*!Looking for experience and/or advice on best way to paint a 34 year old aluminum mast while out of the boat and on horses. Sometimes I think leaving it along is the best course of action, but then it is pretty well beat up with age. Tim
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awlgrip
a fellow in the same marina as me painted his mast with "Awlgrip" he used a brush and tipped it out with a foam brush. It came out wonderful.
a fellow in the same marina as me painted his mast with "Awlgrip" he used a brush and tipped it out with a foam brush. It came out wonderful.
Awl-grip for me too
I used those dense small roller brushes from Home Depot. They can be bought by the dozen and are solid looking but in fact are open cell foam. They hold a lot of paint even though they are only one inch in diameter. Apply paint for about 4-5 feet and then start over, tipping to where you stopped painting, with the SAME ROLLER, then load up and go again. Can't tell it from a spray gun. Problem! After I finished my standing rigging, it was time to do my hatches. The price of Awl grip went up (same summer) to the point that the small amount of paint I needed to coat my hatches cost nearly as much as POWDER COATING by a professional shop, all labor included. My hatches are powder coated. Good luck. Don't forget to ask for Awl grips' local rep who can give tips to you. It is very advisable that you have experience with sophisticated coatings. You can see how the mast came out, on my web site. It was pretty dull but not too corroded prior to the work.
I used those dense small roller brushes from Home Depot. They can be bought by the dozen and are solid looking but in fact are open cell foam. They hold a lot of paint even though they are only one inch in diameter. Apply paint for about 4-5 feet and then start over, tipping to where you stopped painting, with the SAME ROLLER, then load up and go again. Can't tell it from a spray gun. Problem! After I finished my standing rigging, it was time to do my hatches. The price of Awl grip went up (same summer) to the point that the small amount of paint I needed to coat my hatches cost nearly as much as POWDER COATING by a professional shop, all labor included. My hatches are powder coated. Good luck. Don't forget to ask for Awl grips' local rep who can give tips to you. It is very advisable that you have experience with sophisticated coatings. You can see how the mast came out, on my web site. It was pretty dull but not too corroded prior to the work.
Can we expand this thread just a bit...
I'm guessing Tim is asking about a typical spar which is past its prime. In most cases this means the extrusion was first irridited, then anodized (the silver or sometimes Euro gold finish) before being finished out. Subsequently, stainless fastenings have done their corrosive work (which spar mfgr, even today, properly beds stainless fastenings...?) on top of which there's a few abrasions here and there exposing raw aluminum. So...in the end, Tim's looking at painting untreated bare and slightly corroded aluminum, irridited/anodized surface, and more significantly corroded aluminum - all at once, of course. I've seen beautiful repainted spars where something as simple as Brightside paint was used (one-part polyurethane; inexpensive and easy to work with) but I'm wondering if anyone can speak from long-term experience about: 1. Whether a metal etching primer (prior to the paint mfgr's recommended primer) made a difference relative to not using one when covering the mixed surfaces on a spar? 2. Whether a paint mfgr's recommended paint primer (in the absence of a metal etch)effectively handled bare aluminum and corroded aluminum surfaces, long term? I repainted my Bomar aluminum hatch trim some years ago, using the full etch/prime/paint recommended sequence from International and it worked well. Moreover, now that they need a fresh coat, I feel confident of applying paint over paint subsequent to a good clean up, as the underlying bond is solid. But my hatches had no significant corrosion and I did use an etch. But with the need to repaint my spars in the future, I'm wondering if the full etch, then prime, then paint scheme typically recommended is in fact necessary. Any thoughts based on long-term results are surely recommended! Jack
I'm guessing Tim is asking about a typical spar which is past its prime. In most cases this means the extrusion was first irridited, then anodized (the silver or sometimes Euro gold finish) before being finished out. Subsequently, stainless fastenings have done their corrosive work (which spar mfgr, even today, properly beds stainless fastenings...?) on top of which there's a few abrasions here and there exposing raw aluminum. So...in the end, Tim's looking at painting untreated bare and slightly corroded aluminum, irridited/anodized surface, and more significantly corroded aluminum - all at once, of course. I've seen beautiful repainted spars where something as simple as Brightside paint was used (one-part polyurethane; inexpensive and easy to work with) but I'm wondering if anyone can speak from long-term experience about: 1. Whether a metal etching primer (prior to the paint mfgr's recommended primer) made a difference relative to not using one when covering the mixed surfaces on a spar? 2. Whether a paint mfgr's recommended paint primer (in the absence of a metal etch)effectively handled bare aluminum and corroded aluminum surfaces, long term? I repainted my Bomar aluminum hatch trim some years ago, using the full etch/prime/paint recommended sequence from International and it worked well. Moreover, now that they need a fresh coat, I feel confident of applying paint over paint subsequent to a good clean up, as the underlying bond is solid. But my hatches had no significant corrosion and I did use an etch. But with the need to repaint my spars in the future, I'm wondering if the full etch, then prime, then paint scheme typically recommended is in fact necessary. Any thoughts based on long-term results are surely recommended! Jack
