

As a consequence, the oxide needs to be profiled and then passivated. For the next four to six months, the surface becomes zinc oxide, which is very difficult to paint because it’s a hard, lubricious surface and the zinc oxide on the surface tends to be powdery and therefore difficult to adhere to.During the first few days, the surface is zinc metal and merely requires proper surface preparation.It depends on how long the item has been galvanized.The chemistry of galvanized steel changes over time: Such methods might be needle scaling, soda blasting, dry ice blasting, glass beading.ĬAN I USE STEEL-IT TO COAT OVER GALVANIZED STEEL? What we want you to avoid are methodologies that merely clean the surface without scarifying it and providing an aggressive profile per our instructions.

In other cases, some of our customers have found that mechanically sanding the surface using #36 grit paper provides a similar surface to grit blasting.For example, if you require the STEEL-IT High Solids Epoxy System, then grit blasting is absolutely necessary. WHAT IF I CAN'T GRIT BLAST? ARE THERE OTHER METHODS I CAN USE TO PROPERLY PREPARE THE SURFACE? Whether it’s necessary to remove existing coating, the SSPC requirements indicated in our surface preparation instructions in the Application Guides specify how much original coating can remain.If rust is trapped under the coating, it will continue to propagate. Thus STEEL-IT primers form a critical part of providing the maximum protection against corrosion, chemicals, abrasion, impact, temperature cycling, and other harsh conditions.ĭO I HAVE TO REMOVE EXISTING COATINGS OR RUST BEFORE APPLYING STEEL-IT? However, unlike the case with many primers in the marketplace, STEEL-IT primers are not designed to enhance adhesion to the substrate, but are, in their own right, high performance anticorrosion coatings that contain, in addition to anticorrosive materials, the same 316L stainless steel micro flake used in STEEL-IT topcoats. It’s a sophisticated, complex product that has demonstrated remarkable performance across diverse industries and multiple applications in some of the harshest conditions imaginable.ĭO I HAVE TO USE STEEL-IT'S PRIMER? CAN'T I USE A MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE SHOP PRIMER? STEEL-IT is not a common, every day, decorative paint.

