Blast City Bottom Panel Rust Removal

[tDRG]

The bottom panel on my Blast City has a couple pretty substantial rust spots that I'd like to clean up. I got some of the gunkier stuff off with a little steel wool, but the bigger spots need something more powerful. Any suggestions? The kick plate isn't rusty, but I plan to polish it with some sandpaper and eventually Chemical Guys Heavy Metal Polish. Any recommendations on orbital sanders? Would something similar work for the bottom panel?

I don't mind losing paint, but is there anything else I should do to avoid future rust? I've read that corrosion inhibitor or CRC 3-36 is necessary after a vinegar bath.

Any other tips would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[benime]

The key to rust removal is taking the affected areas down to bare metal and then sealing it, in this case with paint. There's really no two ways about it.

For small parts, you can use use things like wire brushes and evaporust to soak the item.

For large parts like this, your best bet is going to be an angle grinder and wire wheel if you want it done quickly. Orbital sander will work, but it will take more time, elbow grease, and money for sanding discs.

 

[rewrite]

Orbital sander will absolutely 10x your work load.

Best off with something more this style if you're intending on using a sander of sorts:

https://www.harborfreight.com/5-in-high-speed-air-sander-68739.html

 

[Mrhide]

powdercoat!!

 

[notsonic]

If you're not afraid of tools, I highly recommend getting an angle grinder. (And ear muffs). You could do it all with just elbow grease but there's really no good reason to. I wouldn't recommend a pneumatic sander just because rotary air tools require a ton of air to run consistently

A cheap harbor freight angle grinder will do. Something like this:
https://www.harborfreight.com/power...4-12-in-slide-switch-angle-grinder-64856.html

Start with a wire wheel and get down to clean bare metal.
https://www.harborfreight.com/3-inch-crimped-wire-cup-brush-65009.html

If that doesn't work, you can escalate to a flap disc.
https://www.harborfreight.com/4-12-...s-backing-and-aluminum-oxide-grain-57759.html

Then paint it. I like appliance epoxy, or just plain ol rustoleum. You could use primer, but honestly the inside of an arcade cabinet in a home is a really low stress environment.

 

[tDRG]

Awesome, thanks everyone. Sounds like an angle grinder is the way to go. Thanks for the links @notsonic .

Should I take an angle grinder to the kickplate as well? It's not too bad off, but there's some rust. Any suggestions on an attachment for the final buffing? I have a Dremel kit too.

Paint sounds like a plan. I don't mind the bare metal showing through in the cab, so maybe I'll hit it with a clear coat of rustoleum unless there's a good color match out there.

 

[Zepherino]

For the kick plate, its probably small enough that you can use a plastic box filled with some Evapo-rust and just soak the affected part for a day. I've done this with rusty control panels with decent success. Target has a decent selection of plastic boxes for cheap, usually named something like under bed storage.

 

[kazuo]

I'd powdercoat it. Costs a little more, but time is money, and I'm sure you'll be super happy with the results.

If you have the time to spare and really want an angle grinder, I'd go that route instead. Big +1 to appliance epoxy, it's durable and will look good with this application.

 

[tDRG]

I'd powdercoat it. Costs a little more, but time is money, and I'm sure you'll be super happy with the results.

If you have the time to spare and really want an angle grinder, I'd go that route instead. Big +1 to appliance epoxy, it's durable and will look good with this application.

Cool, thanks. I'm not familiar at all with powder coating but my concern is that rust bubbles would have to be buffed out anyway.

 

[notsonic]

Most powder coat places will sand blast to prep. If you're in central jersey I know a guy.

For the kick plate it's basically the same process as a painted piece, but you have to polish it instead of painting it, and I have no good experience to offer. A wire brush will leave a brushed finish, which is a start, but still has a long way to go.

I would start small. Soap and water, tin foil, hand brush/sand. I would only get power tools involved if you feel like refinishing the entire piece. Brasso may be an option too. And then you can work through a series of cut/polish/finish abrasives with a buffer.

 

[JohnRambo'sKnife]

Naval jelly will help. You could also try POR15. The acid included works very well on steel. Given you will never see it, I would start with either of those.

 

[tDRG]

Cool, thanks! I already picked up some naval jelly, I'll use it first.

 

[tDRG]

Worked on this a bit today. After cleaning all the gunk off with simple green:

And after hitting the main rust spot and most of the small ones with Naval jelly:

It didn't strip the paint other than spots where I scrubbed, but there's some discoloration. I'll finish cleaning these and the spot in the top right later this week, then sand it slightly to smooth things out, then seal it with paint. I'll pick up a few cans and find the best match, so far I'm looking at:

• https://www.lowes.com/pd/Rust-Oleum...Spray-Paint-Actual-Net-Contents-12-oz/3728703
• https://www.lowes.com/pd/Rust-Oleum...Spray-Paint-Actual-Net-Contents-12-oz/3728749
• https://www.acehardware.com/departm...ray-paint/general-purpose/1915255?store=03578

I'm not planning to touch the spot below the coin counter (under the kick plate), the far right/left wings, the raised piece around the coin counter cables in the back of the coin box, or the small spot just above the electrocution warning sticker.

The gunk and most of the rust on the kick plate came off with Krud Kutter. I'll probably sand/polish it down at some point before reassembling, but Naval jelly didn't seem to do much.

 

[tDRG]

I think I'm done with the kick plate. I used a fine sanding sponge to remove the hard-stuck gunk and smooth it out. Thanks to @ItsBobDudes for the suggestion!

Spoiler: 3M Single Angle General Purpose Sanding Sponges

I'm not sure what the exact grain is, it just says fine on the package. I got them at Lowes here. Only do it in one direction, not back and forth.

Here's the before and after on the backside. It won't smooth out the deep gashes, but it looks and feels a lot cleaner and I won't see this side.

And the front.

No more soda stains. It got rid of some of the rust spots too, so they should be good enough.

 

[Anselmo]

I had mine done by a metal shop. They just sandblasted it. What I found interesting is he told me the paint was just red primer, not actual paint. They had it in their inventory, apparently it's used often with metal stuff.

 

[tDRG]

I had mine done by a metal shop. They just sandblasted it. What I found interesting is he told me the paint was just red primer, not actual paint. They had it in their inventory, apparently it's used often with metal stuff.

Nice, looks great! I'll see what I can do myself, but if I'm not happy with it, I'll definitely go that route.

Tried color matching today. I picked up some Rustoleum primer that looks similar to yours. I think the Krylon Satin Brick is a closer match for spot treatment. Maybe I'll do a base of the primer and a layer of the Satin Brick. I'm thinking I won't repaint the entire thing, but we'll see.

 

[tDRG]

Finally wrapping this up.

Spoiler: Here are a few other before shots.

Spoiler: I did a final round of naval jelly on the back right corner.

Spoiler: Then I hit it with a wire brush and the angle grinder to smooth things out and get the last of the rust.

I gave it a coat of the satin brick and it's a great match. It's a little glossier than the original, but the color's pretty spot on.

I used the angle grinder on the other big spots, then painted them too.

Looks better in person, huge improvement. Powder coating definitely looks nice, but I just want to clean it up a little, not make it look brand new. I think I'm done with it.

 

[JohnRambo'sKnife]

Well done. Congrats