Waterblog

Proper surface preparation readies a surface for good coating adhesion and prevents premature coating failure.  When preparing steel and concrete surfaces, certain critical issues must be addressed and standards followed to achieve maximum benefit from today’s high performance, anti-corrosion coatings. Join Bruce Snyder for the Sherwin-Williams webinar Making the First Step Count – Surface Preparation Standard. […]

Hot Dip Galvanizing is the process of “dipping” a steel structure in a molten vat of zinc.  This zinc will then metallurgically bond to the steel, protecting the steel substrate from corroding.   The process consists of dipping the steel in a caustic bath to remove the organic contamination, followed by dipping the steel in an […]

The reason we prepare a surface prior to painting is not well understood.  We do it because we think we’re supposed to do it …  but why? According to The Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC)  Surface Preparation Commentary (SSPC-COM), we prepare a surface “to remove surface contaminants that can induce premature coating failure” and “to provide […]

In the previous surface preparation post, I discussed steel making and the necessity for abrasive blasting to remove mill scale.  But abrasive blasting, especially for maintenance work,  cannot always be achieved because a facility owner may have restrictions on dust and particulate generation and there may be (and probably is) equipment operating 24/7.  Plus, you need some […]

The cover of the August 2007 issue of Modern Steel Construction highlighted an article within its pages: “Making Steel“. A Google search of the words “making steel” delivers over 61 million hits. One of these, Key-to-Steel,  provides several examples of the steel-making process.  Fascinating.  There’s much information available about the making of steel. Briefly, “virgin” steel is […]