How long can bare metal sit unprimed??

9

95BlackTT

Hey guys, I was wondering how long I could let bare metal sit without any primer. I am going to be stripping my engine bay to repaint, but the time I have to work on it is sporadic, I was going to try to strip the metal one weekend and then get the priming done the next. The car in is the garage so I don't have to worry about weather. Thanks in advance.
 
you can let it sit as long as you need it to. The problem is rust will start right away at a microscopic level. In a controlled environment a week shouldn't hurt, I've gone a month myself. but if you see any discoloration you might want to resand to be safe.
 
Its not as bad this time of year, just make sure your bare metal stays warmer than the air temperature outdoors. Humidity is a weather problem you have to worry about even in the garage.
 
Time is not that big of an issue. The concern should be the formation of actual rust. I have had panels that I had stripped sit for over a year with no issues. If there appears to be rust forming on the panel, you just need to buzz it with a da with 80 grit and apply some epoxy primer.

Aaron
 
ok, thanks guys. I am mainly concerned with flash rust over the week. The engine bay is such a pain to sand though...
 
ADTKART;13430 said:
Time is not that big of an issue. The concern should be the formation of actual rust. I have had panels that I had stripped sit for over a year with no issues. If there appears to be rust forming on the panel, you just need to buzz it with a da with 80 grit and apply some epoxy primer.

Aaron
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I agree, I have had a project in bare metal for a few years. But the shop is so well insulated that every summer I get some flash rust, because the insulation keeps the building a little cooler. So I think it just depends on the environment that the car is in. Some of these garages are cold and damp. But a week shouldn't be a problem.
 
chevman;13437 said:
I agree, I have had a project in bare metal for a few years. But the shop is so well insulated that every summer I get some flash rust, because the insulation keeps the building a little cooler. So I think it just depends on the environment that the car is in. Some of these garages are cold and damp. But a week shouldn't be a problem.
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That is one of the great things about the hydronic floor heat I put in my shop, there is no condensation.
Machined cast iron can set for years and not develop rust.
No surface protectants needed as the room and all its contents are an even temp. side note, the heated concrete floor is very good to the feet.
You can stand on it for many hours and not have sore feet, I attribute it to the increased blood flow trying to cool the feet.
 
Same here, floor heat and low humidity makes for less corrosion.
 
Senile Old Fart;13459 said:
That is one of the great things about the hydronic floor heat I put in my shop, there is no condensation.
Machined cast iron can set for years and not develop rust.
No surface protectants needed as the room and all its contents are an even temp. side note, the heated concrete floor is very good to the feet.
You can stand on it for many hours and not have sore feet, I attribute it to the increased blood flow trying to cool the feet.
Click to expand...
I'm jealous...I would love to have a heated floor in my garage. I have a great hangdown natural gas heater, but it never seems to get the concrete as warm as I would like. The reverse side of that is that twice this early summer i had to literally squeegee the excess moisture off the floor. Not fun!
 
I have a theory about wet concrete floors, unlike most people that say the water is wicked up from the ground. I think it is just the ground keeping the concrete cooler and when the warm humid air hits the cooler air next to the concrete, the moisture just falls out of the air. Condensation. And what you said about it happening in early summer makes perfect sense, because the ground would be cooler then.
I sealed my concrete good, then nailed treated 3/4 inch plywood on it. It is warmer, but I would love to have a heated floor.
 
I bet standing on wood all day is a lot better than concrete.
 
Actually its even better than that, because I put a 1"X2" treated strips 6 " apart down first, then used a tar like material to coat the concrete, then plastic before the plywood.
The floor is just a couple degrees cooler than the wall. But another thing is that dropping stuff on the floor isn't always a disaster anymore.
 
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