Rust on garage door help.

[Mark Barone]

I belt sand in my garage with the door open. I then blow out the dust With a blower. I wear a mask when I do that also. It does a pretty good job. But when the door is open, the dust settles on it. then when it closes it gets wet when it rains. My wife wants to know why the garage door is turning orange. Of course I told her “ I don’t know” Any tips on how to clean it? A pressure washer is t doing it.

 

[jaxxas]

Maybe try vacuuming up the dust instead?

 

[Owl]

that's a new one.
use your blower or rinse off the door with a garden hose after a grinding session?
paint the door orange?

 

[Bruce McLeish]

that's a new one.
use your blower or rinse off the door with a garden hose after a grinding session?
paint the door orange?

do your grinding outside?

 

[Bruce McLeish]

do your grinding outside?

Build a dedicated shop?

 

[bladegrinder]

Paint the door, I have the same problem but I painted my door the trim color of my house. once a year or so I hose it down and it looks ok.
But, I use mostly stainless steel, I would think high carbon steel dust would probably rust and then leave stains.
maybe hosing off the door real quick after grinding would solve it.

 

[EdCaffreyMS]

Carbon/alloy steel dust is horrible about doing that sort of thing! All you can do is wash down the painted surfaces as soon as possible after you finish grinding. Simply trying to blow it off with compressed air won't do it. For some reason which I have no answers for, carbon/alloy steel dust seem to have/gain strong magnetic properties when grinding...that's the reason just using compressed air doesn't work.... the tiny grit/grains hang onto surfaces, and then just rust when dampness hits them.
One thing that I do to minimize it, is to have a shield if using an angle grinder, which consists of a large chunk of sheet metal, standing vertically, to catch/stop sparks and grit. For a belt grinder, a shield and a water bucket under the grinder diverts/catches much of it.

 

[billyO]

Another thing that causes everything in the shop to rust is if you are doing/storing any vinegar or acid etching solution in the shop.

 

[MTBob]

I use one of these, it's amazing the amount of metal it picks up that you can't see..
Bob

 

[Drew Riley]

Scrubbing the door with some CLR, or something like Bar Keeper's Friend might help remove the rust stains. Alternatively, you can try painting the door to match the rust color.