Rusty metal and welding?

[BigBlock67]

I've been cutting out several rusted areas and I am getting ready to weld in some patches. Some places are solid but a little pitted. Is there something I should spray on these areas to kill the rust and prepare it better to weld? Thanks for any help or ideas.

[420am]

I don't know.. just DO NOT use Brake Cleaner.

http://www.brewracingframes.com/id75.htm

[mbgmike]

Not really. Rusted pits do not like to be welded. If its tiny you can. But in general you will just burn a hole thru them. You really need clean metal. Their was a company that was making spray migs that blew hot metal over pin holes but I think they went out of business.

[cdowns]

i'd either sandblast the edges or go over them real well with a coarse wire wheel to clean for a good weld

[tim21391]

id say the sandblast thing works.. they have a handheld gun at a hardware place for like 20 bucks i think i used it before and its alright.. on my truck when i skinned the doors today i had rusty metal and the 110 welder i used was just fine.. i grinded it down a bit and then turned the heat down and it welded alright if u blow a hole threw it just do small tacks let it cool then do it again.. good thing for metal is u can weld and grind so its hard to screw it up

[Mxracer202]

Originally Posted by tim21391

good thing for metal is u can weld and grind so its hard to screw it up

Exactly. when I was going to weld up a bunch of cracks in he bottom of my door it was all VERY rusted. so i just took a wire wheel grinded all the rust off and tried to patch it the best I could but kept burning through the metal, so i just laid a few tacks and let it cool and just repeated. worked fine

[tim21391]

ya patience is the key to success

[special-K]

Why pee into the wind?Cut until you get good metal.I hate when rust comes back through all my hard work.I know a guy that had his Blazer all restored.He said it had new sides put on.I believe they were either patched or modified truck bedsides.It was a nice Blazer,except it was bubbling at the edges of all the welding.He was so bummer he sold it after all he put into it...for $1,300 with wheels & tires he paid $1,000 with barely any wear.I didn`t even want it.I`d rather deal with original rust than pieced together rust.

[deek114]

I am a welder. At work I would send it out to be sand blasted, but since this is coming out of your pocket...... wire wheels are your friend. Clean all of the pits out with a wire wheel and a die grinder. If you don't you will get porosity. If that happens in that thin of metal you will be doing some cutting.

[dlillis]

I agree with special-K 100%

[GMC tom]

I would say grind it down to the metal.I know you might have sections that need to be welded i would make sure what you welding too is good metal.also what are you going to do for that same area to stop anymore rust/corrosion..we used a rust converter por 15 or something just go to any autobody shop/automotive paint store. on the inside of that panel...nothing sucks worse is too have you vehicle right and to have rust bubbles come through you paint a short while later.I do alittle paint and body thats what i graduated from school from and finsihed the welding course too. I justn thinkm people forget what causing the rust sometimes..sorry if i went off course from the original thread top pick.

[special-K]

When you weld your patch that old rust will come back with a vengence,trust me.Even weld-through primer burns some.