Removing old one part primer from a lead keel..

[wipe_out]

I need to remove the old one part primer from my lead keel so I can put on a two part primer as a base for copper coat.. Sanding by had or with an orbital sander will take a lot of time to clean it up so I am looking for faster suggestions?

Some ideas I have are to use either a flapper wheel or a wire brush cup on a small angle grinder but I am not sure if this will be too aggressive and eat into the lead quickly..

Any thoughts?

 

[AntarcticPilot]

How about a scraper? Sanding a lead keel sounds like a good way to end up breathing more lead than is good for you.

 

[lw395]

You could probably sand or scrape most of it of, then finish off with paint stripper.
But you will likely find there are bits of epoxy filler and allsorts on a used boat.
It's possible the whole keel may have been faired with epoxy, if that's the case, the old epoxy probably need not be removed if it is sound.
If the 'two part primer' you are going to use is an epoxy, it is not nearly as sensitive to overcoating 'one pack' paint as say a 2 part polyurethane with lots of aggressive solvent in it.

What works best varies according to the state of the old paint. Coarse wet and dry might work well.
If you do get back to bare lead, you may need an etch primer before the 2-pack.

 

[SvenH]

I think there is a 1part epoxy primer that can be painted over with 2 part primer.

If I recall correctly it was epifanes.

 

[Tim Good]

I'm having the same issue but in my whole hull. The one part Primocon is well and truly stuck fast and even my big sander with 40 grit won't remove it!

 

[Yngmar]

I've done this job on our lead keel, mostly with a nylon brush on a big drill. Looked almost exactly like this one: https://www.toolstation.com/abracs-nylon-filament-flap-brush/p28885

Keep in mind that lead dust is toxic and protect yourself and others accordingly.

After this and some minor epoxy fairing, I've applied Interprotect and then Coppercoat on the keel and am happy to say it all stuck fast and is still there years later.

 

[wipe_out]

Thanks for all the comments.. I did the job this weekend using a "Poly abrasive disk" on an angle grinder.. https://www.toolstation.com/abracs-poly-abrasive-disc/p22693

Worked really well and didn't tent to eat into the lead.. So all ready now for the next step..