Covert antifoul stripping options.

J

jonjo

Joined
27 May 2002
Messages
11,172
Visit site
The grit blasting bay where I am out of the water cannot be used at the moment and pro visiting slurry blasters are not welcome.

Can the cognoscenti here suggest a covert diy technique to strip a few relatively thin layers of hard antifouling back to sound epoxy paint layers below prior to a Coppercoat application? The yacht is a 34ft grp hull fin keel design.
 
jonjo5 said:
The grit blasting bay where I am out of the water cannot be used at the moment and pro visiting slurry blasters are not welcome.

Can the cognoscenti here suggest a covert diy technique to strip a few relatively thin layers of hard antifouling back to sound epoxy paint layers below prior to a Coppercoat application? The yacht is a 34ft grp hull fin keel design.
Click to expand...

Various methods but most involve some hard graft and some scraping implement(s). Some recommend paint/anti-foul stripper/solvents in addition to the above. They may make it a bit easier but are costly.

All in all a very laborious and potentially unhealthy pastime. Don't do it!
 
Harris tungsten carbide scraper, about £8 from Screwfix and other online suppliers.

Brilliant. Am having to buy my third because boat owning "friends" have appropriated the other two. As long as you don't dig the corners in, it takes layers off neatly.
 
Hypocacculus said:
Harris tungsten carbide scraper, about £8 from Screwfix and other online suppliers.

Brilliant. Am having to buy my third because boat owning "friends" have appropriated the other two. As long as you don't dig the corners in, it takes layers off neatly.
Click to expand...

Round off the tips on a wheel or a stone.
 
Thanks all. I was hoping someone had invented a handheld battery powered CO2 crystal blaster in the last few years. Oh well sounds like a pro job at another yard is required..
 
Why do you need water ?
When my boat was prepared for coppercoat we used ordinary grit balsting dry
Operative took care & did a good job. 31 ft boat £ 200-00 cash i then spent another 8 hours sanding off a few small areas where he had not quite removed all antifoul paint
 
Lakesailor said:
Round off the tips on a wheel or a stone.
Click to expand...
I have been talking to the Coppercoat experts about the cost of a complete blast, sand, paint job and no matter how they break down their charges the end result is a similar painful £ figure. Hence I am going to try the hand scraper option for 2 hours and then assess progress/feasibility. The labour side of the coppercoat painting does not worry me and a friendly expert at Coppercoat advised today that I can always pace myself by painting one side of the hull per day.

@lakesailor: Yes indeed useful advice as I do not want to nick the existing two coats of epoxy as fatigue sets in. I found a hand grinding/sharpening stone in my garage last week. Not sure of its origin, it is likely to be man enough to round the edges of the Harris tungsten carbide scraper mentioned above?
 
I've been down this route in the past 18 months.

This is the type of carbide-edged handtool that did the biz for me.


bahco-665-carbide-edged-heavy-duty-paint-scraper_1.jpg


http://www.powertoolsdirect.com/bahco-665-carbide-edged-heavy-duty-paint-scraper


The knob facilitates full control of the applied pressure on the blade - which STILL needs the sharp corners rounding, or you'll spend forever filling in and sanding the gouges - especially as one gets tired.

A specialist at a recent SIBS advised this was the very best paint remover tool he'd used in a couple of decades of boat fettling. Now, I found a pack of two - large and small - in a B&Q store, with a different tradename, but at significantly less price. It's the blades that do the work, not the logo, so I made sure I had a pack of spare sharp blades to hand.....

When I tired of that pastime, I hired a soda-blasting rig, and that did the biz!
 
jonjo5 said:
I have been talking to the Coppercoat experts about the cost of a complete blast, sand, paint job and no matter how they break down their charges the end result is a similar painful £ figure. Hence I am going to try the hand scraper option for 2 hours and then assess progress/feasibility. The labour side of the coppercoat painting does not worry me and a friendly expert at Coppercoat advised today that I can always pace myself by painting one side of the hull per day.

@lakesailor: Yes indeed useful advice as I do not want to nick the existing two coats of epoxy as fatigue sets in. I found a hand grinding/sharpening stone in my garage last week. Not sure of its origin, it is likely to be man enough to round the edges of the Harris tungsten carbide scraper mentioned above?
Click to expand...

A green stone works.
I use a dremel one on carbide tools.
 
oldbilbo said:
...... It's the blades that do the work, not the logo, so I made sure I had a pack of spare sharp blades to hand.....

.....!
Click to expand...

Planer blades are much cheaper, and can be cut in half to fit the scraper.
Ones that had done some time in the planer were good enough.
 
A 25mm wide wood chisel will do the job very efficiently. Use it with the bevel outwards and be careful not to dig it in. Carefully push it away from you and wear a mask and goggles because the dust is toxic.
 
oldbilbo said:
I've been down this route in the past 18 months.

This is the type of carbide-edged handtool that did the biz for me.
Click to expand...
The Bahco 665, so order via the Amazon route thank you.

oldbilbo said:
When I tired of that pastime, I hired a soda-blasting rig, and that did the biz!
Click to expand...
As a matter of interest what hull LOA triggered the need for a soda blaster?

I am hoping two haul outs worth of hard antifouling paint sitting on two stabled layers of epoxy will equate to a light manual scripting job.
 
jonjo5 said:
The Bahco 665, so order via the Amazon route thank you.


As a matter of interest what hull LOA triggered the need for a soda blaster?

I am hoping two haul outs worth of hard antifouling paint sitting on two stabled layers of epoxy will equate to a light manual scripting job.
Click to expand...

It's not the length, it's not the number of layers, it is just sometimes it scrapes easily and sometimes it doesn't. Try scraping a square yard and time it before going to the expense of getting your boat moved.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top