De-rusting and Painting Plates

Justin_7272

I picked up a set of plates (Marcy Grip 45s, 25s, 10s, & 5s) along with an Olympic bar for $130 and everything has rust to a certain extent.
From what I've read, you can scrub the plates with a wire brush, then give them a vinegar bath for 2-3 days to take care of the rest, then paint them. Anyone have experience with this? Or just paining plates in general? I've read Rust-Oleum paint plus primer is the best for the job. I also thought spraying them with truck bed liner could produce an interesting result. I'm only keeping the 45s, so I could experiment with the others. Any thoughts are appreciated!

Justin_7272

I have a can of Krud Kutter and Herculiner (truck bed spray liner) along with a wire brush coming over the weekend, but got impatient and picked up a can of Krylon Fusion All-in-One Flat White paint and went to town on the 5lbs. I sprayed them with Goo Gone and let them sit and wiped thoroughly with a cloth before painting.


I think they turned out really well! A wire brush would definitely help get more of the old paint and rust off, but overall I'm very satisfied with the result. I don't know how the paint will hold up with regular use; but I assume if it scratches you could respray and spray a sealant for added protection. Next up are the 10lbs wire brushed, Krud Kleaner applied, then the Hurculiner. The 5s & 10s are going on the sale block as I only need the 45s and might keep the 25s. My goal is to figure out what I want and how to do it best for the 45s. So far, so good.

wiigelec

personally i like the patina of a well worn iron plate

MsCzar

If you merely sealed and painted over any rust - even a tiny bit - it will come through again over time- but in dry conditions, that could be a very long time At least that's been my experience with automotive wheel rust. Getting all the rust off completely down to the metal with a good wire circular brush set on a powered grinder wheel or drill does the job nicely. I've even done fine detail rust removal with a Dremel. The trick is to not leave a speck of rust behind.

For metal sealing and painting, I like automotive products since they stand up to the elements rather well.

sgt1372

I've "restored" a variety of rusted things.

A wire brush (manual and/or rotary) naval jelly are what I use to remove the rust and Rustoleum is what I use for the primer & primary paint color.

slade51

check out ‘white broad-tip permanent marker’ to go over the raised lettering.

If you don’t want to just go with black, color coding the different weights would be a nice touch.

Red = 25 kg (55.1 lbs)
Blue = 20 kg (44 lbs)
Yellow = 15 kg (33 lbs)
Green = 10 kg (22 lbs)
White = 5 kg (11 lbs)
Red = 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs)
Blue = 2 kg (4.4 lbs)
Yellow = 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs)
Green = 1 kg (2.2 lbs)
White = 0.5 kg (1.1 lbs)

MikePfirrman

There are now advanced primers that turn rust into like a black primer. You use them before you would paint with anything else. They are available in liquid and in can form. I'd use one of those before you cover with anything. Not sure I'd use a truckliner type of thick product. Not sure, long term, that would adhere.

Krylon and Rustoleum have some nice "hammered" metal paint colors. I'd use the rust primer and then one of those for finishing.

Blackstar and Seymour Rust converters are two brands that convert rust and make it a paintable surface. There a few more out there.