Make steel parts look good

[Awalker702]

Looking for ideas to restore the shiny look of steel parts, such as sprockets, axle, steering shaft and so on. I would like to keep the steel look to these parts but everything is pretty rough looking. Anything I can do to get the shine back and protect it from rusting again? Thanks in advance guys.

 

[jman231994]

Not sure how to restore the surface without an abrasive, unless that's what you want. But as for protecting it, a clear coat would probably do what you want, or a coat of car wax every now and then


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[Awalker702]

Ya I basically just want it to look good. Thought about painting but I know it probably wouldn't last very long. It would be nice to be able to use "bluing" to all the metal parts.

 

[jman231994]

Had to look up bluing haha, it doesn't sound like it would look that good but I didnt look at any pictures so no idea.

Maybe you could electroplate it somehow? Could be potentially quite dangerous so take care if you give it a shot

I don't reckon a clear coat would wear off that quickly if you put 4 or 5 coats on haha or find a really resilient paint. Probably your best bet though is to keep everything with a light coat of oil on it, stops rust, good for the driveline and easy to apply every now and then


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[Dirtkarter]

I use this stuff, works on any polished metal and looks exactly like anodizing. I pretty much done the whole engine on my car with it as I got sick of polishing the aluminium every month or so. http://www.duplicolor.com/products/metalCast/ I just use cutting oil on my axle to stop it rusting.

 

[Poboy kartman]

Polishing can make steel look like chrome- but it's a lot of work. Then again- to get a properly blued finish requires polished steel. Also- the stuff you get over the counter is cold bluing- which is not the same thing as gunsmiths use which is done in hot tanks. So don't expect that to last and you will have to oil the parts or they will rust pretty quickly.

Paint- whether clear coat or colored is a good option. I like the look of Dupli-color cast coat aluminum. The most durable thing is powdercoat or having them chromed.....

 

[Awalker702]

Thanks for the ideas. The dupli-color looks nice, going to pick some up today. Next thing I was wondering is will fiberglass repair work to repair a plastic body? I have a few small areas on the truck body that have cracked. Was thinking of using fiberglass on inside of body and filling in outside with body filler. If this will not work does anyone have any ideas that will

 

[Poboy kartman]

Look for 2 part plastic mender epoxy at Home Depot. You can also get some Bondo Glass for the inside- not too sure how well it would stick tho......

Ah- just had a better idea- go to the AC duct department and get some metal duct tape and put a few layers over the cracked areas on the inside.....

 

[Awalker702]

Thank you. Lucky the areas I have to repair are not too bad, it is just 2 spots where the body mounts to the frame.

 

[ML-TOYS]

Look into using naval jelly to clean the rust off the parts. Then then use a high grit emery cloth to finish up and smooth. Get some good clearcoat, preferably automotive grade and use that.
Keep in mind that whatever you coat with will get abuse from rocks and dirt so it will not stay pretty looking all the time.

 

[Dirtkarter]

Why not plastic weld the body? if there is a hidden part of the body you can trim a welding rod from, you can just pick up a little butane soldering torch to weld it with. Filler or fibreglass isn't going to want to adhere to most plastics, before filler you would need to use an adhesion promoter.

 

[Poboy kartman]

Why not plastic weld the body? if there is a hidden part of the body you can trim a welding rod from, you can just pick up a little butane soldering torch to weld it with. Filler or fibreglass isn't going to want to adhere to most plastics, before filler you would need to use an adhesion promoter.

That would depend upon the plastic. ....not all plastics remelt....ABS comes to mind. ...Also- good chance of deforming the body or catching it on fire. ....

I'd stick to the Loctite Plastic Weld.... You can always try more drastic measures later. ......

 

[Dirtkarter]

That would depend upon the plastic. ....not all plastics remelt....ABS comes to mind. ...Also- good chance of deforming the body or catching it on fire. ....

I'd stick to the Loctite Plastic Weld.... You can always try more drastic measures later. ......

