Shiny Gunmetal

[Lyulph Hesling]

Spent all day removing gunmetal fittings from my 1926 Sunbeam (a 26 foot racing yacht), which are all green. It is no use using varnish or lacquer to protect them, but I have heard that you can epoxy them.

Does anyone have a proven method of keeping them shiny?

MAAS polish is fantastic inside, but no good in salt water.

Before you suggest it my crew will NOT polish them every week, and I have had to let the paid hand go!

 

[Sequoiah1]

There used to be a spray on coating that chesterton used to do years ago, like epoxy, but over a period of time (years) the coating broke down and then the bronze fitting became a real mess and the only way to get the rest of was to blast and then re-polish.

Wouldnt do it. Either go for chrome, or live with it green.

 

[tidclacy]

There was a thread about this recently I think. Gunmetal is Bronze, or to be more accurate it is one of the bronzes and is a nice warm browny-gold colour. Its designation is LG2 ( LG stands for leaded gunmetal ) and consist of copper lead tin and zinc. The surface will on contact with sea air slowly patinate to a pleasing darker brown colour with tinges of green, but this does not effect its strength performance or life expectancy and is in fact its natural state. If a gleaming polished finish is preferred then a good metal polish can be used to keep it as new. A smear of pertoleum jelly will keep the polished finish longer where the function of the fitting allows.

Do you really want to have all that hard work on a constant basis to have that shiny look. Go for natural and do some sailing.

 

[oldfrank]

Nickel plating not quite so bright as chrome and about the same price. For personal preference I always defer to the wood - chrome on mahogany and brass on teak - but that's only my choice.

 

[Lyulph Hesling]

Quite a few boats have chromed their fittings (I don't think anyone has used nickel), and the newest ones (three built in the last decade) have had them made from SS. I actually prefer the green to either of those.

It is very useful sharing a shed with 8 other Sunbeams, to see how to do things!