal. Then use Wax & Grease Remover in a spray gun to spray on to flood contaminates off of the sheetmetal prior to priming. Wiping Wax & Grease Remover around with a rag does nothing more than just smear it from one place to another.

[Leathernek]

Awesome! Brent, where do you get the brake cleaner in 5 gal buckets? A chemical company? I've never seen them sold in stores.....

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Leathernek

Awesome! Brent, where do you get the brake cleaner in 5 gal buckets? A chemical company? I've never seen them sold in stores.....

I order mine through my local NAPA store. Comes in a grey 5 gallon metal can. The barrel pump came from the paint store. I am currently out of town (...actually in your state down in Macon) but when I return I will PM you a part number and price.

[ct1932ford]

Prep-Sol

[Jamie86]

Thanks for the information, always learning something on here.

[V4F]

i use brake kleen all the time . no residue , great job , paint sticks good ........ steve

[Pete]

I use acetone or trichlorethylene because they do not leave residue.
Beware of fumes though. I do the wipe down in front of the paint booth
fans.