Greetings....
I am preparing to re-paint some pipe fencing, perhaps old oil pipe, but not sure.
It is currently a white that is pretty badly oxidized, with rust spots and chipping.
From internet searches I have decided to scrape and use ospho on the rust spots.
My question to the forum members is once I have prepped the pipe, what paint should I use, do I need a primer?
Thanks for any suggestions in advance.
Sandy

Painting that pipe fence unless it is new pipe is like Don Quixote and the windmills. I have 75 acres of pipe fence all made out of used drill pipe. My sons and I have been painting on that fence now since 1990. It will look good for a couple of years then it starts to fade, chip and rust. The problem is the used drill pipe. When it was used in the oil field, numerous chemicals and fluids went through it and now it is corroded from the inside out. You will put a lot of money in that fence and it will still look bad after a few years. I have used some of the best paint and primer money can buy and still no luck. Yes I even used ospho with no success. If it is used drill pipe you are wasting your time and money.

Agreed.

My advice is pressure wash it to knock the chips off, paint with a mitt, repeat in a few years when it starts to look bad again. Bonus points- pay a high schooler to do it for you.

I painted Pipe fence one summer as a teenager. I'd rather do a tour in Iraq than paint fence again.

I painted a set of cattle pens by myself one summer over the span of a couple of weeks as a kid.
I think the old man did it just to see if he could break me.

I am interested in this also. Does anyone have actual answers / advice in response to the OP's question concerning primer and paint ?

instead of or in addition to ospho, you might try mixing a little Penetrol with your paint. It goes on a lot easier and also helps minimize rust through.

Thank you....Brazos Bull

We did not use primer. We double coated with basic white outdoor paint.

BrazosBull said:

---

I am interested in this also. Does anyone have actual answers / advice in response to the OP's question concerning primer and paint ?

---

Primer and/or paint choice seems to be less of an issue than the prepping needed for drill stem.
We finally paid the $$ for sandblasting to bare metal, then an epoxy paint was used. Looks great (minor fading) after 10 yrs.

Go invest in an airless sprayer. We have one from Home Depot. Greco I think. Like $300-500 ish.

Never painted pipe fence, but have stained a bunch of fences with it and painted some rooms. Makes a job a lot easier. Buy the 24-36" extension for the end so you don't have to get as close to the thing you are painting. And not as much bending over.

If it were me, I'd setup a generator and an airless painter in the back of a truck/UTV. Lay down a blue trap cause you know that stuff will spill some. You could have someone drive while another person walked behind the truck painting. Sure, you'll have more overspray and waisted paint, but boy it would go much quicker!

The best luck i had was by cleaning off the loose stuff, using OSPHO, then painting with Hammerite Rust Cap. Do not thin it, do not spray it. Use a brush or small roller to apply.

I just make a deal with grandson that he can't refuse and he scrapes, primes and paints my pipe fence!! Doesn't necessarily like it but the alternative is worse and the job gets done!! No doubt he will remember the jobs I give him long after I'm dead!!!! lol

Our pipe laughed at prep that involved scraping , stout wire (cup) brush on a grinder, rolls of the 2" wide coarse sandpaper, cleaned with paint thinner/Varsol...then used Ospho.

A nephew that used the sandpaper looked like a coal miner after a couple of hours of that fun...



Still was flaking and rusting after a year or two.

Jason Ag.....this is exactly what I was looking for, suggestions for paint and or primer.
Thank you Sir....
Others please chime in!!

Sherwin Williams speced me out a 3 step process of ospho, primer, and final coat. It was a pia and expensive as hell...but lasted 10 years and is barely starting to fade now. If ur interested in the spec...pm me. Also, they make a specialty curved electric wire brush for pipe....also expensive.

Back when I was involved in manufacturing relatively large steel structures from hot-rolled (mill scale) steel, we tested several of the phosphoric acid based paint pre-treatment products (iron phospate), including Ospho.

We got the best performance from Rust Cure. We found it superior to Ospho, in fact.

Rust Cure Paint Pretreatment

It's actually made in Central Texas.

We'd buy it in cases of (4) 1-gallon jugs for about $20/gallon, and use sprayers and/or rags to apply it.

Since you asked ...

Ideally hot-rolled steel is prepped by sandblasting down to white metal first, then zinc phosphated, then 2-part epoxy primed, and then 2-part urethane top-coated.

But often that expense can't be justified, or just isn't practical because the item is out in the field.

Rust Cure helps greatly in that situation. It may help in yours with your fence posts.

I'd still prime with a heavy-duty single component oil-based primer, and then topcoat them with a single component acrylic or silicone modified oil-based alkyd enamel.

When cost is no object, some guys spring for single component urethanes that cure from the moisture in the air. In that case, you get 2-part urethane performance in a single-component product. Those products can be very tricky to use though.

Ribeye-Rare said:

---

Back when I was involved in manufacturing relatively large steel structures from hot-rolled (mill scale) steel, we tested several of the phosphoric acid based paint pre-treatment products (iron phospate), including Ospho.

We got the best performance from Rust Cure. We found it superior to Ospho, in fact.

Rust Cure Paint Pretreatment

It's actually made in Central Texas.

We'd buy it in cases of (4) 1-gallon jugs for about $20/gallon, and use sprayers and/or rags to apply it.

Since you asked ...

Ideally hot-rolled steel is prepped by sandblasting down to white metal first, then zinc phosphated, then 2-part epoxy primed, and then 2-part urethane top-coated.

But often that expense can't be justified, or just isn't practical because the item is out in the field.

