Any degreaser should do the trick. Blasting & powder coating's best for painting, IMHO. Not that expensive.
Take then to a powder coated. They will degrease, sandblast and coat very cheaply. You don't even have to clean them before taking them. Once powdercoated they will out live the van
I degreased mine with white spirit Took them back to bare metal with wire wheels Etch primed them Then painted them with tractor enamel Is a lot of fuss and work though and dropping them off at a powdercoaters and picking them up a few days later is a lot easier
Will get some powder coat prices. Love the colour of yor tinware para will be aiming for something similar. Tractor enamel! Interesting..... I bet that's durable, them there farmers don't like wasting money on stuff unless it last forever.......never got any money you know (although I've never met a poor one, not down south anyway) but that's another story/thread for much debate I'm sure
It is a very durable paint dude If you have ever been to a steam rally then most of what you have seen would have been painted in it
At rallies I normally see an old water pump thing on display an old boy with a pipe watching it and in the background the old wife looking miserable in a 1960s sprite caravan. Will take more notice of the paint next time
Ahh happy days lol One day i will restore a staitionary engine to display The wife i already have Nah im a lucky man in the fact mrs para loves steam rallys as much as i do but for different reasons
