Time to strip my keel down to the base metal followed by a recoat/refair. What is the best method to get down to the keel. Was worried that possibly grinding might cause lots of metal filings to land on my neighbours boats and cause spot rust everywhere. Comments
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Grind Away
Having owned a steel cutter for several years I had the opportunity on several occassions to grind down to bare metal for repainting and conducting repairs. The best method I found was to drape a blue tarp along side of your boat while on the hard using a work light if it is too dark. Use either a hand held side grinder with 40 grit hard sanding discs or a 2 handed grinder with a similar sanding disk. You are not going to harm the keel and you will know if you are taking too much steel off. It should not take long to take the old bottom paint off using this method. The question would be will the yard you are using allow you to do the work yourself and what restrictions they put on you for bottom coating containment and clean up. Good luck!
Having owned a steel cutter for several years I had the opportunity on several occassions to grind down to bare metal for repainting and conducting repairs. The best method I found was to drape a blue tarp along side of your boat while on the hard using a work light if it is too dark. Use either a hand held side grinder with 40 grit hard sanding discs or a 2 handed grinder with a similar sanding disk. You are not going to harm the keel and you will know if you are taking too much steel off. It should not take long to take the old bottom paint off using this method. The question would be will the yard you are using allow you to do the work yourself and what restrictions they put on you for bottom coating containment and clean up. Good luck!
Grind, grind
We seem to do a lot of that. I did one once with a small grinder and a cone shaped wire brush attachment - like a welder would use. FYI, after it was bright and shiny I but 6 coats of barrior coat epoxy on it and was impressed how well it held up over the next several years.
We seem to do a lot of that. I did one once with a small grinder and a cone shaped wire brush attachment - like a welder would use. FYI, after it was bright and shiny I but 6 coats of barrior coat epoxy on it and was impressed how well it held up over the next several years.
The best method is to
SANDBLAST! You will find that grinding is fine for a flat surface but if you have any deep rust, grinding doesn't cut it. You will need to remove too much material to get down to the bottom of the corrosion. http://www.beneteau235.com/iron_keel_rust.htm This article should give you all the informtion you need.
SANDBLAST! You will find that grinding is fine for a flat surface but if you have any deep rust, grinding doesn't cut it. You will need to remove too much material to get down to the bottom of the corrosion. http://www.beneteau235.com/iron_keel_rust.htm This article should give you all the informtion you need.
Wear a mask!
I'm with Jentine, sand blast it. I sandblasted and refinished my wing keel three years ago. I used some duct tape and pieces of an old tarp to protect the bottom of the hull during the process. I rented a sandblaster for the day, put down a cheap tarp under the trailer and keel and had it clean in a couple of hours, except for the bottom of the keel itself. I'm sure it looks like crap under there. I was able to get under the wing pretty well though. I rolled up the tarp from under the rig, with all the crap in it, duct taped it into a package and disposed of it. I wore a finishing mask with a carbon filter, certified for lacquers and paints, and goggles. That stuff can't be good to inhale and you sure don't want sand or anything else bouncing off and into your eyes. I only put two coats of epoxy on it before three coats of bottom paint. Get the first coat of epoxy on it pretty quickly after you get her down to bare metal. I think I read somewhere that you have to recoat the bare metal within an hour. Easy to do with a roller. Wear some goggles and a mask if you go with a grinder too, just to be safe.
I'm with Jentine, sand blast it. I sandblasted and refinished my wing keel three years ago. I used some duct tape and pieces of an old tarp to protect the bottom of the hull during the process. I rented a sandblaster for the day, put down a cheap tarp under the trailer and keel and had it clean in a couple of hours, except for the bottom of the keel itself. I'm sure it looks like crap under there. I was able to get under the wing pretty well though. I rolled up the tarp from under the rig, with all the crap in it, duct taped it into a package and disposed of it. I wore a finishing mask with a carbon filter, certified for lacquers and paints, and goggles. That stuff can't be good to inhale and you sure don't want sand or anything else bouncing off and into your eyes. I only put two coats of epoxy on it before three coats of bottom paint. Get the first coat of epoxy on it pretty quickly after you get her down to bare metal. I think I read somewhere that you have to recoat the bare metal within an hour. Easy to do with a roller. Wear some goggles and a mask if you go with a grinder too, just to be safe.
Cast Iron
Hi Fred, Yes, cast iron. Fixed wing, late 1985 H23. The models before mine had a glass swing keel as well but I don't have that mess to deal with. Steve
Hi Fred, Yes, cast iron. Fixed wing, late 1985 H23. The models before mine had a glass swing keel as well but I don't have that mess to deal with. Steve
Do it right
Grinding doesn't work. Chemicals delay but don't stop the problem. To do it correctly you have to sand blast the iron and coat it with epoxy within one hour. Take a short cut and you'll have the pleasure of doing the job again (and again) RUST NEVER SLEEPS
Grinding doesn't work. Chemicals delay but don't stop the problem. To do it correctly you have to sand blast the iron and coat it with epoxy within one hour. Take a short cut and you'll have the pleasure of doing the job again (and again) RUST NEVER SLEEPS
Prohibitor?
I'll be doing this myself on my iron keel come spring. I've read that a rust prohibitor can be used (similar to the black primer type used on automobiles) before the epoxy coat goes on. Does anyone have any experience with this? does it work?
I'll be doing this myself on my iron keel come spring. I've read that a rust prohibitor can be used (similar to the black primer type used on automobiles) before the epoxy coat goes on. Does anyone have any experience with this? does it work?
Why?
When I first got my '85 H34, I decided to grind the iron keel down to bare metal. After an hour of that I asked the marina guy to sandblast it. When he declined and I asked him why, he said," because you're stupid! That keel is going to last longer than your boat, longer than you, and no one can see what it looks like once it's in the water". I should also note that when grinding I ran into fairing material, a substance similar to body filler used to smooth the surface. If you remove that you'll have to replace it. Also, once you get to bare metal at one end of the keel the bare metal at the other end of the keel has already begun to corrode from humidity. And, if you can't get to every part of the keel as Steve pointed out, what is the point? My experience was about 5 years ago and since then I knock the loose paint off the keel every spring and paint it with the rest of the bottom. Sometimes, when confronted with a challenging task the best thing to do is have another beer.
When I first got my '85 H34, I decided to grind the iron keel down to bare metal. After an hour of that I asked the marina guy to sandblast it. When he declined and I asked him why, he said," because you're stupid! That keel is going to last longer than your boat, longer than you, and no one can see what it looks like once it's in the water". I should also note that when grinding I ran into fairing material, a substance similar to body filler used to smooth the surface. If you remove that you'll have to replace it. Also, once you get to bare metal at one end of the keel the bare metal at the other end of the keel has already begun to corrode from humidity. And, if you can't get to every part of the keel as Steve pointed out, what is the point? My experience was about 5 years ago and since then I knock the loose paint off the keel every spring and paint it with the rest of the bottom. Sometimes, when confronted with a challenging task the best thing to do is have another beer.
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