Introduction: How to Clean New Steel Without Sandblasting

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In this Instructable, I will show you one other way of prepping your metal for paint or powder coating.

Sandblasting is not always available. And other times you may not want grind marks to be visible. Pickling can be a nasty process and not always feasible for small projects.

This technique will get through the mill scale and rust, leaving you a nice finish that is ready for paint, powdercoat, or welding.

Here, I am using hot rolled mild steel 1/8" thick angle iron.

I did this at TechShop.

Step 1: Gather Materials

For this, you'll need the following:

  • Klean-Strip Prep & Etch, available at Home Depot (not at Lowe's)
  • A sanding block. I use a coarse 60 grit block.
  • Rubber gloves and safety glasses

The Prep & Etch comes in a big container so I got a spray bottle at Home Depot to make application easier.

Be sure to wear safety glasses and gloves when handling it.

Step 2: Spray With Etcher

Using a spray bottle, spray the etcher on the material. Cover all the surfaces with it.

Let it sit for 10-15 minutes.

Step 3: Sand

Now you need a little bit of elbow grease. Using your sanding block, make long smooth motions along the metal. The mill scale will slowly start to be removed.

Continue to apply etcher to wet the surface as you sand.

Step 4: All Done!

That's it! Now paint will adhere much better to the surface. It's actually a pretty cool texture if you would like to just leave it as is and apply a clear coat.