Rust Cure helps greatly in that situation. It may help in yours with your fence posts.

I'd still prime with a heavy-duty single component oil-based primer, and then topcoat them with a single component acrylic or silicone modified oil-based alkyd enamel.

When cost is no object, some guys spring for single component urethanes that cure from the moisture in the air. In that case, you get 2-part urethane performance in a single-component product. Those products can be very tricky to use though.

---

This is why I OB... great post and info!! Thanks!

Ribeye-Rare said:

---

...
I'd still prime with a heavy-duty single component oil-based primer, and then topcoat them with a single component acrylic or silicone modified oil-based alkyd enamel.

...

---

This is exactly what I did and it worked great for over a decade now. Don't forget to wash with tsp and treat with something similar to ospho.

Thanks !

To answer your question. We have lots of pipe fence on our ranch made from oilfield pipe. First. You need to plan on using a wire wheel brush on an angle grinder and get all the old scale and rust off. I highly recommend the Bosch variable speed 4.5 inch angle grinder. The variable speed allows you to turn the speed down and it works much better than turning 15,000 rpm.
Take your time and clean it well. Then just before painting wipe the pipe down with a good grade of lacquer thinner.
Next is decision time depending on your budget. We used Randolph Aircraft Epoxy based primer and sprayed it on.
Then top coat was Sherwin Williams industrial coating that they make for offshore rigs.
We have pipe fencing on the ranch that was done with above process and are scale and rust free after 10 years or more.
If on a budget I recommend Rust Oleum Rusty Metal Primer then top coat with Rust Oleum Aluminum paint.
Aluminum paint can also double as a primer as well. If you go this route treat the pipe after grinder cleaning with Ospho before coating with the Rust Oleum Aluminum paint.
A paint job is no better than the substrate below it so grinding the pipe with a wire brush, then wiping the pipe with lacquer thinner before applying your first primer coat seems to be the key.
If you bought decent outfield pipe it will paint and last just as well as any other pipe.
I wish I had a dollar for every foot of pipe I have painted....I could retire early!
Hope this helps you.
If you decide to spray the Randolph Epoxy primer make sure you wear a quality respirator that fits correctly.

Jason Ag said:

---

The best luck i had was by cleaning off the loose stuff, using OSPHO, then painting with Hammerite Rust Cap. Do not thin it, do not spray it. Use a brush or small roller to apply.

---

This is exactly my method. The Hammerite paint is a pain but works well. Good luck!

Thanks for the very thoughtful post "gunny 456"
I think I have a pretty good idea of how I will approach my project. Thanks to all for your input.
Sandy

Dont forget the zinc

Is this the same stuff as the Rust Cure you mentioned above? Seems it might have changed over the years and wanted to make sure this newer stuff is as good as the original stuff? It might also be the exact same with just a new look.

https://corrosionfree.com/store/rust-cure-formula-3000-spray-can/

https://corrosionfree.com/store/rust-cure-formula-3000-jug/

Can get ospho, and may end up just geting that anyway.

Any other recs of paints? Is it worth going with a special sherwin williams marine epoxy type paint or just stick with a rustoleum type of paint? This will just be for a gate and not oil field pipe.

Two part urethane will hold up longer. Use a HVLP gun. Wear a good grade respirator and goggles. It's not hard to use….and will hold up to UV and weather better. It does not have to be a marine grade epoxy.
A good automotive paint store or similar will have it.
I used PPG brand for what it's worth.

Gunny - I'd swear you could be an OB consultant! You've got a lot of knowledge and experience up there that I'd love to have.

jpb1999 said:

---

Is this the same stuff as the Rust Cure you mentioned above? Seems it might have changed over the years and wanted to make sure this newer stuff is as good as the original stuff? It might also be the exact same with just a new look.

https://corrosionfree.com/store/rust-cure-formula-3000-spray-can/

https://corrosionfree.com/store/rust-cure-formula-3000-jug/

Can get ospho, and may end up just geting that anyway.

Any other recs of paints? Is it worth going with a special sherwin williams marine epoxy type paint or just stick with a rustoleum type of paint? This will just be for a gate and not oil field pipe.

---

I'm afraid that's a different product.

Here's the unfortunate truth -- The founder and president of the company that manufactured Rust-Cure passed away at the age of 93 a few years ago. He was still running the company at the time and was the 'key man.'

If he had any children, they had either previously passed away or had no interest in the business, which included manufacturing Rust-Cure and a few other industrial chemicals.

When I heard of his passing, I immediately went down to the supplier from whom I bought the stuff and tried to stock up. They told me some guy came in and bought all their inventory of it.

I tried to find out if there was any chance some other company would pick up the product, but the only thing I found were a few guys claiming they 'reverse-engineered' the formulation.

Since I was use to paying between $20-25/gallon for the stuff, and these guys wanted over $70, I passed.

I guess if I need to buy a product like that today, I'd just go with OSPHO, but I know, from personal experience, it just wasn't as good as Rust-Cure was.

The old man who ran the company told me on the phone that he had tested all the competition and beat them all, and claimed he used a proprietary additive and a higher % of phosphoric acid than the competition.

I did get an MSDS on the stuff once, and it seems that (in addition to 'proprietary') it had about 30% phosphoric acid and quite a bit of ethylene glycol monobutyl ether.

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

As for paints -- if you don't mind mixing 2-part paints, Gunny is right -- it's hard to beat a 2-part urethane topcoat. OTOH, I use a good single-part marine enamel and get good results.