Anyone used CT1? and any tips for painting Aluminium

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eyesec

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Has anyone used CT1 or something similar for under and above water filling / gluing jobs? Any comments? Also, on a totally different tack, the engine box on my boat is made from aluminium. Any one got any suggestions on how to make a good job of painting it? It gets knocked about a bit as my boat is an open 16ft ex ship's lifeboat which I use for angling and crab potting.
 
I'm a huge fan of CT1! I've used it for a few jobs, securing skin fittings above and below the water line, as well as for securing timber and plastics to GRP. Only had the boat a Year though so can't personally comment on longevity but so far, so good :)
 
I have had great success painting aluminium using Hammerite special metals primer. I made an adapter to connect my stern pole with Raymarine radar scanner well over ten years ago, painted with Hammerite primer and white smooth paint. It remains pristine.
 
I've used CT1 for filling a keel to hull gap. After two seasons it is still in place and showing every sign of being a long lasting solution. I also used it for bedding a couple of skin fittings and again a good result.

My NASA log skin fitting had been fitted with Sikaflex when I bought the boat. The flange was coming off when I inspected it so again I fitted a new one with CT1 with excellent resuts after two seasons.

I'm now thinking about using CT1 to bed my new windows. Does anyone know of a reason why this would be a no no? UV resistance?
 
basil421 said:
I've used CT1 for filling a keel to hull gap. After two seasons it is still in place and showing every sign of being a long lasting solution. I also used it for bedding a couple of skin fittings and again a good result.

My NASA log skin fitting had been fitted with Sikaflex when I bought the boat. The flange was coming off when I inspected it so again I fitted a new one with CT1 with excellent resuts after two seasons.

I'm now thinking about using CT1 to bed my new windows. Does anyone know of a reason why this would be a no no? UV resistance?
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CT1 is great as an alternative to Sika. I wouldn't recommend that you use it to bed your windows in though. You want Abromast Butyl sealant for that.
 
vyv_cox said:
I have had great success painting aluminium using Hammerite special metals primer. I made an adapter to connect my stern pole with Raymarine radar scanner well over ten years ago, painted with Hammerite primer and white smooth paint. It remains pristine.
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I agree. I repainted my wind genny with hammerite special metals primer and finished with hammerite smooth a couple of years ago and still in VGC.
 
I'm now thinking about using CT1 to bed my new windows. Does anyone know of a reason why this would be a no no? UV resistance?[/QUOTE]

I have just fitted new wheelhouse windows with the large front in polycarbonate and sides in Acrylic. The company that sells this stuff (sealants & adhesives ) tell me it is compatible with polycarb and acrylic and I am impressed with it. Cures quickly but has a long tube life even when half used unlike the over priced and over hyped Sika products. Only problem with CT1 is limited availability but maybe this will change.
 
A little tip passed on to me from someone here, if you keep it in the freezer it lasts for ages.
I've not long finished the dregs of a tube that I'd had for a Year, kept in the freezer :)
 
vyv_cox said:
I have had great success painting aluminium using Hammerite special metals primer. I made an adapter to connect my stern pole with Raymarine radar scanner well over ten years ago, painted with Hammerite primer and white smooth paint. It remains pristine.
Click to expand...

+1
 
Bobc said:
CT1 is great as an alternative to Sika. I wouldn't recommend that you use it to bed your windows in though. You want Abromast Butyl sealant for that.
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Just my opinion but I reckon Abromast Butyl isn't great for fitting windows or at least those screwed directly to the grp despite what a well known window supplier says. I did loads of research when I fitted my new windows and decided to go this route but while I thought it was great at first it can't cope with changes in temperature - it oozes out and looks a mess on a hot day and contracts when its cold which on a couple of windows has broken the seal. You are continually tightening the screws and removing small amounts of squeezed out sealant which looks a mess and I made sure not to use too much sealant. I can't tighten the screws any further as they are now tight against the washers I fiited behind the windows to ensure I couldn't squeeze all the sealant out and ive had to resort to Tollys.
I'd be inclined to use clear CT1 next time around
Its fantastic stuff. The only downside is you need to be able to get a blade under anything you attach with it or you will not get it off!
 
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At the risk of opening a can of worms, people need to be clear about what the Sika/CT1/RU40 etc is required for. Sealing or gluing? There are different products for each. The requirements for a product used for bonding teak decking for instance is different for sealing a metal keel to a grp hull. The latter does not require any stickiness but needs an inert product that compresses in the same way as an old fashioned rubber gasket. Best advice is to refer to the manufacturer's website eg http://www.sika.com/en/solutions_products/Sika Industry Business/Marine/Yachts.html and choose a product that suits the application (or ring them up). Incidentally, I used some 6 year old Sikaflex 291 for a temporary sealing application yesterday. I had to saw the cartridge open but the product was quite useable as it is moisture cured and the atmospheric moisture only penetrates slowly into the tube. I tend to view Sika as the 'Premium' brand as I used it professionally to seal Glass coated steel tanks in the past and we never had any failures. I'm sure other brands are equally as good and often cheaper.
 
An observation about CT1.

I used it to attach 34mm aluminium angle to the frame of a solar panel as a strengthener.

About a fortnight later, when I came to drill through for the bolts (to secure angle to frame) at a midpoint in the angle width the CT1 there was still uncured.

I've noticed (& has been confirmed by other posters) that CT1 doesn't go off in the tube nozzle like Sika etc. It seems that could apply to sealing/sticking jobs as well.

Good stuff though.
 
chaktoura said:
Just my opinion but I reckon Abromast Butyl isn't great for fitting windows or at least those screwed directly to the grp despite what a well known window supplier says. I did loads of research when I fitted my new windows and decided to go this route but while I thought it was great at first it can't cope with changes in temperature - it oozes out and looks a mess on a hot day and contracts when its cold which on a couple of windows has broken the seal. You are continually tightening the screws and removing small amounts of squeezed out sealant which looks a mess and I made sure not to use too much sealant. I can't tighten the screws any further as they are now tight against the washers I fiited behind the windows to ensure I couldn't squeeze all the sealant out and ive had to resort to Tollys.
I'd be inclined to use clear CT1 next time around
Its fantastic stuff. The only downside is you need to be able to get a blade under anything you attach with it or you will not get it off!
Click to expand...

All my hatches and windows have been in with it for 4 years now, and I've not had any of those problems.
 
eyesec said:
Has anyone used CT1 or something similar for under and above water filling / gluing jobs? Any comments? Also, on a totally different tack, the engine box on my boat is made from aluminium. Any one got any suggestions on how to make a good job of painting it? It gets knocked about a bit as my boat is an open 16ft ex ship's lifeboat which I use for angling and crab potting.
Click to expand...

no, dont touch ct1, awful stuff.
sh, if all these people start buying it what do you think that will do to the price?
what will i use for skin fittings then?
 
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