Mast Issues & Renovation

[Ted]

All it takes is patience! I recently painted mine with Awlgrip. Let's see what I can remembers....

1) I left the track on (too many screws) and masked around it.
2) I pulled most of the rest of the hardware using
a) hand impact
b) compressed air impact (broke a few that way)
c) lots of patience
d) lots of screwloose (that's the only brand I'll use -- forget WD40 and all the other water/kerosene based crap)

The trick is to work on it every day and once you get a screw moving force it in and out a few times AND THEN STOP -- it gets hot and that is when they break.

As for the awlgrip -- first I cleaned and light sanded, then I used two chemicals which I forget -- surely one was a major degreaser and the second an acid etch. Then two primers -- one because it is annodized and one between the first primer and the paint. I have accidentally hit the mast and boom with a hammer several times and can definitely say that the paint is on there for good.

Ted

[ebb]

Thanks Ted,
I'll check out the Screwloose. I'll stay away from any oils, even kerocene, so as not to contaminate the aluminum. And the way it's going I may put off the track til later, but pull a few to check it out.

LPU is a big deal. The system requires a whole bunch of cans, each one phenominally expensive. I talk about it down at the yard with the guys. Each time the process becomes a little clearer. But won't know diddley-squat til I jump in.

[commanderpete]

Here you go ebb. Another article on painting the mast. Discusses some cheaper alternatives for the prep materials.

http://www.anzam.com/howto_index_005.htm

[ebb]

Thanks C'pete,
Like these guys!
This is where the best practical info on stuff frozen to the spar came from!
They're also opinionated, which makes it possible to disagree with them.

[Tony G]

I've raided their site off and on over the last year. There is lots of good info theretoo. I hate to become a label whore but I like Ted's annectdote about the hammer...sounds like me all the way. Has anyone here used Inter-Thane and had those stellar results. I'd like to use something durable like Awl Grip but there sure is a lot of the year left at the end of the money The gut I bought our O'day from says Imron is just as good and cheaper. Though I think Imron has to be sprayed and it's tough to find people around here with real experience with it. Maybe we can talk Scott into repainting his mast with something else and then he can post the results. Just fishing Tony G

[ebb]

Been looking into these solvent LPUs. There are essentially two kinds. The leader of the pack is polyester urethane. Hardest, longest lasting, best color retention, that kind of thing.
Next is acrylic LPU. Generally an automotive spray. tho there is a brushing version, fast drying, looks just as good but not as durable. I believe Imron is in this category.
There are Interlux two-part products used by the pros in the yard, but so far no topside film where I'm at.
[meant to add Awlgrip has what I think is their interior acrylic lpu called Awlcraft 2000]

System Three has a waterborne LPU. Don't know nothing about it. I think it is an acrylic. Gonna look into it. You have to clear coat the color to get a wet look. But the trouble with clearcoats is that they break down fast. Be nice to use a paint, tho, you don't have to die from. Gee, maybe it would be tre cool to leave the topsides satin?
I think the acrylics are easier to fix. Mess up your precious Awlgrip and you ARE in a fix.

A whole lot can be said for an Awlgrip or Sterling finish on the boat. One thing it says is that you spent a lot of money. The other thing you can say is that it better last a good long time.

[commanderpete]

I used Interthane Plus LPU to paint the topsides on my boat. Brushes on pretty easy. Proper thinning is the key.

Someday I'll get around to painting the mast. I even thought about painting on a faux wood finish like they've been doing on carbon fibre spars, as on this schooner

[commanderpete]

I'll probably just go with a cream color.

Morris 36

[commanderpete]

Time to paint the spars. I'm doing the mast, two booms, spreaders, brackets and my homemade whisker pole.

There's also a spare mast on the ground there, but I'm not painting that. Might be a flagpole someday.

You'll want to set things up better than this inconvenient arrangement here

[commanderpete]

The mast looked O.K., except for the lower few feet. Booms were pretty corroded

[commanderpete]

First I had to remove the hardware on the mast and booms. Some parts aren't worth the effort to remove, like the sail track. I left the small cleats on too.

I filled small holes I wasn't going to need with JB Weld.

The day before painting I washed everything with degreaser.

