How should I prep my column for paint?
All raw steel columns are wiped down with WD-40 before they leave our facility to prevent rusting. You are going to have to removed the WD-40 with something non abrasive.
If the column is a tilt column you should see the black primer inside the column when you tilt it. This portion is pre-primed at our shop because it may oxidize from moisture being able to sneak in there. When painting your column make sure you tilt the column each way to prevent any missed spots.
To start prepping we recommend that you suspend the column from both of its ends, try not to hang the column on anything because it drops quite hard as you could imagine. We would suggest placing 2 pieces of 2x6 boards 12” long and drill a hole in the center of each for the shaft. The top board should be 9/16” hole and the bottom of the board either 1” or 3/4” depending on the shaft size. This way the column can be rotated safely and also have both end supported.
When masking your column it is necessary to close off the top but its not necessary to mask off the holes. We do however recommend that you remove the grommet wire where the wires actually exit the tube and then just tape off the wires. Some people when Masking will tuck a piece of paper in the tilt area and turn hold which is OK but not really necessary.
If the column is a tilt column you should see the black primer inside the column when you tilt it. This portion is pre-primed at our shop because it may oxidize from moisture being able to sneak in there. When painting your column make sure you tilt the column each way to prevent any missed spots.
To start prepping we recommend that you suspend the column from both of its ends, try not to hang the column on anything because it drops quite hard as you could imagine. We would suggest placing 2 pieces of 2x6 boards 12” long and drill a hole in the center of each for the shaft. The top board should be 9/16” hole and the bottom of the board either 1” or 3/4” depending on the shaft size. This way the column can be rotated safely and also have both end supported.
When masking your column it is necessary to close off the top but its not necessary to mask off the holes. We do however recommend that you remove the grommet wire where the wires actually exit the tube and then just tape off the wires. Some people when Masking will tuck a piece of paper in the tilt area and turn hold which is OK but not really necessary.