Best way to clean your prop
- Thread starter NYSail
- Start date
I’ve always just sanded it myself too. I did find that a finer grit seems to work better than courser. It can knock down any growth or oxidation without digging grooves into the metal.
Why take it to bare metal? Up here in freshwater, we just clean the area for the anode. Is this a salt water thing? Or is it to prep for anti-fouling on the metal?
Use Lime-Away to dissolve any barnacle remnants than use a brass wire wheel to finish.
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I use muriatic acid, CAREFULLY. It cleans everything off the prop and running gear without taking any metal off and requires zero effort, beyond waving a paint brush back and forth a few times.
Bronze is a pretty soft metal and years of sanding could do some damage as a prop should be a balanced item. When I had fixed props, every couple of haul outs I would have it sent to a prop shop for balancing.
Bronze is a pretty soft metal and years of sanding could do some damage as a prop should be a balanced item. When I had fixed props, every couple of haul outs I would have it sent to a prop shop for balancing.
Normally use a scraper to remove what few barnacles might remain followed by a non metallic scrubber pad to remove tarnish down to bare metal. Once completed, slather a thick coat of zinc oxide cream (diaper rash ointment) to the entire prop. Good for several seasons.
Been there done that. It’s an urban legend -the zinc oxide cream doesn’t last on the blades more than few hours of engine use, maybe a month on the hub/shaft where the speed through the water is lower (due to smaller diameter). It needs to be renewed frequently to be effective.
tried diaper cream (forgot the brand, maybe Desiten?) and also generic ZO cream.
I use a stainless steel wire wheel in my drill on my stainless feathering prop. It takes me 1-2 hours to get the prop smooth but I don't sweat the nooks and crannies. After a acetone or solvent wipe down I spray on 3 thin coats of Cold Galvanize. Available from Ace Hardware for $8, it is the same as Pettit's $30 prop spray. One can lasts me 2 years. I've been using this procedure for over 15 years.
Thanks for the info. We're heading to salt water this summer, a whole set of new stuff to learn about, like barnacles, tides, salt...
I took a look a the Pettit claims to be 55% by weight Zinc. Rustoleum's High Performance Cold Galvanizing Paint is 83% Zinc.
I've used Desiten very successfully on the prop & shaft no barnacles at all. I do end up with vegetation. I'm also not in the water year round like many of you. This season I'm going to try the ace hardware or a rustoleum cold galvanize paint. Some say it works well, others say it's a barnacle magnet. Guess it depends on where you keep your boat.
We've tried Propspeed a couple of times when the factory rep happens to be in the yard when we're painting, and does our running gear for free. It tenaciously holds onto the shaft, but not the prop, and hasn't shown us any antifouling properties at all.
If I can get the cold galvanizing down here I might try it, though I have serious doubts that it will work any better than $300.00+ a gallon antifouling, and that cr*p hasn't worked at all well for us on the hull or running gear.
I have never, in over 5 decades of boating, seen any relationship between antifouling paint directly on a prop and electrolysis on the prop, when one uses the correct zincs. I sincerely believe that is paint company hype to get folks to buy expensive, useless products. However, if it works as an antifouling, that's a different story.
If I can get the cold galvanizing down here I might try it, though I have serious doubts that it will work any better than $300.00+ a gallon antifouling, and that cr*p hasn't worked at all well for us on the hull or running gear.
I have never, in over 5 decades of boating, seen any relationship between antifouling paint directly on a prop and electrolysis on the prop, when one uses the correct zincs. I sincerely believe that is paint company hype to get folks to buy expensive, useless products. However, if it works as an antifouling, that's a different story.
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Shouldn't be much of an issue. The paint is basically zinc and your bronze prop has zinc in it.
Using a zinc coating isn’t any different than using a zinc collar or hub next to the prop. The zinc should be consumed before the bronze.
Since I have owned the boat (going on 4 yrs), never took all the paint off. Will remove the prop and shaft next season and have them both serviced..... Figure I will go a good job making it shine before I paint this season. Was also thinking about prop speed..... neighbor has it and she said it has worked well for her.
Thanks for all the advice.
Greg
Thanks for all the advice.
Greg
I think the Pettit prop spray and the cold galvanize products from Ace or Rustolium are all the same zinc percentage and that is in the 90's. Electrolysis is not a concern since zinc collars are used to protect the prop. I have used a Prop Speed type of product and have had the same poor results as the poster above. The cold galvanize spray works as well as anything else I have tried but the price is much lower and it is easy to apply.