Can you derust and flat black exhaust pipes?

I'm still a long way from actually "restoring" my ride, but I have ideas a plenty!!

Can the 4 exhaust pipes (from the engine) be externally rust treated, cleaned, prepped and metal primed to be made FLAT BLACK?

What type of high temp spray paint can be used?

Assuming there are no holes, and don't need a "showroom" finish, is this a semi easy project down the road?

The "look" I have in my head would be similar to the HD Night Rod - Stock as possible and black/flat black as possible. The aluminum I didn't paint would probably be rough/brushed look.

EDIT: Maybe a moderator could move this post to the MODIFICATION forum /doh

 

You can get rattle can header paint at your local Advance store or other for about $8.50 a can. Be sure to rough up the chrome with sand paper (probably 400 grit) and get all the rust off. Header paint is good to about 2,000 degrees.

 

Nice and thanks for the info

 

use a small brush and carefully paint it with muratic acid, outside
keep it wet till all the rust is gone in the pits
wet any chrome thats left too, the acid will dull it for paint
the more rust you get off the longer it will last
rinse it real good dry and paint
be careful muratic acid is nasty stuff

 

Where do you buy muratic acid?
I have access to Autozone, Napa, Farm and Fleet, Walmart, Kmart and Target.
I can yellow pages special places if I have to.

 

Muriatic acid probably at Farm & Fleet, possibly WalMart or Target.

Home Depot, Lowes, even Meijer has it which is why I think WallyWorld probably does I just never shop there.

You could use phosphoric acid, too, same stuff we use in fuel tanks:

 

Do you use the muriatic acid full strength and what do you use to rinse it???

skillet

 

You can't BUY it (or any other of these kinds of acid) FULL strength. Rinse with water then flush down with WD40 (WD=water displacement) to prevent flash rusting. Dry. Strip WD40 residue with lacquer thinner just prior to painting.

Or send the pipes out to be jet-hot coated and let the pros do it.

 

just rinse them good and dry them with a hair dryer and paint them right away
save yourself a lot of mess and fisheye's

 

You can buy it full strength if you have access to scientific supply places, or to an industrial chemical source. However, it would be called Hydrochloric Acid. Also, you wouldn't want to use that because at that strength you'll burn up anything that it touches ,or anything that touches it. Next, you don't want to be anywhere around it if there's water put into the acid, and finally, the fumes would overcome you very quickly.

I work with hydrochloric acid and muriatic acid (which is a 10% hyrdrochloric acid dilute solution) as part of one of my hobbies. Even with the muriatic acid, I've still burned my self enough times to know what happens, as as to know better anyway. Still, I do try to be very careful with it.

Tech tip, you can also neutralize any residual acid, after washing, with an ammonia cleaner like windex, etc........


Dave Fox

 

Just make sure when using it use chemical gloves to protect your hands arms etc. protect your eyes also. remember this is the real deal acid. If you get it on you rinse it really good and if I remember correctly baking soda will neutralize an acid.

Remember they use this stuff to etch concrete, that should tell you how strong it is.

Header paint is Hi-temp and will work.

 

I've used this stuff for paint: http://www.vhtpaint.com/flameproof.html

there's more colors than flat black. I've got a few cans of Cast iron sitting at the shop for my exhaust because it matches my vinyl flames for the tank.

 

I just sandblasted my exhaust system before painting it with Hi-temp black. Seems to be holding up quite well.