Cast Iron Radiators

This is a dumb question which I probably already know the answer to but I'm gonna ask anyway.
I picked up some wall hung, cast iron radiators. I'm going to sandblast and test them this weekend. Once they are cleaned should I use rusty metal primer or rust reformer on them before the silver top coat? These are going in my workshop, which is always damp. I used that stuff on my kid's car suspension and it worked well. Not sure if it's appropriate for cast iron.

My 520 install is only about 30% complete. I've been doing a lot of related stuff like blocking in a garage door and building a coal bin but I'm getting a little behind. I probably shouldn't have taken last weekend off to go to the drag races with my son but hell, it was worth it. Time to get off the puter and get my butt in high gear. I always work best under pressure so I guess it's hussle time. It's almost heating season and the only way I can warm the house right now is to set up a burn barrel in the family room.

I primed mine, after I sandblasted the 10 coats of paint off the used ones I got I figured that one extra coat of primer shouldn't hurt. I painted mine black

Cast Iron Radiators are the best! Every time I go to the scrap yards there is always a collection of them there. I guess the scrap guys know that they are sought after. If I had the time and the money I'd dump the forced hot air system in favor of a nice coal boiler and CI radiators (I can hear the air vents whizzing).

I was given one for my store that came out of the local school. It is so long and heavy I hired a tow truck to pick it up and deliver it here. 10 ft long

Clean, prime, paint, you'll be fine. Any dark color is good.

Bill, POR-15 now comes in silver. You could apply this right over the sandblasted surface and get wonderful results. No need to paint over it if the radiator won't be in direct sunlight.

http://www.por15.com/prodinfo.asp?grp=1&dept=1

My local highway department uses POR-15 on their snowplow-salt trucks, they said it is the only product they have used that lasts through the winter.

Wood'nCoal wrote:Cast Iron Radiators are the best! Every time I go to the scrap yards there is always a collection of them there. I guess the scrap guys know that they are sought after. If I had the time and the money I'd dump the forced hot air system in favor of a nice coal boiler and CI radiators (I can hear the air vents whizzing).

Radiators.jpg

Just a point of clarity. The hot water radiators have air purgers that are normally closed and don't make any noise. Steam radiators have vents that are always "open" and do make some noise.

Steve.N wrote:I primed mine, after I sandblasted the 10 coats of paint off....

While on the topic anyone reading this be aware that removing the paint and recoating them is the way to go. All those extra layers of paint insulates them and they won't work as well as they should. We have two in our house. One in the kitchen beause there is no space for baseboard anywhere and another in a backroom again because there is no space for baseboard. the one inthe kitchen is right by the tble, nice seat on cold morning.

Just went and picked up some rustoleum rusty metal primer. I considered POR15 but I thought I'd paint the radiators rustoleum royal blue. It's the same color as the EFM. They are both going to be on the same floor, basement/garage. I know, it's a bit anal but, but, well I got nuthin. I've got a Modine heat exchanger that needs to be freshened up also, some surface rust.It's going end up royal blue along with the chimney cleanout door. I'll have my son lock up the buffer before I wet sand, buff and polish the sheet metal on the EFM. I guess I'm just a frustrated auto painter wannabee.

Radiators heat the room in two ways, convection and radiant. Copper finned tube baseboard only heats by convection. That's why a room with radiators or cast iron base board heat aways "feels better". In floor radiant heat is not the only way to have the comfort of radiant heat. One of the purposes of convection heat is to overcome the convection currents of a cold object like a window. Cold air, being denser (heavier) will fall pushing any warm air away. The convection heat produced by a radiator or baseboard placed under a window will overcome this "draft" and make the room feel more comfortable. An ideal heating design provides both radiant and convection. A room with large windows and only radiant in floor heat will "feel" uncomfortable.

coalkirk wrote:

Wood'nCoal wrote:Cast Iron Radiators are the best! Every time I go to the scrap yards there is always a collection of them there. I guess the scrap guys know that they are sought after. If I had the time and the money I'd dump the forced hot air system in favor of a nice coal boiler and CI radiators (I can hear the air vents whizzing).

Radiators.jpg

Just a point of clarity. The hot water radiators have air purgers that are normally closed and don't make any noise. Steam radiators have vents that are always "open" and do make some noise.

I realize that, I was referring to steam heat.

I knew you did John. Hell, you probably have a collection of each type.

Nah, I ain't got none, but that may change soon.

Heating A Pole Barn

A quick safety note.. 99% of the paint on those old radiators is lead based paint.. I'd use paint stripper, Lye, or some mechanical means to remove most of the layers of paint, then use a sandblaster for the last cleanup before painting..

I like PPG DP primer/sealer. It is a 2-part epoxy primer that will not come off,, it requires grinding or sandblasting after it drys and sets for more than 8 days.. don't ask how I know that ! .

If you do your own sandblasting, clean up and bag the left over paint dust.. wetting it down some.. And wear a mask,

I shudder to think about all the lead based paint dust I've inhaled...

Greg L.

I made a half arsed booth by hanging a plastic sheet mainly to recycle the grit and wore a mask not because of the lead paint (didn't think about that) but because of the silicon dust. I screen my blast media and recycle it to save money so most of the paint went into the trash