Painting Stainless Steel (formula, rust, system, performance)

[irfaan]

I have a Question ... Is it possible and if yes, what type of paint is required. Parts will be exposed to high temperature ....

[Wilson513]

Stainless will paint just great. Of course, it has to be sanded, cleaned and primed, but there are so many high performance paints you will have no trouble finding one that will handle your temperatures. Although, if they are stainless headers, you might consider not painting them.

If the parts are removable, I'd consider powder coating and baked on.

[unconscious]

i'd put on doubled pipe headers so they won't turn blue and not paint them. all tho i would go with the powder coat if i wanted them painted.it's a proven method. especially for the kind of heat your talking about.

[irfaan]

If I use an etch primer then sand blasting is needed or not?

[sunsprit]

irfaan .... you need to be more specific about your requirements ...

what type of stainless steel are you using; ie, material number?

what is the working temperature range you anticipate?

sand blasting may interfere with the bonding of some epoxies; ie, while a certain mil profile may be achieved, you may contaminate the surface. If a mil profile is needed for the application, you may be better off using garnet or black beauty blast media.

depending upon the prior exposure of the stainless, there may be contaminants absorbed into the metal structure which will require treatment to passivate or neutralize them before applying an epoxy coating. Again, much depends upon the specific stainless steel and the exposure it has been subjected to; salt water/salt air can have a very adverse affect upon some stainless steels.

recognize that "stainless steel" is a generic name applying to a very wide range of corrosion resistant metals based upon a number of entirely different metallurgy formulations. Different families of stainless react differently upon exposure to chemicals and heat. For example, I have seen a lot of 302 and 304 stainless steel items fabricated for the food service industry ... and at every one of the spot welds where the unit was assembled, the "stainless steel" had totally lost it's "stainless" properties and was rusting away in service, as was the immediate area adjacent which had been heated to a temperature which destroyed the original characteristics of the metal.

Absent knowing the specific stainless steel and use parameters for your project, it's impossible for anybody on this forum to give you a meaningful response about the correct surface prep, materials, or finishing details of an epoxy coating. It's also important to know what your expectations are for the performance or cosmetic appearance of the finished product because this can radically affect the choice of materials and finishing systems.