[Steam-engine] purtification

[EJHottel at aol.com]

30 years ago I put De-Rusto Hi Heat Black on my boiler and it did stood up to 
the weather quite well. Of course it was discontinued, as were several 
alternatives I tried over the years.
I am currently using a product by Rust-Oleum, called Industrial High Heat 
Coating. We will see how it holds up. I begin to believe the old timers had some 
sense when they said, "Never Paint Your Boiler". One approach was to wipe it 
down with cylinder oil annually, and let it collect a protective coating of 
dirt. Another is to wipe it down with graphite and oil. I know a man who does 
that and it produces a pretty gray color. Lampblack and linseed oil has also been 
mentioned. I expect there are other approaches also. It will be interesting 
to hear what others on the list have to say on this subject.
As for non heated parts I use Rust-Oleum where they have the necessary 
colors. I have never tried any of the expensive high performance paints.
Cleaning is a lot more work than painting!
Jack