Repainting Duo Props - is there anyone who does this in the Soton area?

oGaryo

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I have my 2 x sets of duo props at home at present with the intention of cleaning them up before refitting later in the week. However, there are various areas where the paint and primer have been chipped away leaving bare aluminium. I've read up on what I need to do to strip all the paint and oxide primer off and re-prime / paint. It seems and awful lot of work / hassle.

Can anyone point me at an outfit in the Southampton area that can do this for me at a reasonable cost while I concentrate on the joys of antifouling and polishing the boat?

cheers Gary
 
Get some TK aerosol paints they doe them in the right colours.

thanks, the issue isn't so much the painting, it's the removal of the existing paint and oxide primer.. I've been googling and found a few places (closed at present) that can sand blast off the old coatings and apply new leaving me to crack on with the other jobs. Hoping someone else has already trodden this path and can point me at a company that is proven to do a decent job without costing the earth. needs to be local to Soton so the likes of Steel Developments is a none starter
 
Can't you just prime the bare bits with an etching primer then apply a topcoat or two. The don't have to look pretty and I never noticed any decrease in performance or increase in fuel consumption with DP's when I spot painted them.
 
Hi Gary had a new set fitted last week I think the props are powder coated black not just painted if the chipped area is not huge perhaps wet and dry till smooth then prime and paint the smaller area I flatted off the new props with wet and dry then 4 coats of Trilux 33 brush not spray I expect you were going to anti foul them anyway it will be interesting to see how long the Trilux lasts
 
thanks again guys, there's quite a few 'chunk's of paint and primer that have come off so suspect the props have been refurbished (badly) at some point in their life, in fact, I know they have as past invoices show they've been done. I am after somewhere that will strip them completely back and do a proper job of reapplying the primer and the top coat.

this is what I believe I'd need to do if I did it myself = toooo much hassle

1. Begin with all paint and primer removed. ALL OF IT.


2. Sand all of the edges, super important on props.


3. When it is all gone degrease with any strong cleaner type degreaser like simple green or preferably stronger Castrol degreaser.


4. When you are done, do it again with a scrubbie pad.


5. Pour or spray white vinegar all over it.


6. Wipe with thinners compatible with the paint you are using.


7. After doing this only handle the prop by the hub and you must wear clean rubber gloves.


8. Put the prop in the sun so it gets warm or even hot.


9. Use zinc phosphate primer as first choice and zinc chromate as second choice. Make sure the can of primer and paint is also warm and not cool. Tip: Leave it in car on a sunny day.


10. Place the prop on a broomstick or similar and place it horizontally with the prop suspended. Keep this in the sun.


11. Spray 1 coat of primer starting with the edges and finishing with the edges so they really get 2 coats with the first coat.


12. This should dry in less than a half an hour if it was not over applied and it must stay in the sun.


13. Do a second coat the same way and let it dry at least for a few hours in the sun or wait until the following day.


14. Let the primed prop sit in the sun and coat the same way as you primed with the top coat. If you use black paint it will bake on really nice in the sun. A lightcoating works best followed by another while it is barely tacky and apply possible a third coat. Three coats work best for me as long as you don’t spray too heavily.

15. After it is painted let it bake in the sun for as long as you can. I put it in the sun for at least 3 days before touching it (I bring it in after the sun goes down)
 
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Can't you just prime the bare bits with an etching primer then apply a topcoat or two. The don't have to look pretty and I never noticed any decrease in performance or increase in fuel consumption with DP's when I spot painted them.

I may resort to that if I can't get a proper job done.. my concern is if there's bare metal showing in several places now due to a bad paint job previously, then there's likely to be more showing up during this season.. if the bare metal is left I may end up with a buggered set of props so prefer to play it safe and get a proper job done. thanks for the advise though :encouragement:
 
The Volvo paint finish does last a couple of seasons, but starts to fall off rapidly after that.
I've tried almost every combination of primers and paints, and ... nothing seems to work really well!

An etch primer, two-pack epoxy undercoat, and paint, works for about half the season.
The upside is that even with aluminium exposed, the props won't instantly dissolve IF the anodes are kept in good shape.
I've only just replaced the 3-bladed props on FP, and they were from 2003!
 
Gary someone suggested Propeller Solutions Poole to me recently.
I dropped my Duo props to my local Wheel Repair specialist. Yesterday. will have them back Monday 4 pm
Soda blast, etch prime Spray 2 coats highbuild and topcoat. £100. Which is a lot, but they really bad,and pitted
I have a new set on order with above, but boat is going back in Tuesday.
I really needed a set, so paid the money to have them done quick, and they will become spares.
The others are right though, I have rubbed them down before and used aerosol Tough Black Gloss with good results.
I warmed them with a hairdryer first, which helps if its cold and damp.
If I had nt dinged them and had a bit of welding done I would have done so again.
 
I just wire brush and then spray with trilux - a can does the 4 props. Next season, paint is still mainly in place so I assume it's OK. I keep the anodes in good nick (by changing once a year) and have a galvanic isolator. I know it's not an answer to your question but might avoid high costs?



I have my 2 x sets of duo props at home at present with the intention of cleaning them up before refitting later in the week. However, there are various areas where the paint and primer have been chipped away leaving bare aluminium. I've read up on what I need to do to strip all the paint and oxide primer off and re-prime / paint. It seems and awful lot of work / hassle.

Can anyone point me at an outfit in the Southampton area that can do this for me at a reasonable cost while I concentrate on the joys of antifouling and polishing the boat?

cheers Gary
 
I would take them to Trestan Finishers in Hazel Road, Woolston, Southampton. They do a good job and will blast them and epoxy primer then top coat them. I have had lots of parts done by them and would thoroughly reccomend them, generally a quick turnaround too.

Paul.
 
A friend of mine has powder coating plant in Salisbury. ( google Lamb Engineering or Wessex Metal Finishers) If it helps I could collect them from you and drop them back next weekend.

this is the way to go sand blast & powder coat will outlast any paint system & its usually cheep as chips especially if you are not fussy about the colour most metal finishers will chuck them in with another batch of stuff for a few quid

this offer sounds like the answer to your problem
 
The OP's paint spec above is admirable but in my mind overkill and expensive , for props that will loose their paint in the future.

We use TK aerosol paint on customers duo props all the time, its a easy to use, wet and dry bare aluminium to key it and then dry warm and paint them , you can speed up drying of coats with judicious use of a hot air gun.

Total cost in materials about £25 ish

Aquafax supply TK :

http://www.aquafax.co.uk/html/search_results.asp
 
At a cost though.
Stainless on some boats lets you drop the revs, but if you need to go up the Rance to Dinan and have a close encounter with a Shopping trolley, or dry out a lot, the savings can be soon wiped out.
Unless you change them for every occasion!!. In which case you need 2 sets.
As Bandit points out, Rub them down, coat them up with a can of spray every year, Way you go..And probably most importantly, Watch your anodes for signs of erosion.
 
Thanks again chaps, been busy stripping knuckles getting the drives off and on to change all the bellows so sorry for the lack of reply.

Both sets of duo props and cones are now with K & N Finishers in Totton. Trestan Finishers couldn't turn the job around by Thursday unfortunately. £80 to blast back to bare metal, apply new primer and then apply a couple of coats of gloss black powder coat.

Worth every penny (for me) so I don't need to fanny around with the props myself this year :encouragement:
 
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