ABS is probably the easiest to weld, it seems to behave more like metal. PUV can't be welded, Mitsubishi and Holden are fans of un-weldable bumpers and sideskirts. Other than welding, options for properly repairing plastic panels are limeted. Plastic welding isn't hard and the money spent trying to glue it would be better spent on a tool to weld it. Not trying to be a know it all but I do work with plastic repair all week as I work in collision repair.

Any way how about some photos?

 

[mckutzy]

Correction.... Not all plastics remelt ...Well.
Most plastic welding is done with a hot air torch. Kind of a specially made tool.
Flame heating of any plastics is just too hot, kinda like why you use a double boiler to melt chocolate(most cases), or wax for when you make candles.

PUV??? what is that??

 

[Dirtkarter]

Some kind of Polyurethane... I don't know what. We dread the stuff, usually end up stitching it and repairing it with this stuff https://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal...ECIE20S4K7000000_nid=KJM9992R4FbeQH8HT14PGTgl

Awalker702, is what you are trying to fix up one of those mini monstertrucks with the glass body? or one of those little abs jeep things?

 

[OzFab]

Clean Metal:
Paint of any description won't be too successful on moving parts, it'll wear off in short order. Your best options are either polishing which, as previously mentioned, takes a lot of time to achieve & maintain a good finish, or chrome plating. Having said that, the metal is polished before it's plated, that's what costs, the actual plating costs next to nothing...

Another trick for a great visual effect is to heat the parts in an oven after they're polished/plated; that's how you get the bluing effect...

Plastic Repairs:
Contrary to what everyone is saying, body filler & fibreglass will both work on plastic body once prepped correctly!

The main thing is to make the surface as rough as possible so the filler or resin has something to bind to. Essentially, body filler & fibreglass resin are the same thing, body filler just has a lot of talc added to it

Plastic welding probably won't work too well on structural areas, again, unless it's done properly &, speaking from experience, I find successful plastic welding is harder to achieve than steel welding...

 

[Poboy kartman]

And I don't want to get into any peeing contests here but flexible automotive panels and plastic kart bodies are completely different animals. .......

 

[Lynxer]

Plastic Repairs:
Contrary to what everyone is saying, body filler & fibreglass will both work on plastic body once prepped correctly!

The main thing is to make the surface as rough as possible so the filler or resin has something to bind to. Essentially, body filler & fibreglass resin are the same thing, body filler just has a lot of talc added to it

Plastic welding probably won't work too well on structural areas, again, unless it's done properly &, speaking from experience, I find successful plastic welding is harder to achieve than steel welding...

This is all good info. Ive used Bondo brand fillers on ABS/PVC/Unknown snowmobile hoods. Never had a problem with flaking.. say 120grit at least in the area you are filling.


I have a few plastic welders.. nothing YOU (consumer) can go buy is worth a spit. The ones I have were handmade 25++years ago for shop use.. welding plating tub vent hoods/ducting.

Air powered.




Has reverse electrolysis been mentioned? it will remove rust NON abrasive so no sanding marks...

OR

Sandblast, and spend hours polishing.

 

[Poboy kartman]

This is all good info.
Has reverse electrolysis been mentioned? it will remove rust NON abrasive so no sanding marks...

OR

Sandblast, and spend hours polishing.

Not in this thread (electrolysis) but very recently in another. There are also some recently developed chemical rust removers that work much better than the old Naval Jelly.

But thanks for bringing it up! Done it myself w/ 2 amp battery charger and got some very impressive results. Not quick- but easy!

 

[Lynxer]

Not in this thread (electrolysis) but very recently in another. There are also some recently developed chemical rust removers that work much better than the old Naval Jelly.

But thanks for bringing it up! Done it myself w/ 2 amp battery charger and got some very impressive results. Not quick- but easy!

There is a product called "Evaporust".. however it can get quite pricey using it on large items. It needs to stay in contact with the piece while it works.. (a tub full of it, with said part submerged)