I recently bought this 5 gallon rocker oil can and would like some advice on how to clean it up as well as possible. I don’t know much at all about oil cans so I am open to suggestions.

1. How can I clean the oil and grit off the rounded “wrap around” side?

2. How can I “refresh” the en-ar-co graphics side without losing the paint?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Steve

You can try a diluted 50/50 mix of concrete and metal prep cleaner from Home Depot. Spray it on for 5-10 minutes and hose off for the graphic area. Never done it on an oil can but have done it on painted signs.

I'd start with WD40 . Spray it on let it set. wipe it off , repeat.
It's never harmed anything I used it on , good results.

I have had good luck following the initial WD 40 soaking with clean oil and a soft toothbrush focusing only on the rim edge area. I have also coated the graphic area with clean oil and used that as the lubricant/cleaner and hand rubbed the graphic area a small section at a time. Light pressure and a watchful eye should make a big difference for you.

Here’s a rocker I used prep & etch on….

Steve…are you referring to the concrete and metal prep cleaner that Paul was talking about in his above response?

Looks like the effect I've seen on my signs. The stuff I used is this. There are other metal etches that do the same thing, used a lot in autobody shops for removing surface rust. Been using this stuff for years on cars, but never thought to use it on signs until recently. If you leave it on too long it'll remove all the rust leaving clean metal (with a grey zinc phosphate coating) where there is no paint at all.

So you are saying 50/50 mix water and etching….spray on front with graphics for how long before hosing off?


Apply mix on sides as long as I want reaching desired affect, then hose off?

I've used it full strength and 50/50. I think to be careful its good to go 50/50 in a spray bottle and mist it on. Then wait 5-10 minutes and wash off with hose. Dry it off and see what you have, then repeat if you want to. I've typically gone through 3 cycles like this and quit. My goal has been to brighten the colors but not take all the rust away. I've found that it works well on rust stained white areas especially. Sometimes after a few days there will be some white powder that forms here and there that needs removal with some scrubbing. When you are all done with the metal prep, good to clean it really well, to neutralize it. It sounds harder than it is, so far its always worked well for me. Maybe one time I went too far but it was still fine. I've never seen it remove paint other than loose stuff.

Yes, do exactly what Paul just said. It’s the exact same thing I do. Might take a few rounds. Buy a dedicated squirt bottle for it to spray it on.

Thanks guys! Happy Thanksgiving!
Steve

I tried this one time on a rocker can. Did not like the results. Almost like it dulled the paint and I had white stuff all over. Scared to try it again on a sign.