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Paint Removal

Biggles

By Biggles
in Boat Building & Maintenance

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dave moore Influencer

dave moore

Posted
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Grit blasting is the one process that will easily remove mill scale, not the news you want to hear, I'm afraid. You may have success with an angle grinder with a linishing disc but it's hard to get all of it off and there's a good chance of putting visible marks in the steel. Don't ask me how I know this.....

 

Dave

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RLWP Veteran II

RLWP

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This season I plan on repainting my cabin sides. I will also need to get the millscale off too.

 

Whats the current thinking on getting back to clean metal, is the anything new out there?

 

Wow - how do you know you have millscale on the steel?

 

Richard

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Bee Veteran

Bee

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Quite honestly so long as you get a decent flat surface I wouldn't bother. I have never heard of anybody trying to take a top layer off the steel. Unless the paint is flaking off with proper rusty stuff stuck to the flakes 999 of us out of 1000 would just flat it all down nicely and start painting it, theres enough work in that without making more.

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RLWP Veteran II

RLWP

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Quite honestly so long as you get a decent flat surface I wouldn't bother. I have never heard of anybody trying to take a top layer off the steel.

 

Well....

 

It depends what was done in the first place. In some cases, the mill scale from the rolling process was left on by the builders. And in some cases, it subsequently starts to flake off taking the paint with it. And in some cases it doesn't

 

So, I'm interested to see what Biggles' experience has been to see why he wants to remove the mill scale

 

Richard

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Higgs Influencer

Higgs

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Apparently, mill scale is only a problem if it is breaking down through exposure to the atmosphere. If it is breaking down, it will cause problems for the painting. Heavy sanding, to key up the surface, would probably remove most of the mill scale. it is the reaction to the elements that is a problem.

 

I'd thoroughly degrease the area and paint. I've come across mill scale and it does not readily come away from the steel by heavy sanding, it's hard going. Degreasing and some keying should help your painting survive. It is exposure to the elements that will break down mill scale.

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ChimneyChain Rising Star

ChimneyChain

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You may have success with an angle grinder with a linishing disc but it's hard to get all of it off and there's a good chance of putting visible marks in the steel. Don't ask me how I know this....

Dave

But only if you push it, we've used an angle grinder with 5" flexible discs on both our boats one 62ft one 71ft and took them both back to bare metal. Once you get into a routine of swinging your arm it don't take too long to make good progress.

 

Darren

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Tiggs Community Regular

Tiggs

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Strip the paint off, leave it for two year, clean the rust off and paint.

 

A process seen many times on the canal.

 

The other one is paint it with grey primer, leave it until its rusty, then sell the boat to someone else.

  • Greenie 1
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Biggles Veteran

Biggles

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Right here's the story.

 

When I built the boat I was told by a paint company that I'd used and trusted for many years in business that there was no need to remove the millscale, just leave it to rust for 3 months, remove the subsequent rust layer until reasonably smooth then apply their "Vactan" type product. This would convert the remaining rust to something else and provide a chemically stabalised surface ready for paint.

I did this to the letter as can bee seen on my blog, and for a while it looked great with a 2pak spray job. Then it started to micro blister and 4 years later it is now coming off very easily in sheets as wide as any scraper I've used. The "Vactan" type stuff has released from the metal and my cabin sides look like a scabby dog now.

This year I want to repaint it before anymore damage is done to the steel and I want yo get back to fresh metal to remove all traces of the "Vactan" type product.

I guess blasting is going to be the best option but the VNF apparently aren't too keen on this being done on the water.

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David Mack Veteran II

David MackDonate to Canal World

Posted
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I guess blasting is going to be the best option but the VNF apparently aren't too keen on this being done on the water.

Very understandable. I can't imagine a blasting contractor will be too keen on doing it afloat either. You really need the boat on a paved hardstanding where the blasting debris can be swept up and properly disposed of.

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Guest

Guest

Posted
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Grit blasting is the one process that will easily remove mill scale, not the news you want to hear, I'm afraid. You may have success with an angle grinder with a linishing disc but it's hard to get all of it off and there's a good chance of putting visible marks in the steel. Don't ask me how I know this.....

 

Dave

Exactly what the owner of my previous boat did!

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ditchcrawler Veteran II

ditchcrawlerDonate to Canal World

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I've just looked at the videos of the Tercoo thing. Is it me or does it look a bit sh*t? rubbish?

 

The one my company sold was essentially the same thing. I just used it as a generic name.

Been used by a member here http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=47669&p=886388

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DHutch Veteran II

DHutchDonate to Canal World

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I must say, while far from an expert, I think I would be seriously considered getting it blasting back to bright, if limited to a really fairly small number of places still happy to offer the service. Make sure you watch them and ensure a really good job is done, no scale remaining, shadows behind handrails etc.

 

Then as it appears to have worked well on our boat I would proberbly use a two part blast primer, which is a very thin and searching coat, put on within a few hours of the blasting. From which you can build up the paint system of choice.

 

 

Daniel

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