refinishing steel stands

[makana]

a good wire wheel will take off the old paint and all the rust without taking off any of the metal or leaving marks. It also doesn't throw sparks as bad. I did a boat rack for my truck and the wire wheel proved to be the fastest and cleanest method by far. The trick was getting a good wire wheel with thick twisted bristles, not the crimped ones at most hardware stores.

[Phil]

Brush off what rust u have and just use rustoleum paint it has stuff in it the eats the rust

[Maverick00]

depending on how intricate it is, id just save the hassle and get it sandblasted then paint it yourself. If youd like to do it yourself then id use a surfacing pad like this http://www.walter.com/Walter/en-ca/a...le-grinders/fx

They are amazing at taking off rust paint or primers on steel surfaces and fast. The only downside is price, and they tend to break up quite quickly on corners or sharp edges.

[The Grizz]

Lots of good advise here already but I will add my 2 cents worth if you want it. What I use is a sanding disc for a grinder that is called a flapper wheel, its a bunch of little pieces of sand paper made in to a disc. I use the 60 and 80 grit to remove all paint and rust easily then repaint with a shop & marine enamel.

[Jeff000]

Originally Posted by Phil

Brush off what rust u have and just use rustoleum paint it has stuff in it the eats the rust

Rust inhibitor.

Originally Posted by The Grizz

Lots of good advise here already but I will add my 2 cents worth if you want it. What I use is a sanding disc for a grinder that is called a flapper wheel, its a bunch of little pieces of sand paper made in to a disc. I use the 60 and 80 grit to remove all paint and rust easily then repaint with a shop & marine enamel.

This. But I like using a rust inhibitor primer just incase I missed some in a little pit or something.

[gregzz4]

I haven't read throught the whole thread, so forgive me if I've missed something

If it's just surface rust, you can use this stuff to convert it from rust to a paintable surface
It's Rust Reformer from Tremclad and works great for simple jobs
I've used it @ work for years and it's as good as it says

If your rust is worse than surface stuff, be aggressive with the previously mentioned methods, and then use this stuff before you paint

It's paintable and, to a point, sandable

[reefme]

+1 on flapper wheel in air grinder. If not electric will do.
If you want the whole stand looks nice sand blast the thing.