Painting an old alum. mast
We repainted our alum. mast but used a different approach as suggested by a rigger. He suggested we wet sand the mast, wash it off, treat it with alum. prepainting solution and paint it with Krylon clear enamel. He suggested the clear enamel because it is a faster application because none of the fittings need to be masked off. It took us less than a day to complete the job with three coats of paint. Total cost about $40. Jay Tracy
We repainted our alum. mast but used a different approach as suggested by a rigger. He suggested we wet sand the mast, wash it off, treat it with alum. prepainting solution and paint it with Krylon clear enamel. He suggested the clear enamel because it is a faster application because none of the fittings need to be masked off. It took us less than a day to complete the job with three coats of paint. Total cost about $40. Jay Tracy
More details please Jay
What grit sandpaper and what was the alum prep solution you used? How has it held up to weather, halyards, etc? Tim R
What grit sandpaper and what was the alum prep solution you used? How has it held up to weather, halyards, etc? Tim R
One thing,,,,
Any coating is only as good as the prep work. No matter what you put on for a finish, it's got to be over a good base. You have got to know what you are doing. A good paint job is 90% prep work. And old masts, 99%.
Any coating is only as good as the prep work. No matter what you put on for a finish, it's got to be over a good base. You have got to know what you are doing. A good paint job is 90% prep work. And old masts, 99%.
Can you shine it?
In order to clean my aluminum wheels on my Jeep, I recently obtained some acid based cleaner from NAPA. Worked like a charm, the wheels now really shine, and with no elbow grease. Why not really shine your aluminum mast? Leave it bare? Is it that beat-up?
In order to clean my aluminum wheels on my Jeep, I recently obtained some acid based cleaner from NAPA. Worked like a charm, the wheels now really shine, and with no elbow grease. Why not really shine your aluminum mast? Leave it bare? Is it that beat-up?
Name please
Jesse: What is the name of the product you used to clean your wheels? I would love to try it on my mast and boom. John
Jesse: What is the name of the product you used to clean your wheels? I would love to try it on my mast and boom. John
Appliance Enamal
Gentlemen, Around here we go to Wal Mart and get 10 cans of the Appliance Epoxy Enamal. Works great. Great finish. Color selection a bit thin - but great cover. Paint on RD
Gentlemen, Around here we go to Wal Mart and get 10 cans of the Appliance Epoxy Enamal. Works great. Great finish. Color selection a bit thin - but great cover. Paint on RD
Correction
Correction, that's NAPA Aluminum Brightener. If you use it let me know how it worked.
Correction, that's NAPA Aluminum Brightener. If you use it let me know how it worked.
How best to remove corroded fittings?
This is a timely discussion. In a couple of weeks, I will be pulling the mast on a 1982 Hunter 30. The stainless steel fittings are well corroded. Anyone have recommendations for removing the fittings, cleaning the old corroded material, and preping the mast for painting?
This is a timely discussion. In a couple of weeks, I will be pulling the mast on a 1982 Hunter 30. The stainless steel fittings are well corroded. Anyone have recommendations for removing the fittings, cleaning the old corroded material, and preping the mast for painting?
The Napa Aluminum Cleaner works
After reading an earlier response from Jesse about the Napa product, I thought I would give it a try on my 1977 Cal 2-27. I applied it to the boom first with a paper towel and then a metal brush. The Napa Aluminum Brightner removed everything but the pits. The metal brush got most of them and a little light sanding and a final coat of the brightner made it new again. Note: do not apply wax after cleaning as it will streak and ruin the appearance. One more coat of brightner to remove the wax and it looks like new. EZ and cheap. Product was $6.95. Product is only for uncoated aluminum. Good luck. John
After reading an earlier response from Jesse about the Napa product, I thought I would give it a try on my 1977 Cal 2-27. I applied it to the boom first with a paper towel and then a metal brush. The Napa Aluminum Brightner removed everything but the pits. The metal brush got most of them and a little light sanding and a final coat of the brightner made it new again. Note: do not apply wax after cleaning as it will streak and ruin the appearance. One more coat of brightner to remove the wax and it looks like new. EZ and cheap. Product was $6.95. Product is only for uncoated aluminum. Good luck. John
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