Originally Posted by SyntaxPC

I seem to recall a thread on this subject a while back in which a few people chimed in claiming that a clear coat was not enough to prevent rust. If I remember correctly, they said that after a few weeks rust started to develop *under* the clear coat. There were at least two or three people that corroborated this claim. I've never done it myself---nor do I understand the chemistry that might explain why regular paint would prevent rust but a clear coat alone would not---but I would recommend painting it to be safe.