Had some spare time today so I figured I would repaint one of my vac canisters. The other one is on the to do list as well. PS, if anybody can tell me the best way to remove what's left of the studs in the can mount, I'd appreciate it. They broke off.



Anyway, this is what I had to start with. I would think about another year and it may've rusted through.

If you look closely at the left side of the can, you can see two dark spots. These are holes as a result of my stupidity in trying to use a screwdriver to pry off the mount.






To prep the surface for paint, I used 80 grit sandpaper.


After sanding the bulk of the can, I used my dremel w/ wire brush attachment to clean really well along the seams. These are areas where rust can hide even after cleaning and continue corrosion even after paint is applied. [Sorry for the blurriness of the second pic.]




I then used 120 grit emery cloth to get a finer surface prep.




Pepper supervised.


Tender slept.


The last steps were to tape off the plastic cap and fill the holes I created with caulking. I just used basic interior/exterior grade caulking. The camera flash is hiding it but it's in the top of the second pic. It has a 2 hour dry time before paint can be applied, so once it's ready I'll post pics of the paint job. To make wrapping the tape around the edges easier, I cut slits and pressed the edges in with a flatblade screwdriver.

 

Well, here's the primed and painted result. Yes, those are my fingerprints on the final product. So anyway, can someone tell me how to remove the studs from the mounting bracket so I can replace them? Thanks again.

 

vise and a socket big enough to go over the head or a hammer if you don't have a vise... assuming they're press fit.

 

That's the thing- I don't know if they're press fit. I would assume so, but I just don't know. Thanks for the advice tho- that answer was so obvious, no wonder I didn't think of it.