Power Rack Care- Not sure where to put this

[John Tony]

Sorry for putting this in the training section, but I wasn't sure where else to put it.

I bought a used power rack from a local company that buys/sells new/used equipment (think of a play it again sports dedicated to fitness equipment). I got a pretty good deal on it, but since it is used it does have some surface rust. I got a brass wire wheel to remove the rust, but what is the best way to treat the metal afterwards so that it doesn't rust again? I looked it up and I my plan to put a rustproof primer and some black paint over it. I have some pictures of the worst rusted areas, but there are small spots throughout the rack. Should I treat every area and brush/paint over the entire rack? If anyone has had to deal with similar issues or works with metal I would really appreciate any tips/adivce.

Thanks.
Rust.jpgRust 3.jpgRust 2.jpg

[Brian Harlin]

Can you take it and have it sand blasted? You could also have it powder coated after that. Otherwise I would spray paint it (don't brush it).

[Aslin]

Forgive my ignorance but what's wrong with just leaving it the way it is? I only ask because some of my plates have a little rust on them after they've been in the garage a few years.

[John Tony]

Sandblasting and powdercoating certainly would be ideal, but I think the cost of transportation, services etc. would be a bit more than I would like to spend given I only spent $75 for the rack. Good tip on the spray paint vs brush painting.

Aslin,
Right now, it is just surface rust, I just want to stop it now before it starts to affect the structural stability of the rack. Plates are one thing, but I don't want to have any doubts about the stability of the rack if I have to dump a squat/bench etc.

[Brian Harlin]

Sandblasting and powdercoating certainly would be ideal, but I think the cost of transportation, services etc. would be a bit more than I would like to spend given I only spent $75 for the rack. Good tip on the spray paint vs brush painting.

Aslin,
Right now, it is just surface rust, I just want to stop it now before it starts to affect the structural stability of the rack. Plates are one thing, but I don't want to have any doubts about the stability of the rack if I have to dump a squat/bench etc.

The amount of time it is going to take you to remove all the rust with a wire wheel would make sandblasting seem like a bargain (sandblasting is not that expensive). Doesn't matter what you paid for it, it matters how long you plan on using it. You mention transportation costs though, so I guess you don't have a truck?

Sandblasting and spray painting would be the best cheap option IMO. Unless you have lots of time that you don't value.

[FatButWeak]

That's just patina. I would get a greasy rag with some light oil, like diesel, and wipe it down. The oil will soak into the rust a bit and act as a protectant. The whole thing will take 5 minutes.

I have completely rehabilitated rusty plates with a diesel soaked rag. Wipe off the excess and you are good to go.

[veryhrm]

That's not a lot of rust at all. I'd call it something between "minimal" and "minor". One option is just not worrying about it. Another option is to look into some rust converter which actually gets rid of the rust and prevents further rusting (which may be what "rust proof primer" is; not familiar w/ that stuff). Then spray paint it if you want.

One issue though is that you don't know what's going on on the inside surfaces. I have no idea how people protec the inside of metal beams.

[jgalak]

Not sure a brass wheel will do the trick, it's kind of soft. If you want to remove the rust, and its fairly light, there are scotch brite plastic wheels that work wonders.

I'd definitely opt for powdercoating if you can, the rack will take a lot of abuse - metal-on-metal contact (when the bar gets placed on it) will wear through any paint other than powdercoat. If you really don't want to spend the money, get rid of all the loose rust, get a can of rustoleum dirty metal primer, spray a very light coating (just a dusting), then, while the primer is still slightly wet, spray it with rustoleum hammered paint. Let it dry a few days (a week is better). That stuff holds up better to this type of wear than any other pant I know.

But I'd powder coat it if it was me...

[veryhrm]

Oh, you could also use truck bed-liner on the wear surfaces... though i don't know if it's available in cans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JOXrpCLCJg

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/my...-aftershow.htm

[John Tony]

Wow, thanks for all of the responses guys. I don't have a truck/van etc. so I would need to rent one to get it to/from each place.

rumblefish, that is a good idea, I could get it sandblasted and then spray it with rustoleum primer like jgalak suggested. There is a place relatively local that does sandblasting so I will give them a call tomorrow and see what they think.

Thanks again for the tips!