Propellor Polishing

The first time is the hardest as the prop needs to be completely clean of all old paint and fouling etc, so you may need to start with say 360 'ish wet/dry used wet. Follow that with 600 then 1000 grit papers. Next is several goes with Brasso metal polish which is very mildly abrasive as well as a polish, each one will get a better shine. I find it worth doing a final polish just before lift-in as it will tarnish in the air.

Subsequent cleaning is much easier. I'm always present so clean most of any slime from lack of use over the winter off whilst everything is still wet in the boatlift, a piece of old sail batten helps. When I'm ready to polish I'll use a bit of Harpic with limescale remover which gets it almost ready and usually 1000 grit followed by the Brasso routine does the job.
 
Don't mess about, angle grinder with wire brush attachment will have it mirror finished in a couple of minutes. Worth buying the wire brush just to do this. You will need googles too.

Pete
 
Sorry to disagree but IMO the angle grinder and wire brush method would create a bright but also very scratched surface which will allow crap to stick. Polishing and I mean BRIGHT polishing leaves a very smooth scratch free surface that the barnacles can use as a shaving mirror but not as a surface prepared for their brand of superglue.
 
You're right, never use a STEEL wire brush on bronze, or brass, which is what most props are, even if they say its bronze, its not real bronze, it has some zinc in it.
 
This is a job Ive got to do sometime.........any recommendations for the best brushes to use, I was hoping it could be fixed to an angle grinder sort of thingy to speed things up.
 
Well yes normally I would agree, however having used a steel wire brush attachement (yes I know) for a couple of minutes I ended up with a shiney smooth finish on my prop without the visible scratches or brush finish I was expecting. Indeed even thought about sanding it so it would be rough enough to paint but instead just slapped a layer of paint on it. However I was impressed with the smooth finish from the angle grinder and how quickly it took the old paint off.

Chris, I used a homebase steel one that was cone shaped. The wire was twisted into a dozen strands in a circle.

Was this the best one? don't know. should I have used the brass version? don't know. did it work? yes. Will I use it again next May? yes.


Pete
 
I use a special thingy for my angle grinder, for props, its sort of hard scotchhbrite, in a resin, open weave, mauve or purple colour, brings the prop up wonderful then if you want to polish, you can go on from there, there is also a flap type thing for angle grinder, but used for polishing stainless, that does a wonderful job after the scotchbrite thingy, you can then use brasso. for the first few rubs on the blades with brasso, use it on cardboard, helps the polishing.
 
Sure often see him as we are often in Haslar, but moored just round the corner in C&Ns old yard. I have done a bog swop. Took 3 days and promised next time to pay someone else to do it /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Did you used to own Sabredrive ?

Pete
 
Horrible job /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
Malcolm fixed the problem in about 15 minutes.
Not me, I had a SS Tomahawk before caled "Seazi" that was at at one time parked at Gosport before I had it. Ginger Crew is the new one, dont like the name but can't be arsed to change it !
 
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Why bother?

Clean it, job done

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That would be fine for a prop that's on a boat but presumabably this question is about preparing one for display or as an ornament.
 
That would be fine for a prop that's on a boat but presumabably this question is about preparing one for display or as an ornament.

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Dont't you take yours home for the winter and display it on a plinth on the grand piano. It has to be polished though

Much safer than ashore in the marina .

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
i have kept mine clean and shiny, not like a mirror since new three years ago, not had any fouling problems on it at all they all go for the ropecutter.
i use one of the kitchen scotchbrite pads
 
I find brasso and 600 wet & dry fine for most work, dropping down to cloth and brasso for the last session. Then heat the prop in the oven ~120 before appling lanolin (straight from the jar....it melts on the prop). A second or third coat of lanolin can be applied by heating it up in a pan of hot water (the lanolin not the prop this time) and painting over the original coat. I always put the last coat of lanolin on just before launch, with a mate appling heat to the prop with an electric paint stripping gun.

Last season, what fouling was there came off with the pressure washer on lift-out. I repeated the polishing/painting with lanolin this year and am leaving the boat in over the winter to see if this makes a difference.
 
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I am curious to know why would you want the prop to be shiny???

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We have been doing this for years and suffer virtually no fouling on the prop. I seem to remember the wonderful Des Sleightholme writing about this many years ago. I believe he reckoned it was something to do with the polishing allowing the copper element of the bronze to become more exposed.

Could be complete rubbish of course, but it DOES work. No treatments. lanolin, Tri-lux etc and the ONLY fouling we get is on the propeller nut - which I can't polish up!

Are there any metallurgists out there who could venture an opinion?
 
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