Prepping Ammo Cans for Paint

Hey guys, I acquired some 40mm ammo cans at the last gun show for a great price. I typically leave them as is but I want to touch these up. Typically when I paint cans (or anything metal) I follow a pretty brain dead procedure:

1. Remove rubber seals & plastic handles
2. Sandblast cans inside and out
3. Wash with warm soapy water
4. Let dry in direct sunlight
5. Prime
6. Paint

With the current weather letting them dry in the sun is not an option. I was thinking after washing them off I could put them in the oven (I'm single so its okay). Would this work to dry them off or would I be leaving a lot of water in the nooks and crannies of the cans? Thanks

 

...i would just use the blue shop towels (lint free) to dry them... take a couple of minutes...

 

Yea that is what I do for small jobs. Problem is these cans have ribs and crap welded all over them where water can hide. They are near impossible to get them dry by hand.

 

...shop towels, ...and hair dryer

 

Take an air hose and blast that water out of the nooks and crannies.After bead blasting the paint off water will likely cause some crevice corrosion. Then just bring it inside to dry for a few days.

 

I've painted a lot of these using spray guns or a simple spray can. For a quick job I separate the lid and can and sand with 320 wet paper then wash and let dry. Rustoleum is what I use for the quick spray. I never strip the ammo paint because the finish is a good protector already and acts as a good primer. $.02

 

I have my totally sandblasted, more for OCD than anything else. If I see a spec of rust I've go to get down to bare metal! I use Rustoleum Clean Metal Primer and a couple coats of Flat Black Protective Enamel on the outside. I use the same stuff for weight plates - its super tough. I paint the insides white.