FAQ

STEEL-IT is a high performance industrial coating made from high quality and customised materials. Both our primers and top coats contain customised 316L stainless steel microflakes. It is a sophisticated, complex product that has performed remarkably well in a variety of industries and in numerous applications under the harshest conditions imaginable.

However, unlike many other primers on the market, STEEL-IT Precoats are not designed to improve adhesion to the substrate, but are themselves high performance anti-corrosion coatings containing the same 316L stainless steel microflakes used in STEEL-IT Topcoats in addition to the anti-corrosion materials. Thus, STEEL-IT Precoats are a critical component for maximising protection against corrosion, chemicals, abrasion, impact, temperature fluctuations and other harsh conditions.

All rust must be removed. STEEL-IT is not a rust neutraliser. If rust is trapped under the coating, it will continue to spread.

Existing coatings must be treated in accordance with the instructions for surface preparation in the application notes. It is best if the surface to be coated can be blasted (e.g. sandblasted) to a 38-50 μm sharp bevel profile (according to SSPC SP-6, commercial blasting).

Mechanically sanding the surface with 36 grit sandpaper will give a similar finish to sandblasting. What we want to avoid are methods that merely clean the surface without scoring it and creating an aggressive profile as per our instructions. Such methods are e.g. needle derusting, soda blasting, dry ice blasting, glass bead blasting.

This depends on how long the item has been galvanised, as the chemistry of galvanised steel changes over time:

• In the first few days, the surface is zinc metal and only requires proper surface preparation.
• Over the next four to six months, the surface becomes zinc oxide, which is very difficult to paint because it is a hard, greasy surface and the zinc oxide on the surface tends to be powdery and therefore difficult to adhere to. Consequently, the oxide must be profiled and then passivated. Passivation can be carried out with any commercially available vinyl wash primer.
• From then until about a year, the zinc oxide absorbs moisture from the environment and slowly transforms into zinc hydroxide, which must also be profiled and treated with a vinyl wash primer.
• After about a year, the surface begins to absorb carbon dioxide in addition to oxygen and water and turns into zinc carbonate. Zinc carbonate is stable and can be coated so that it only needs to be profiled.

We cannot guarantee the longevity of the coating. The success of a coating depends crucially on proper surface preparation and application. Since we do not provide these services, we cannot take responsibility for how well the coating will hold up over time. We give the right instructions to achieve the best results. But even assuming the best results, application conditions can vary greatly. We would need to know the exact conditions over a period of time. What we can say is that STEEL-IT can last up to 10 years in some applications, 20 years in others, even longer in others and 5 years in others. However, we are confident that STEEL-IT will last significantly longer than another coating under the same conditions.

There are many types of plastic that react differently when in contact with solvents; therefore, no general answer can be given. The customer must check to what extent the solvents present in the Steel-It paints are suitable for the type of plastic. As a rule, the surfaces must be thoroughly cleaned of oil, grease and moulding agents or sanded with sandpaper. It is advisable to use a low VOC system where possible and a primer may not be necessary.

This phenomenon is due to the special nature of the resin mixture; however, it has no influence on the protective properties of the paint. The phenomenon disappears after a few cleaning processes; the Epoxy system becomes less sensitive to this.

Yes, it is advisable to follow the instructions of the manufacturer of the plastic metal with regard to painting.

This should not happen, but if it is necessary, a component of one pack can be mixed with the corresponding component of the other pack, making sure that the production date of both components is less than six months apart.