Painting engine 'ole

[Just Heaven]

Our engine 'ole needs a good clean out and repainting.

In the past I have use Hammerite to paint it. Is there something better or more suitable?

 

Thanks

Steve

 

[MarineHeatingSolutions]

Hammerite is often too brittle for engine bays. After a thorough degrease, I’d suggest two to three coats of Vactan. It converts the rust and turns it black for a very low-maintenance finish.

If you want a visual improvement, it’s easily over-paintable with a dedicated bilge paint like Teamac. It’s much more resistant to oil and fuel than standard metal paint.

[BEngo]

I agree that Hammerite and its smooth counterpart chip too easily to be in an engine 'ole.  

 

If it is rusty, needle gun or wire brush, degrease aggressively, degrease again and then treat the rust.  Washing soda is a good degreaser and cheap in the laundry aisle at supermarkets.  I use Fertan to treat rust, but there are others.  A good primer then Danboline bilge paint has given me decent results.

 If you have an engine which is a little incontinent then the space under it seems to look after itself!

Edited April 19 by BEngo

[blackrose]

I used Vactan on residual rust and coated with Hammerite about 15 years ago after going over the engine bay with an angle grinder/wire wheels, but within 2 years rust was coming back through the Hammerite. I came to the conclusion that both Vactan and Hammerite were cr@p. 

 

Next time I'm going to do it properly and after mechanically removing the flaking paint and rust with power tools I'll apply a few coats of Jotamastic epoxy.

[DHutch]

Danboline is the go to and very good as I understand it. However ive never used it,  nor have I painted an engineroom bildge. . 

 

You want something durable (not to soft, not to brittle) which is also oil based and as 'surface tolerant' as possible. Becuase the prep is always going to be sub par. 

 

Recently I have used Rustoleum CombiPrimer and CombiColor Original and was impressed with the product. I then overcoated it with a coat of Dinitrol. 

 

As the surface was 'freely rusted' I started by scraping and chipping the surface to remove all loose material (would have used an needle scaler if I'd had access to compressed air or enough power to run a compressor) and then treated with vactan. 

 

Two pack aluminium epoxy followed with two pack polyurethane would be my go to if you could remove the engine and shot blast it, but its faff to remove from confined spaces if it fails, and I think would struggle to get oil free enough for oilbased not to be a better option. 

 

If you can do it out of the water or in summer, it makes drying after vactan faster. 

[Ex Brummie]

I found this paint on Amazon and in Black, used it to paint my gunwhales and also the engine bay. After a year, the gunwhales have a few scrapes, but the damage is no worse than the enamel gloss that was on before. I've just bought this in light grey to repaint the roof, and it brushes easily, cobers up a red paint in one coat, and at £51 for 5 litres, you get more than enough to touch up in future whereas more 'specialist recommended' paints are more that much for 1/2 the quantity.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DSJMQLLV?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

[wakey_wake]

I used a needle scaler on heavy flaky rust, fertan on some areas, isopropanol + blue roll degrease in some areas, then Jenoilite Direct-to-rust.

 

In the engine drip tray it's holding up fine against coolant and oil drips.

It may be a little soft to impact, at least after a week curing, and they say not to go past two coats (without saying why).

I went for white, but I don't plan to keep it spotless. It improves visibility greatly, both for direct contrast and general light reflection around.

I added Dri-dek type tiles over the baseplate, but note https://www.versatile-flooring.co.uk/ looks the same and is half the price I paid.

 

It seemed pretty easy, but I have more to do and access for the underside of the trad stern (ie. ceiling above stern gear / uxter plate) looks troublesome.

 

Ask me in five years whether I regret my choice?

Or if you already know why, stop me before I get around the rest of the bay!

 

I did some samples on a mild steel plate and left that outside in the rain for months. Somewhere I have the key for what the patches were, and which spot got the ball bearing dropped on it...

I think that was written in permanent pen and has washed off? This is after a gentle rub with a wet brush and some dry bogroll.

 

It seems promising that the rust pinholes through the thin single coat, and the boundary, have not yet undermined the paint.

[blackrose]

2 hours ago, Ex Brummie said:

I found this paint on Amazon and in Black, used it to paint my gunwhales and also the engine bay. After a year, the gunwhales have a few scrapes, but the damage is no worse than the enamel gloss that was on before. I've just bought this in light grey to repaint the roof, and it brushes easily, cobers up a red paint in one coat, and at £51 for 5 litres, you get more than enough to touch up in future whereas more 'specialist recommended' paints are more that much for 1/2 the quantity.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DSJMQLLV?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

 

I'd have thought a lighter is colour better for the engine hole floor rather than black, simply because it will reflect more light and help you see what you're doing in there. *Assuming there are no floorboards above the steel floor. 

Edited April 19 by blackrose

[wakey_wake]

2 minutes ago, blackrose said:

I'd have thought a lighter is colour better for the engine hole floor rather than black, simply because it will reflect more light and help you see what you're doing in there.

I would go further, and say that transforming 1/3 of the 'ole from "is it rust or the old red oxide paint?" to white paint is a huge improvement in visibility. Really looking forward to having the underside of the deck done, for this reason as well as rust control. I'll be able to see all the spiders!

 

34 minutes ago, wakey_wake said:

samples on a mild steel plate and left that outside in the rain for months

I found my token 'before' picture - picture 'after' above is rotated 180° and time out in the rain was probably 11 months.

Left to right (below)

1. two coats of Direct-to-Rust applied moderately sensible
2. one coat D2R applied over-thick (top), rather thin (bottom) and moderately sensibly across the middle. Maybe there was some other difference between middle and bottom?
3. one coat D2R and 'ED', whatever that was. I'm going to have to look in the paint cupboard and guess what ED could have been.
4. one coat ED? I don't even recall owning a different white paint at that time.

Surface prep was minimal and there is millscale in places.

 

 

The crater of a large ballbearing being dropped is visible on the D2R+ED. Maybe that's another crater on the ED patch? Maybe 'D' means drop but then what was 'E'? Obviously there is no point asking you lot, but at least you know I've lost my notes and/or my marbles. 🤣

[cuthound]

36 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

I'd have thought a lighter is colour better for the engine hole floor rather than black, simply because it will reflect more light and help you see what you're doing in there. *Assuming there are no floorboards above the steel floor. 

 

It will also show the colour of leaked fluids, so you can see what is leaking. A black floor will not show the colour difference between rainwater, coolant diesel or engine oil.

Edited April 19 by cuthound
missing space between words

[Ex Brummie]

it's a 9ft cruiser stern and visibility is no problem with the boards up, and besides, black was the only colour I had because that what colour the gunwhales are, and 5 litres is a lot of paint. now i've got a tin of light grey, who knows what will happen inthe future.🤔