copper plated propeller

[Taunto]

Update on this little project ,
Almost 3 months since copper plating the prop , and i know it is still early days , but the little blighter is as clean as a whistle .
Will post again in about 3 months .
Cheers Taunto

 

[MYStargazer]

Thanks for that - love it when folk think outside the box and try new things.

Was there an old thread on this? Link?

 

[Fantasie 19]

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?389706-Copper-Plating-on-propeller

 

[Tranona]

Update on this little project ,
Almost 3 months since copper plating the prop , and i know it is still early days , but the little blighter is as clean as a whistle .
Will post again in about 3 months .
Cheers Taunto

Do you have a second unplated propeller in the same location to act as a control? It is not unusual for bronze propellers without any extra protection to remain free of fouling.

 

[macnorton]

I would not advise anyone trying this with an alloy prop, but if anyone does please post before/after pictures on here!

 

[MYStargazer]

I would not advise anyone trying this with an alloy prop, but if anyone does please post before/after pictures on here!

Why? Is this because aluminium is more reactive than copper?

Looking at the galvanic series (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_series), it looks like copper is more reacitve than bronze, so the risk is only loosing the copper.

 

[vyv_cox]

Why? Is this because aluminium is more reactive than copper?

Looking at the galvanic series (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_series), it looks like copper is more reacitve than bronze, so the risk is only loosing the copper.

When he says 'alloy' I suppose he means aluminium. It is well established that copper in contact with aluminium sets up a galvanic cell that will cause rapid loss of the aluminium. Have you heard the old story about aluminium boats in which the owner dropped a penny in the bilge? Corroded a neat hole right through. More credible is the widespread warning not to use copper based antifouling on aluminium saildrives.

 

[Taunto]

Hi MYStargazer , thanks for the interest , we have another boat 50 mtrs away with an ordinary bronze prop to compare with , it is furry and with little scaly things on it . If you put copper plate prop into search at the top of the page you will be able to access the original thread .
cheers taunto

 

[vyv_cox]

How many hours have you done on engine? My concern is that the copper has poor erosion resistance and will wear quickly. Would like to know for future reference though.

 

[25931]

Update on this little project ,
Almost 3 months since copper plating the prop , and i know it is still early days , but the little blighter is as clean as a whistle .
Will post again in about 3 months .
Cheers Taunto

Thanks for the update - I think that quite a few people will be interested.

 

[MYStargazer]

How many hours have you done on engine? My concern is that the copper has poor erosion resistance and will wear quickly. Would like to know for future reference though.

This is what I was thinking.

Is there any way of hardening copper, short of turning it into bronze?

 

[Taunto]

6 month update on copper plating propeller. Clean as a whistle , the prop we are comparing it with has barnacle and other nasty's growing on it and will need cleaning before it can be used. Our summer is coming and the water will heat up so more growth on the bottom but at this stage i feel this is looking like a success .
Cheers Taunto .

 

[VicS]

6 month update on copper plating propeller. Clean as a whistle , the prop we are comparing it with has barnacle and other nasty's growing on it and will need cleaning before it can be used. Our summer is coming and the water will heat up so more growth on the bottom but at this stage i feel this is looking like a success .
Cheers Taunto .

Did you remove the anode as you were originally considering or has it been effective with the anode still in place?

 

[cliff]

Is there any way of hardening copper, short of turning it into bronze?

Ah, the $64,000 question - the ancient egyptians apparently knew how to do it as all they had at the time was copper tools yet they carved blocks for the pyramids and numerous statues. Modern man has lost the knack i'm afraid. It can be hardened to some extent by cold working / drawing but not to the extent of making copper chisels.

 

[nigelmercier]

... the ancient egyptians apparently knew how to do it [harden copper] as all they had at the time was copper tools yet they carved blocks for the pyramids and numerous statues. Modern man has lost the knack i'm afraid...

When the aliens went home