Painting aluminum

asher · Post by **asher** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 4:12 pm

Now that my curtains are off the flybridge I can finally get around to touching up / repainting the hardtop legs and the ladder to the flybridge. This is a job I've been putting off for some time so the exposed aluminum is in pretty bad shape so I know I have quite a bit of sanding in my future to get it clean and bright again. Other than sanding off the oxidation and feathering the edges of the still well adhered paint what other steps are necessary to ensure a good bond to the aluminum? What step processes and paint products have you used in the past? Ideally, I would like to be able to brush this paint on as I'm doing the work in the water and don't want to risk overspray down the dock. To avoid brush marks and runs I assume the paint would need some sort of thinning to allow it to flow out better but I would also imagine the steps and processes change with different paint products. Just looking for a little extra info before I attempt to tackle this project.

Keith in Corpus · Post by **Keith in Corpus** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 10:34 am

sounds like something done with a cool beverage and winds that keep you in port. Thanks for the meeting Asher I enjoyed the conversation and advise. What was the name of the pump switch you showed me. I will be adding them to my list of replacement items. What size rule is your main bilge? Thanks Keith 88 33SF Helen P Flour Bluff Texas

IRGuy · Post by **IRGuy** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 4:28 pm

Asher... I am no expert but from what I learned when I did a search on aluminum painting for my cabin window frames a couple of years ago painting aluminum is problematic and more complicated than just sanding and painting. Plus.. I never found anyone who said their technique would be assured of lasting more than a VERY FEW YEARS, IF EVEN THAT LONG! Corrosion resulting in paint blisters form after a year or two around edges and screw holes. First off, I would NOT sand the surfaces. It is best to leave the remaining anodizing in place. Here is the technique recommended by Capt Patrick McCreary (who maintains the Bertram 31 site and has probably rebuilt more Bertram 31s than anyone) is a three step process. Follow the instructions on the containers carefully! 1 - Using Alumiprep 33 solution wash the aluminum surfaces. Before the surfaces dry, go to step 2 2 - Treat the wet surfaces with Alodine 1201 immediately. 3 - Paint with a good quality durable paint. On my window frames I masked the surrounding surfaces and spray painted them with Rustoleum's most durable metal paint I could find. I suggest you do an internet search since my information is several years old. The two solutions are made by Henkel (www.henkelna.com) and the address for the Bertram 31 site is www.bertram31.com/newbb Good luck!

asher · Post by **asher** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 9:36 pm

Thanks for the info Frank. There is no anodizing left. The tower legs were already painted and starting to blister and chip when I purchased the boat. I'm leaning towards the rust oleum topside paint since I can just buy that at lowes on the way to the boat. I plan on removing any loose paint with a wire brush/wheel and then sanding with a pretty aggressive grit to remove the oxidation. Then wiping with acetone to clean and painting with a zinc chromate primer and finishing with the rust oleum. I realize I will probably be having to make touch ups every other year or so. And it was a pleasure meeting you too Keith. Looks like you family and friends are even more excited about enjoying the boat than you are. All of my main bilge pumps are the rule 2000's and the little pump situated in the keel is a 500gph with a check valve installed after the pump in the discharge line.

asher · Post by **asher** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 9:40 pm

Here's a link to the bilge switches that I have installed. They are pricey little guys but they work. http://www.tefgel.com/contain.php?param ... itch_price

asher · Post by **asher** » Wed Apr 27, 2016 6:54 pm

Well it only took me about 2 weeks of 8 hour days on the boat but I finally managed to get all the pipe work sanded, prepped, primed, and painted with two topcoats of the gloss white rust oleum topside paint. The primer was surprisingly difficult to work with as it dried very quickly which made me have to work at quite the feverish pace to avoid having the paint skin over in the roller tray. The topcoats or their "marine topside" paint was very easy to work with. It flows and self levels very nicely and using a foam roller left no air bubbles or brush strokes. I just finished putting the second coat of it on today and am currently very pleased with the results. If anyone is interested in possibly using these paints I will update this thread with how it is holding up in a few months or so.

pdog · Post by **pdog** » Thu Apr 28, 2016 6:50 pm

can you post a pic asher. I would love to see how it turned out.

asher · Post by **asher** » Fri Apr 29, 2016 10:12 am

I don't have any really good completed pics at the moment but I have a couple progress shots that I can share. The first pic shows the aluminum 3/4 of the way primed. The port side of the boat shows the condition of the old paint that was chipping over the entire boat. I primed the boat in sections since getting the surface ready to accept the primer took a lot of energy out of me. [img]http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YA5IR ... G_0009.JPG[/img] This pic shows the boat after painting the first topcoat. The second topcoat provided full coverage and really smoothed everything out and made it shine again. [img]http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-609O2 ... G_0012.JPG[/img] In the above pic you can also see the handrails in the cockpit where the clamp on rod holders are mounted. They were pretty well cemented on there so instead of risking destroying them and the handrails getting them off I taped around them and painted the rails in place. Here they are after a coat of the primer. [img]http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E5Sc_ ... G_0013.JPG[/img] Now I have cleaned and polished the enclosure that I recently got back from the canvas guy. And I'll wait a few more days or so of sunshine before I put them on to ensure it is good and cured. I'll try and remember to snap a couple completed pics for y'all. The worst part about using the rust oleum marine paints was all the sanding between coats. Between primer and topcoat you had to sand everything 150 grit and between topcoats you had to sand 220 grit. But the price difference at $12-$13 a can instead of $50-$100 for the generally accepted paints made the extra work worth it to me. And since it is oil based and can be sanded, when the inevitable paint chips do occur a simple sand, prime, and paint should fix it up quickly instead of having to redo the entire structure again.

pdog · Post by **pdog** » Sat Apr 30, 2016 7:51 pm

Thanks for posting the pics asher. I think it turned out great.

PleasureBay · Post by **PleasureBay** » Sun May 01, 2016 1:40 pm

Asher how were you able to post the pictures? I have never been able to even following the instructions.

Blue Label · Post by **Blue Label** » Sun May 01, 2016 7:03 pm

I would also like to post a few pictures, I tried to follow the instructions but couldn't. Thank you

asher · Post by **asher** » Mon May 02, 2016 6:23 am

I had written a long tutorial to augment the original instructions but they were lost in the hacker incident. I guess I'll have to rewrite em. I still have all the pics saved. In other news, I should be headed to the bot this afternoon and should be able to get the curtains on after I get the mildew cleaned out of the curtain tracks.

greysole · Post by **greysole** » Mon May 02, 2016 9:18 am

Wow! Results look great. What an improvement.

asher · Post by **asher** » Tue May 03, 2016 9:22 am

Thanks for the compliment. I'm definitely pleased with the results thus far. Hopefully it lasts for at least a couple years. Don't know if y'all can tell a difference between these pics and the last set but here are a couple completed shots after two coats of the topcoat. [img]http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4fj12 ... G_0034.JPG[/img] [img]http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YOtHd ... G_0035.JPG[/img] And a closeup of the finish/texture of just using a foam roller for application. No tipping involved. [img]http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dGHYM ... G_0037.JPG[/img]

pdog · Post by **pdog** » Tue May 03, 2016 5:24 pm

Damn looks great.