Prepping & painting new steel

[David]

Hi This is probably a really basic question but I'm very inexperienced in dealing with metalwork.

I've just had a leg-cum-support made up by a local metalworker for a fitted worktop-cum-desk I'm making; it's just a couple of lengths of square-section steel bar welded together at right-angles. I want to paint it now, but of course it's in 'workshop' condition, covered in grease and surface. Before priming, how do should I clean and degrease it? Polyclens then water? Meths or something? Does it actually matter? Anything else I need to know about?

Thanks David

[Mark S.]

The two gateposts I got (6cm/6cm box section) were bare steel. Gave them a wipe down with a plain cloth to remove the oil/dirt then two coats of red oxide primer and two coats of black Hammerite, probably should have only used straight Hammerite but bit hard to see where you've painted when it's dark coloured background and black paint. :-) Been outside for a month now and look the same as the day they were painted.

Mark S.

[Dave Plowman]

Pretty well any solvent should do - but ordinary petrol is probably the cheapest.

A coat of Jenolite or similar to etch and kill any surface rust works well before normal painting.