How to prep (clean) metal before painting (or powder coating) without it rusting? ?
When I sand blast a part. I do it immediately before painting. I just blow off the dust with an air hose and paint it. The surface is already clean, so the dust will not stick very well. If you really want to clean the metal first, you can spray it with brake parts cleaner. Use a fast drying cleaner and it will remove all the dust and any oils from handling. Paint it soon or it will rust in a few hours to a few days. If you can seal the parts in a plastic bag, this will slow down the oxidation. Rubbing alcohol has water in it, so I don’t recommend it. Acetone will work good, but I don’t know if it can be sprayed. If you wipe it with any kind of towel, the rough surface from sand blasting may hold lint or fuzz. That’s why I say just spray it clean and let it dry.
