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April, 2025

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Painting Rails

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Thomson.
Posts: 4634 - Karma: 227
Me and my buddy picked up some yellow rails that you'd find in parking lot or something like that, I'm not necessarily sure what material they are, but I think steel. We slid them about 2 years ago or so, and haven't slid them since, but we pulled them out again today to re-setup them up and stuff. The tops are all rusty and the paint is chick, so I was wondering, what steps should I take to make this rail nice and slick? Should I sand, then paint then wax? If so, what kind of paint? Thanks.
17 years ago
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JEWbacca
Posts: 1391 - Karma: 30
man i would just sand and then wax. the paint will probly come off anyway. so if i were u i would just sand the shit out of it then wax like crzy.
17 years ago
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seeingstars
Posts: 422 - Karma: 14
yeah i'd do the same

if it isn't beat to shit i'd just straight up wax it
17 years ago
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skisquaw@420
Posts: 1802 - Karma: 13
i would file them, not sand, then wax them. then before you put the rails away, spray paint them so they dont rust again
17 years ago
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pbcrazy9898
Posts: 274 - Karma: 21
get a hand held drill with a wire wheel on it...go till its shiney
17 years ago
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JonathonChandler
Posts: 905 - Karma: 423
sand, cover up the area where your going to slide, paint the rest. then wax the area you coverd up
17 years ago
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Thomson.
Posts: 4634 - Karma: 227
Alright sounds good, thanks for the suggestions. If I can't get a hold of a power-sander or anything of that sort what should I do? And how can I determine if this rail is steel or aluminum? Aluminum doesn't rust correct?
17 years ago
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WILLFRO07
Posts: 392 - Karma: 15
you could just sand them down to the metal, then coat them with this brush on galvanizing stuff to keep them from rusting. From what i've heard from some people i work with you can get it or at least order some from any hardware store or machine shop type place.
17 years ago
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BigJew
Posts: 6974 - Karma: 78
I have a couple steel rails in my backyard. What I do every year is:

1. In the fall I use a belt sander and take all of the rust off and make it nice and smooth
2. Put some rust paint over what I sanded. I used tremclad rust paint. The paint will get scraped off the first time you slide it but it keeps the rail from rusting before the snow falls.
3. Optional: After every couple of sessions use a rag and put some oil all over the top of the rail. This keeps it smooth and keeps it from rusting inbetween sessions. If you don't want to get oil on your clothes don't do this. Wax doesn't work when it's cold out because the wax stays hard and doesn't smear like it does when it's warm.
17 years ago
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Thomson.
Posts: 4634 - Karma: 227
Very helpful. Thank you. Keep the tips coming.
17 years ago
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jblaski
Posts: 5569 - Karma: 1,130
I work for a resort, managing a terrain park. I know commercial rails are a bit different than your backyard setup, but here's what we're doing...

-Use a wire wheel on an angle grinder to get off the rust.
-use a grinding wheel on an angle grinder to get off deep rust and any burrs
-use a paint such as Rustoleum to paint entire rail. Pant won't make the rail any more sticky, and will protect rail from developing rust.


Obviously, we're a bit different because the rails will get used daily, and we don't have to worry much about rust forming during the season.
17 years ago
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Lemuel
Posts: 14544 - Karma: 11,151
file/sand/wire brush it down, wipe it down, paint it.  when ever mine gets a little sticky, i usually just rub it down with some oil, which like said above, keeps it nice and slippery and the ice doesn't build up on it over night/ when it snows. you probably don't have to paint it but  it wouldn't hurt. good luck man
17 years ago
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Funnel
Posts: 7818 - Karma: 1,590
Here's the full answer about aluminum, just copied from a website.  I can't help you with anything else though.

Aluminum corrodes but it does not rust. Rust refers only to iron and steel corrosion.

Aluminum is actually very prone to corrosion. However, aluminum corrosion is aluminum oxide, a very hard material that actually protects the aluminum from further corrosion. Aluminum oxide corrosion also looks a lot more like aluminum, so it isn't as easy to notice as rusted iron.

When iron corrodes the color changes and it actually expands. This expanding and color change can produce large red flakes that we all know as rust. Unlike aluminum oxide, the expanding and flaking off of rust exposes new metal to further rusting. This why it is so important to provide a barrier so rust doesn't start.


17 years ago
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jblaski
Posts: 5569 - Karma: 1,130
I first read your reply, except for your first sentence, and thought...this guy really knows his shit. I'm impressed....

And then I read the first sentence.....hahaha
17 years ago
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Thomson.
Posts: 4634 - Karma: 227
I know it definitely isn't aluminum because I took a magnet to it, and there was an attraction. I'm not sure how I didn't think of that before I asked but whatever. My brother has an air compressor and these little like sand paper pad things that go onto the gun, and it is like a super nasty sander, so I think I'm gonna have him run that along the top surface to get it smooth and then purchase some Rustoleum (sp?) paint. Thanks for all the help guys! I'll prolly post pics when I'm finished because this shit has some potential.
17 years ago
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jblaski
Posts: 5569 - Karma: 1,130
Here's what we use. Pretty sure you can pick it up at any hardware store.

Click for larger image
17 years ago
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Blandct
Posts: 1858 - Karma: 37
a stiff ass like stell brush would work.....used one on a rail we had and it got a lot of the rust off
17 years ago
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