Prepping a Relentless Fab bumper for paint

I've just received my bumper from Relentless Fab and plan on applying the finish myself. I ordered it bare metal(obviously) and it had a little surface rust on it when it arrived. I went away for the holiday weekend, and even though it was inside in a central air environment, the surface rust was even worse when I returned this evening. My question is about what I need to do to get rattlecan krylon to stick to it.

My plan was to do a couple coats of self etching primer, then a couple coats of enamel. With this rust, I know I need to get rid of it first. Do I need to wire wheel>mineral spirits the whole thing, or can I get away with naval jelly>mineral spirits before I apply primer?

 

I’d rub it with a scotch bright pad to scuff it alittle and take off the nasty shit. Wet sand with a high grit then primer and then paint..

 

also pics would help to see the condition of the bumper

 

Here’s some pics...

 

Ospho will kill the rust

 

I'd do what Thuguon2.7 said and then wipe it down with rags soaked with acetone until they're clean.
Good luck, think it will be fine.

 

I would also use a rust converter (to primer). I like to use Corroseal, but there are many other brands out there and probably one you can find locally at your hardware store. Sand what you can and apply. I did this with my sliders recently.

 

Large wire wheel or carefully with a flap disk. I utilized VHT roll cage spray paint as it doesn't require primer and is high heat. Epoxy paint ftw!

 

Don't make this more complicated than it is. Scotch brite it thoroughly, wipe down with acetone, propane torch it lightly to drive off moisture and let it cool if necessary before primer and paint. No need for wire wheel or wet sanding. Those are just bad ideas all around. It doesn't have to be 100% free of surface rust, that will be almost impossible. You want a sanded like rough surface for the primer to go on. Use oil based paint like rust-oleum or whatever flavor you want. Water based will be corroding again in a few months. Light first coat and wait until it's just past the tacky stage of drying then second coat should make it look even and covered without thin spots. Let it dry. Last coat can go on a bit heavier but if it runs, it might pull the first coats down with it depending on how much they cured, so don't go crazy. You can always do more coats after it dries.

 

I don't know if this route will work but I was planning on doing it if I encounter surface rust like yours when receiving my all pro rear bumper. Soak paper towels in vinegar and wrap the bumper with it overnight. I use this process numerous times with old rusted barbells to remove rust and it works like a charm. Reduces elbow grease tremendously . If you ship me the bumper, I will gladly do this for you.

 

Clean up a little bit with a flap wheel, apply some POR-15 metal prep https://www.por15.com/POR-15-Metal-Prep

I did this to my relentless bumper 10 years ago and it still holding up just fine to the elements.

 

This is how my bumper turned out. I welded it up as a kit from coastal Offroad, it had some flash rust and I performed the steps as per my previous post. No rock chips or scratches yet. But it will be easy to touch up later.

 

I just used POR15 on a different project. I was really pleased with it, and plan to use it on my bumper whenever I get around to installing it. It's a bit time consuming though: brush/sand loose rust, solvent wash, soap wash, rinse, apply converter, rinse, dry, 2x coats of POR15, then 2+ coats of top coat paint. Many steps and many products... but the stuff is crazy durable and it looks awesome.

 

Thanks for all of the feedback! I've decided to just go with a Corroseal cleaner -> rust converter/primer. All suggestions seem pretty sound, it's just that given the very light nature of this rust, additive coatings/converters seem to be the path of least resistance. Using a wire wheel and other mechanical abrasives seem like they will still require the same steps of cleaning/priming. This bumper has alot of tight angles that may be difficult to get into with a wheel of any sort. Thanks again for the feedback!