As you guys know I've been messing around welding up bAre and rusty scrap metal sculptures. While some are better to let rust outdoors still others are not. Some of these little tabletop pieces are meant for indoor display and I think the should stay as close to the they were made.

my question is: what do you guys use and find best as a top coat- clear coat?  I'm thinking Rust-oleum.

Thanks in advance for your input!

For indoor stuff I use a product made by White Knight called Rust-Guard Clear Finish. It's really meant for non-ferrous metals to stop brass from tarnishing etc, but I have found that it seals steel sculptures pretty well. It comes in liquid form but I prefer the spray cans.

Thanks Aus, I've not heard of this brand before. I wonder if it's available here in the states or found only on your side of the pond?

We use a product called Penetrol which is actually a paint additive but it does give a fairly durable clear finish, even outdoors it lasts a couple of years before needing re-coating.  Original manufacturer is American so you should be able to find it in paint stores or hardware over there.

Thank you Farm, this one I have heard of. I've never used it but I'll look into it as well. Seeing that it's a paint additive am I correct in assuming that I can use it in a sprayer?

Buy it in quart? tins and add it to oil based paints to make them go further/stick better.  I've thinned it out a bit and fed it through a spray gun but you waste a lot through overspray.  Usually we just slop it on with a paint brush and let it dry.

Ok I'll remember that. I do also have a low pressure/high volume air brush set up that has very little overspray....maybe for the little pieces...maybe I'm just overthinking it and easier to go with disposable sponge brushes.

Car manufacturers and many fabrication shops  the item to be sprayed so that it takes on a static electrical charge. The paint is attracted to the static charged item and less paint overshoots.

SLAG.

Slag, yes that is true. Back in my corporate days as an engineer we manufactured laser machines and while the smaller parts were powdercoat the larger pieces such as frames where electrically charged for that very reason. These frames were twice the size of a pickup truck. 

lately I've been trying out Krylon cover maxx flat clear coat spray can clear sold at wallyworld. so far it is good other than scratching by other metal. I'm still working on this too. also the worst sculpture incident I have dealt with is a son in-law hitting one made with spark plugs with a weed wacker lol.

I used this method for indoor furniture, bed head, tables etc. May be a bit fiddly for little stuff, but the principle is the same.

If you want to have only metallic colour finish, paint with black oil based paint. When the paint is tacky to the touch, Apply plumbago with a rag wrapped around your finger. The graphite will stick to the paint and you can give it a second rub after dry. It will stay black and shiny for a long time. 

If you want to have an old/rusty finish. Paint with rust colour paint and apply the plumbago only in some spots leaving streaks of brown rust colour visible more or less plumbago means less or more rust. 

 

Outstanding suggestion fellows, thank you kindly.

For clear coat outdoors, I only use Rustoleum clear (glossy or matte).  Some pieces of yard art have been outside for 3-4 years with no sign of rust.  I tried Krylon, but it is thinner and doesn't last well at all.  No more Krylon for me.

Rustoleum is the paint and clear I've been using on outdoor metals for years. I have never just clear coated any bare metal. So maybe I should experiment a little. 

13 hours ago, Farmweld said:

We use a product called Penetrol which is actually a paint additive but it does give a fairly durable clear finish, even outdoors it lasts a couple of years before needing re-coating.  Original manufacturer is American so you should be able to find it in paint stores or hardware over there.

Yes, Penetrol is readily available here and it works pretty well. It has a woeful shelf life though and if you don't use it all at once it quickly turns to jelly.

Another product we use here, especially for outdoor sculptures, is called Rustmasters. We use it on all our tractors and old machinery items that are displayed outdoors. It is UV stabilised and gives a good lasting protection. It's expensive though. We buy it by the 200 litre drum and our local hardware store sells it in litre containers, as we get so many requests from visitors asking what we coat our machines with.

I think it's available on line, at least in Australia.  www.rustmasters.com.au