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Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Clearcoating a sanded steel car

We would like to keep the bare sanded steel look of a car that was recently stripped of its paint. The clear finish would need to protect it from rusting and not yellow after being exposed to sunlight. Need advice on techniques/prep/products.

PAT BUNJES
CUSTOMIZER/DESIGNER - SAN MARCOS, CALIFORNIA, USA
2003

"DeLorean: Stainless Steel Illusion"

on AbeBooks

or eBay or

Amazon

(affil links)

Forget it, Pat. Sorry.

The reason DeLorean's were made of stainless steel is that steel rusts. Similarly, the reason that automakers galvanneal the steel (dip it in molten zinc), then phosphatize it, then electrocoat it, then prime it, then color coat it, then clear coat it, is that steel rusts. A clear coat may work for a while on thoroughly dried steel that is kept indoors in a low humidity environment, but it's simply not robust enough in corrosion resistance for this application. Sorry.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

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