Coating removal on black iron pipe?

PJH · Aug 27, 2018

Is there anything that will remove the coating from new black iron pipe? It doesn't seem like it's paint - more of a hard tar-like substance. I'm making a railing and would like to remove all of it before painting the finished product.

jon f mn · Aug 27, 2018

A sander is the only way I know, but I always just painted over it. Unless your railing is very fancy it will look fine and paint sticks good.

JWA · Aug 27, 2018

Miles of painted pipe handrail in service in industrial plants and none of it had the coating removed before painting.

Stephen Newell · Aug 27, 2018

Why not use galvanized pipe? There wouldn't be anything to clean and if used outdoors would give you rust protection.

WNYBill · Aug 27, 2018

Rather than pipe railing I used a piece of 1 1/4 steel conduit inside 1 1/2 PVC strong and never needs painting and is impervious to the sun.

Bill

Butch(OH) · Aug 27, 2018

A wire wheel on the bench grinder takes it off for smaller jobs but its a bit slow if you have lots to do. When in a hurry I use strip disks in a 4" grinder. Very handy thing to have in the shop. Kinda spendy if you buy them one at a time in the box store but not too bad by the box on fleabay. They are my go to paint removers.

Determined · Aug 27, 2018

Lots of options, some more feesable than others depending on how much pipe you want to clean up.

Sandpaper
Scotchbrite
Lathe
Sandblaster
Hang it from a chain off your back bumper and go for a ride a few miles down a gravel road.

A wipe down with a grease and oil remover then paint it would be my approach.

David G · Aug 27, 2018

sandblast or sand off, wipe with lacquer thinner, it is a bugger.

PJH · Aug 27, 2018

Thanks for the replies - I was hoping someone had a secret method that they could reveal.

It's a welded rail to protect an outside stairwell and it involves about 120 feet of 1/2" balusters, plus the main components. I think I'll scrub and paint over it.

jeffcat · Aug 27, 2018

Extruded or hot rolled. Has a skin on it from the hot metal and atmosphere bonding. Scale. Yes it can be pretty tough and will stay on for life or flake off and start rusting. Guy i used to work with years ago made porch step railings as a side line. He used to sandblast all of the cut out parts in a booth and then weld them together. Sand blasting will take it all off and will be right down to bare metal. Prime and paint. Long lasting finish. This video is an industrial teaching film.
steel

Dan in North Houston · Aug 27, 2018

I have always heard that the coating on oilfield pipe is "mill varnish", so that's probably what you have.

DoubleO7 · Aug 27, 2018

(quoted from post at 12:00:07 08/27/18) Thanks for the replies - I was hoping someone had a secret method that they could reveal.

It's a welded rail to protect an outside stairwell and it involves about 120 feet of 1/2" balusters, plus the main components. I think I'll scrub and paint over it.

That will be a tedious paint job if done by hand!

Is this for your own personal use?

Some locations have building codes that address the minimum requirements for handrails.
i.e. top rail size, support posts size and spacing, height, baluster sizes and spacings, etc.

I have seen home sales canceled when it is discovered the hand railings are not to code and/or do not meet HUD/FHA minimum requirements.

Steve@Advance · Aug 27, 2018

Sounds like direct burial pipe. Different from regular black pipe, it is like tar, probably is tar.

That is some nasty stuff, probably get it off with a petroleum base solvent.

DoubleO7 · Aug 27, 2018

(quoted from post at 12:27:44 08/27/18) I have always heard that the coating on oilfield pipe is "mill varnish", so that's probably what you have.

Yes, black iron pipe has a mill varnish 99% of the time it is lacquer.

You can also get uncoated/raw/naked "black iron pipe" specifically for the purpose of being welded on and painted or galvanized.

westga · Aug 27, 2018

How thick is the coating? If black and a tar like substance it call coal tar standard. Lots of work to get it off for a paint finish. Scrape and beat it off and wash with mineral sprit. If its epoxy coating burn it off with a torch. At that point i would find other uncoated pipe.

PJH · Aug 27, 2018

No codes out here in the sticks, but I'm using ideas from code examples I found on the internet for the height of top and bottom rail and spacing for the balusters. I want it to be safe and functional, and so far it is looking decent, but I'm not done yet, ha. There's still time for me to mess something up.

I've used that direct bury gas pipe for little projects before. Some of it had a yellow coating (plastic?) and some had a thick brittle black tar coating. The tar popped off with a hammer but left a thin residue that got nasty when you heated it.

This stuff I'm using came from Lowe's and I think the coating must be the lacquer that others mentioned.

DoubleO7 · Aug 27, 2018

Might try acetone, it has been known to remove the coating sometimes, for some reason.

Crazy Horse · Aug 27, 2018

Stephen ...... maybe I'm wrong but I seem to remember if you run your hand around galvanized pipe or handle fittings, you will pick up some discoloration on your skin. I'd just paint the black iron pipe, it's just an outside handrail after all.

Coating removal on black iron pipe?

PJH

Well-known Member

jon f mn

Well-known Member

JWA

Member

Stephen Newell

Well-known Member

WNYBill

Member

Butch(OH)

Well-known Member

Determined

Well-known Member

David G

Well-known Member

PJH

Well-known Member

jeffcat

Well-known Member

Dan in North Houston

Member

DoubleO7

Well-known Member

Steve@Advance

Well-known Member

DoubleO7

Well-known Member

westga

Member

PJH

Well-known Member

DoubleO7

Well-known Member

Crazy Horse

Well-known Member

Similar threads