A lot of the metal objects I find are coated with coloured paint and branding. Occasionally I keep the paint on but to achieve a more unified and characteristic look I mostly strip the paint to reveal the metal undersurface. Sometimes I use paint stripper or a wire wheel in my grinder to remove the paint but the quickest and easiest way is to burn it off in a bonfire. It was dry and not too windy today so I took the opportunity to make a fire. Don’t worry, those gas cylinders didn’t explode; I drilled the valves to let out any remaining gas before I chucked them on!