I'll be using these products for the painting

[commanderpete]

That's PPG aluminum etch cleaner

Then PPG aluminum conditioner

Both of these are available at an auto body supply house for $12.99 a quart

Then Interlux 404 Epoxy Primekote

Then Interlux Perfection LPU in Oyster White.

You also need the Interlux brushing thineer 233N


This place had the cheapest prices on Interlux paints

http://www.boatersland.com/interlux.html

[commanderpete]

Now comes painting day. Aluminum begins to form an oxidized surface soon after you start attacking it, so you need to go through each step and get to the painting stage in rapid succession.

I sanded everything to shiny metal with 36 grit. This took longer than I expected--about 5 hours. Hosed it all off.

Next I scrubbed it with aluminum etch cleaner and rinsed.

Then the conditioner. This product was supposed to turn the metal a golden color, which it didn't. Freaked me out. I tried leaving it on longer, or giving it two coats. Didn't really change color much. Maybe the metal is supposed to be dry when you apply it. I'll hope for the best.

I needed to dry everything and get the paint on right away.

Laid on a coat of epoxy primer. One quart covered it. Kinda rushed through the painting at the end of a long day, which means extra sanding.

I'm debating whether to give it some more primer, since the first coat didn't quite fill the pitted areas. Then comes the top coats. Hoping for decent weather this weekend

Not much to look at yet

[Theis]

Yeah, I've done it. It is beautiful and has largely remained so. However a couple points.

You don't use epoxy primer on the aluminum. You have to use aluminum primer. That etches into the aluminum, and provides the base for the paint primer. Interthane Plus, as I recall, has its own primer. Interthane Plus (which I used) is also obsolete now. Interlux has a new paint that allegedly does not have the defects of Interthane Plus (and there are defects - and those defects tick me off). The paint primer has to go on an hour or so after the aluminum primer goes on (as I recall). For the spars you do need a very tough paint (like Interthane Plus or Awlgrip) because of lines and metal things that bang and rub against it. Do not use softer Interthane Brightside or its Pettit equivalent even though they are easier to apply and cheaper.

Make sure you take all fittings off the mast before you paint. If you are going to do it, do it right.

All screws you return to the mast must be coated with anti corrosion cream. Otherwise you are in for a never ending battle with chemical reaction between the aluminum and the stainless steel screws/bolts. Without the cream, the screws will freeze to the threads. The threads will become corroded, and eventually the threads in the mast will break loose.

Put all electrical wires inside the mast into a PVC pipe, 1 1/4 or 1/1/2 ID. That keeps the wires from banging around and, if you have an internal halyard, keeps the halyard from rubbing against any of the wires.. Secure the pipe to the side of the mast with aluminum rivets (I used six, two near the base of the pipe, two in the center 10' up, and two at the top (20'). Do not use screws, because the threads in the PVC will pop eventually, and you'll have a pipe banging inside your mast.

Screw the sail track using the existing #8 screws (as I recall the size). If they are stripped, you can go up to #10 and the sliders will still go over the screw head. Use the #10 screws regardless at the bottom of the sail track because the end takes an inordinate amount of force where those first two or three screws are located. And don't forget the anti corrosion cream.

Pay particular attention to the screws that hold the mast head casting on to the mast, and that hold the forestay bracket. The originals did not have the anti corrosion cream and the 1/4 bolts did not hold tight. I replaced them with 1/4" bolts tightened with lockwashers and nuts on the mast interior.

When you do this, you might want to increase the lights on the mast - such as putting on a mast head light, and a foredeck down light. Forespar makes a great combination fitting downlight (one end pointing down) and a 3/4 height mastlight, 120 degrees, subsstitute for the Pearson (Perko) light that goes where the original Perko 3/4 mast head light went.

Also, now is the time to rework the antenna wire, and any masthead instrument wires as well.

[commanderpete]

Well, there's a few ways to skin this cat

Awlgrip describes several methods, and there are others

http://www.awlgrip.com/pages/app_gui...2.htm#ALUMINUM

I don't believe you would use a self-etching primer if you've already chemically etched the metal.

As far as the mast track goes, removing that failed my cost/benefit analysis.

Of course, most people tell me painting the mast isn't worth the effort either.