Anybody know how to prep Restoration Dedign parts for paint? I have some rocker covers I want to paint tomorrow. I think they are galvannealed. I am not sure if they need to be sanded.

Galvannealed steel is just that. Galvanized steel that is subjected to high pressure roll processing that etches the galvanizing so that it can be readily painted.

They used to call if "PainLoc". No need to prime or sand it. If you sand it you are likely to take of the annealed galvanizing thus inhibiting the metal ability to inhibit it from rusting.

So, no point in that.

You are supposed to be able to degrease and go, at most I'd hit it with a scotchbrite pad only.

Galvanized? Are RD parts galvanized?

Whatever, just clean, prime, paint! It's steel, not kryptonite.

It's galvannealed steel, not the old galvanized steel. It's the exact same stuff the local Toyota and Honda plants are using, the steel costs RD more but it's worth it.
Old galvanized there is prep to weld and paint, galvannealed just go for it.

None of the RD made panels are primed, they just sit bare in a warehouse till they are sold, they don't rust.

Steve, how do you like those rockers? I had a set in my hands a few months ago.

OK, did a quick google search on galvannealed steel. Never heard of it. From a lttle of what I read it still uses zink as a coating.
So Mark when you say "galvannealed just go for it" isn't the zink still an issue when welding?

yes it is a problem to weld.
I've welded the RD parts without any prep and it welds poorly, just like welding over primer.

It needs to be pure clean metal, so I media blasted mine for good welding penetration

Also make sure it's well ventilated when you weld.

So take your sanding pad on your small grinder to take the surface prep off to get to the pure steel on your weld areas? Not too tuff for a good bite I'd say...

I'm guessing that it's still best practice to epoxy prime the whole piece, no? In Jeff Hail's thread he suggests to sand a converted surface with 220 and 320 so the epoxy will stick while not removing the conversion coating. Would the same technique work on the RD coating?

Truthfully, the young lad has a whole bunch of RD panels here for his project, but we haven't welded or painted one as of yet.
One thing about RD is they not only make panels, they also have a high end restoration shop, so they have used everything that they sell.

If you can wait till Monday send Pete a PM and he'll tell you all the best prep procedures.

yea I did that as well. either will work but I have a sandblast cabinet which makes quick work of smaller pieces. Larger pieces like the floorboard I had to use a scuffing disc

Fine Scotch-bright and surface cleaner for paint, light grind, and weld-thru primer for the welds. Worked fine for me.
Steve, try a spot on the back side, see what you think.

Pretty cool R&D thread.
4th post from top pg 3 explains the metal Mark is talking aboot.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...45738&st=40

Prepping for paint is not any different because of the galvanneal. Remove any oil or grease with mineral spirits, then sand and then epoxy prime.
Some people say you can paint without priming, our painter has got the best results with epoxy priming it first.

When welding, yes make sure you are in a well ventilated room. Symptoms of galvanize poisoning can be similar to flu symptoms. The onset of symptoms typically begin shortly after you have been exposed to zinc oxide and may include a mild headache accompanied by nausea. If you have a more severe case of exposure, your symptoms will be consistent to those experienced when you have the flu. A moderate case of exposure will result in symptoms including chills, shaking, a slight fever, vomiting and cold sweats.
Galvanize poisoning is often short-lived and your symptoms should begin to lessen within four hours of exposure. You should be completely symptom free within twenty four hours. If you experienced a stronger exposure, you may still be experiencing symptoms up to forty-eight hours later. It is recommended that once you have been exposed that you drink milk in order to quicken your recovery. The calcium in milk helps remove the zinc build-up from your body.

Pete

I would also put a plug in for a small respirator such as the Miller welding product.. It fits under the welding good and is only about 25 dollars and you can get a bunch of different filters to go in there. Part number is lpr-100.. I have about 4 of them and 90 percent of my welding students use them as well..

Thank you! Just picked one up.

Pete,

Do you prep the parts you make before welding?
I've googled how to weld galvanized metal. Most recommend grinding off the layer and some use an acid to remove . I've watched a couple of your videos and can't tell if you are doing any thing prior to welding.

Thanks for all your effort in making these parts for us. With people like you and Mark (Mikey914) the 914 community can have confidence that what you manufacture will be 100% quality when we buy from you.

Pat

another question for Pete.....

does the coating differ depending on country of origin? IE parts made in Canada have a different coating than parts made in Europe?

It may have some variation, but I suspect that the source for the metal may be US, or all coming from overseas. As the number of steel manufactures are shrinking.

But a good question.

Suppliers of our steel are located in the US.

The only prep we do before installing our parts is using weld through primer and removing any oil or grease.

There is a difference between galvanized and galvanneal. Yes you will have to grind the galvanized because that is a coating of zinc on the sheetmetal. But the Galvanneal is different in that the zinc is incorporated into the sheetmetal during the forging process. Grinding the top layer of our parts will not remove the zinc so there is no need to do this. Dipping in muriatic acid would remove zinc on galvanized, but it would not have the same effect on galvanneal. Remember that muriatic acid will also eat away at the metal, therefore thinning it.

Pete