Painting Cast Iron Keel

[davidpbo]

The cast iron keel on my boat needs some protection against rust. It is kept on Windermere.

What would be the easiest and quickest? For the season?

Attack with angle grinder, galvafroid then anti foul?

I do have epoxy to hand but not paint.

Do you buy epoxy paint as such or is it standard epoxy with something added? i.e. can I buy an additive and use the epoxy I already have, maybe even the out of date stuff if I test it to see if it cures?

Time is of the essence as locker building and other things seem to be taking a long time.

 

[lw395]

We have used ordinary west epoxy with very reasonable results. Just grind off rust and paint it on. A few coats, then add filler powder to fair as needed. How long it last may depend on how porous and damp the cast iron is.

 

[djh1962]

Hi,

some of up here just use hammerite rust cure then , normal hammerite and anti foul. does seem to work okay but with most things its in the preperation.

 

[robbieg]

Not tried it but POR 15 available in the UK from here www.frostmarine.co.uk is supposed to be good, quick to apply and work. Google & you should be able to find someone on the Westerly forum who has used it & thinks it does what it says on the tin. No connection etc

 

[johnalison]

I agree, Hammerite is easiest. Just a rub with a wire brush, bung it on and a bit of primacon on top.

 

[MoodySabre]

Mine was not very good so last winter I cleaned all the rust off with an angle grinder, used Vactan as a rust converter, two coats of underwater primer and two coats on AF, It held up very well in salt water - just a few spots to tidy up this year.

Vactan (Google it) seems very good - cheap through an ebay shop.

 

[swampthing]

Epoxy is only worthwhile if all rust is removed.It has a ferrocious bond to iron. It has a ferrocious bond to rust.However, rust does not have a good bond to iron.If you want a lasting job, blasting is needed. For lesser prep use oil based paint like red oxide and be prepared to touch it up every year or two.

 

[scarlett]

I reckon I did a reasonable prep with a electric wire brush and an angle grinder until it was burnished except the pits. I then, within minutes, used one of those rust converting washes on it, which gave a varnish-like finish.

I followed this with about 3 millimeters of something with a name like International Gelshiled 200 and then another couple of Coppercoat. With the Coppercoating it took about a month of preparing and coating.

But still the rust came through within a year pushing sheets off. I removed the loose stuff and did just those areas again with some Dutch epoxy paint. It has all stayed on for the past five years.

The areas that failed showed visible 'faults' in the casting so that is something to which you could give extra attention.

 

[davidpbo]

I went for the easy option, wire brush on angle grinder and hammerite, I will see how it faired at the end of season or if we trail somewhere in the summer.

Thank you for your suggestions.

 

[markdj]

Eco Sea do a very good metal protection system which they then over-apply their Cuprotect copper coating. I have seen it on cast iron and it certainly is in no way heading towards coming off in sheets. They use some sort of urethane based protection used on the inside of big boat's holds.