I have a 60" front loader bucket on my tractor which I would like to paint, and in general preserve. The tractor is about 30 years old, and sits outdoors. I have a long driveway, and in the winter, I use the bucket to move the heavy snow/salt mixture which collects at the road. At this point, there is none of the original paint on the bucket. I would like to paint the bucket (helps in dumping snow when I happen to use the bucket) and preserve it as best I can. Most of my heavy work for the bucket is behind me, so it should be easier to stay on top of it from year to year.
I found some blue nylon pads (Black Hawk Strip and Clean, 4.5") which work great, and I am pretty sure that I can clean the entire bucket with one of the pads. It will get 90% or more of the rust off. What it won't get off is the rust in the pitted metal. I could sand things flat, and that would get 99% of the rust off, but I really don't want to remove that much material from the bucket. So what I am thinking is to use the pads, then a phosphoric acid metal prep to get as much of the rust in the pits off as I can. Then touch up with a Scotch-Brite pad on a die grinder to clean things once more.
An alternative would be to use a fine wire brush where the metal is pitted to attempt to knock out the rust in the pits.
Epoxy primer is readily available in spray cans, and it seems that the back of the bucket would benefit from the toughness of the epoxy. Since it is a thinker paint, it might also do some leveling of the pits, but I am not sure about that.
The inside and working parts of the bucket (cutting edge, and wear points on the bottom) would not necessarily get the epoxy primer. A more conventional primer would be used, and the entire bucket would get painted with a moderate cost black paint. Apparently the primer does not have UV blockers in it, and needs a finish coat.
So my questions are:
1. On the back side, where there are pits and uneven surfaces, would the phosphoric acid etch/conditioner be adequate for removing rust?
2. Would it be better to use a fine wire wheel or brush to clean out the pits?
3. Other than perhaps cost, are there reasons to avoid using the epoxy primer on the back of the bucket?
4. Any other suggestions or ideas?
Thanks much! I have a little time to plan this job out, as I am still looking for a hard-facing rod to hit some of the wear points with, and that should obviously be done prior to any painting.
I found some blue nylon pads (Black Hawk Strip and Clean, 4.5") which work great, and I am pretty sure that I can clean the entire bucket with one of the pads. It will get 90% or more of the rust off. What it won't get off is the rust in the pitted metal. I could sand things flat, and that would get 99% of the rust off, but I really don't want to remove that much material from the bucket. So what I am thinking is to use the pads, then a phosphoric acid metal prep to get as much of the rust in the pits off as I can. Then touch up with a Scotch-Brite pad on a die grinder to clean things once more.
An alternative would be to use a fine wire brush where the metal is pitted to attempt to knock out the rust in the pits.
Epoxy primer is readily available in spray cans, and it seems that the back of the bucket would benefit from the toughness of the epoxy. Since it is a thinker paint, it might also do some leveling of the pits, but I am not sure about that.
The inside and working parts of the bucket (cutting edge, and wear points on the bottom) would not necessarily get the epoxy primer. A more conventional primer would be used, and the entire bucket would get painted with a moderate cost black paint. Apparently the primer does not have UV blockers in it, and needs a finish coat.
So my questions are:
1. On the back side, where there are pits and uneven surfaces, would the phosphoric acid etch/conditioner be adequate for removing rust?
2. Would it be better to use a fine wire wheel or brush to clean out the pits?
3. Other than perhaps cost, are there reasons to avoid using the epoxy primer on the back of the bucket?
4. Any other suggestions or ideas?
Thanks much! I have a little time to plan this job out, as I am still looking for a hard-facing rod to hit some of the wear points with, and that should obviously be done prior to any painting.