Polishing Props

JamesTT

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I have been trying various different products to clean up a stainless set of Bravo 3 props recently.
Last week I was directed to buy a metal polishing kit from IMOPS on Ebay.
I bought the least expensive kit with 3 no grades of 100mm polishing mops and 3 bars of differing grades of polish. The kit comes with a mandrell that you attach to a high speed drill and a set of instructions and tips, all for just uner £20. I put the drill in a vice on the bench and worked on the props today, it's a real messy job, bits of cloth from the various mops fly everywhere as they grind away.
Pleased to say that 3 hous later the props look better than new, a real mirror finish.
I think that the 150mm mops may be easier to work with on props and they are also twice the thickness which should speed the job up, I also think that next year I will make a jig to hold the props on the bench as they are really heavy and it is tiring holding them against the drill.
 
Sounds good but I don't understand why you would want a mirror finish on your props.

I use a £4.95 wire wheel in my hand drill, and it takes about an hour for all 4 props. They finish up clean and smooth, and perform perfectly well when I put them back in cruddy salt water, and when they come out again they look crap as usual.

Neil
 
The mirror finish may prevent or slow down a future build up of growth and scum?
For some reason all racing props that I have seen are mirror finished, maybe they perform better.
 
[ QUOTE ]
The mirror finish may prevent or slow down a future build up of growth and scum?
For some reason all racing props that I have seen are mirror finished, maybe they perform better.

[/ QUOTE ]


Agreed. With no particular scientific background from me but polished must be better than pitted.

I may well have a go this year too.
 
OK I'm sold. The annual prop clean is a pain in the arse, but
the next time she comes out I'll give it a go with these mops and see if the mirror finish prevents the normal build up of crud.

Neil
 
[ QUOTE ]
The mirror finish may prevent or slow down a future build up of growth and scum?


[/ QUOTE ]

That's what I thought too but it doesn't slow down or prevent buiild up as quite a few of these 'orgasms' have little suckers and we all know how suckers stick to a mirror! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

The Targa 48 that's moored next to me has a polished stainless cage around the stern thruster (looks like chrome) thats covered in long flowing weed after just a few weeks.

The main reason for cleaning your props is so that they look nice and it reduces pitting from corrosion. I doubt it you'd get more than 1 extra knot though. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 

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