What do you use to clean bare metal?

[bsmthom]

I am looking for something to clean, protect possibly bare steel?

I have heard of phosphuric acid, but can't find it.

[perrib]

Did not see your post it has been a while since I have been on the forum. Any automotive paint store sells it by the gallon. It gets diluted with hot /warm water and washed off with warm/hot water. If done right it puts a galvanized look finish on metal that will resist moisture in the air. I have a fuel tank in the shed that is sandblasted and metal prepped that after 6 months is not rusty.

[mrandrei]

You can clean bare metal by just scrubbing using a red scotchbrite.

[cactassdupree]

Yes I saw a painter spraying some oil pipes with something out of a bug spray bottle. Asked him what it was and he told me phosphuric acid. He said it stopped the rusting. I don't know for sure but I think it's in Coca cola.

[TinplaterSteve]

While it is true that Coke and all colas have phosphoric acid in them I would not recommend using it to do anything other than drink. The phosphoric is only one part of a system called iron phosphate, or iron phos. A true iron phos can be purchased at an automotive supply store. This is used as a way to complex the iron so that it will not rust, but keep in mind this is not so much of a coating as it is a primer, before the primer. This can only be effectively applied after the steel has been cleaned with some sort of soap and scrub pad or a degreasser of some sort. Hope this helps