Removing paint & rust

[Steve Manc]

Hi

I am starting to repaint my narrowboat. Having watched  John Barnard video on youtube and http://narrowboats-freyja-and-christina.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/hired-scabbler.html I am looking at hiring or buying a scabbler to remove the paint.

 

Has anyone used one? if so any tips re model, replacing any parts?

 

Has anyone purchased one, if so any tips re model, replacing any parts?

 

Thanks

[Horace42]

2 hours ago, Steve Manc said:

Hi

I am starting to repaint my narrowboat. Having watched  John Barnard video on youtube and http://narrowboats-freyja-and-christina.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/hired-scabbler.html I am looking at hiring or buying a scabbler to remove the paint.

 

Has anyone used one? if so any tips re model, replacing any parts?

 

Has anyone purchased one, if so any tips re model, replacing any parts?

 

Thanks

Can't say. But it looks as though it might work. However, my theory is that if the paint does not want to come off - leave it on and paint over it. It gets patchy after a few years - but what 'finish' are you looking for.

If you are really serious about getting back to bare metal, use a hot air gun and a scraper, albeit you might find you need a large blowlamp to speed things up.

[Boater Sam]

If using a scrabbler, take out all your filament light bulbs else they won't work afterwards. Don't moor need me!

[Steve Manc]

25 minutes ago, Boater Sam said:

If using a scrabbler, take out all your filament light bulbs else they won't work afterwards. Don't moor need me!

Thanks for the heads up

[Richard10002]

If you are going to take it back to bare metal in the way you are suggesting, you ought to get the boat under cover to do it, and the rest of the job... partly to protect against the elements, but also to protect other boats from your debris.

 

I'm with Horace.... I got an amazing result on my handrails, and a pretty good job on my roof, by sanding existing paint back where it was flakey and rusty, sanding the whole lot to give a key, the 2 coats of undercoat and 2 coats of topcoat. Sanding properly in between coats to provide a key each time.

[Steve Manc]

43 minutes ago, Richard10002 said:

If you are going to take it back to bare metal in the way you are suggesting, you ought to get the boat under cover to do it, and the rest of the job... partly to protect against the elements, but also to protect other boats from your debris.

 

I'm with Horace.... I got an amazing result on my handrails, and a pretty good job on my roof, by sanding existing paint back where it was flakey and rusty, sanding the whole lot to give a key, the 2 coats of undercoat and 2 coats of topcoat. Sanding properly in between coats to provide a key each time.

Hi, thanks for the reply.

 

which paint have you used?

 

I started the handrails on the roof last year using the same method as yourself with International Paint.

On one handrail I put Ferronzine to kill the rust and seal on the other I used Qwatrol. To date both are looking ok.

[Richard10002]

Craftmaster High Build Red Undercoat, and Alpha Red Topcoat for the rails. I actually used International Pre-Kote Undercoat on the roof, then Craftmaster Grey Raddle as the top coat.

[mark99]

Agree if you want to remove every bit of paint back to bare, scabbler is very quick relatively and effective.

 

 

[WotEver]

If you’re going back to bare steel it will flash rust overnight so will require painting pronto. 

[Liam]

I have used a scabbler before and they're excellent bits of kit although not cheap! When I started to repaint my boat  (painted in red oxide and then left) I used a "flap disc" which is basically layered sandpaper on a disc that fits on a 4.5" grinder. It worked really well even on the rusty parts and a pack of 10 or 20 will go far and will be less than half the price of a scabbler.

 

I did have the problem though as mentinned above about going too far in one hit with the prep and running out of time in the day and therefore got lots of gingering the following morning. I took a different approach after a few failed attempts at continuously prepping the same bit of boat. I prepared 5ft then painted. Even a blinder cost of primer helps in the short term.

 

Scabblers certainly have their place though in removing a thick build up of rust and works well on removing bitumen as there's no fine sand paper to clog up with tar as you're working. Rather messy though so face mask and eye protection is a must. 

[Steve Manc]

All,     Thanks for the replies.

 

Liam, re flap disc:  what grit value did you use?

 

Thanks

[Liam]

As I was taking the boat back to bare steel I used 40 grit. It also works well on the rusty bits too.

 

I have just ordered some more as I'm dry docking on 10th June

[blackrose]

Linishing discs (flap discs) take off good steel too, that's the only trouble with them. Don't use them on areas below the waterline. I always use wire wheels on a mini angle grinder to take off paint and rust back to bare metal. Whatever you use wear eye protection. 

[Chop!]

It was my video that you watched, there are costings on the same page for the expensive, time-consuming and blister-making alternatives versus the cheap to hire, quick but bloody noisy and I had to wash the boats moored next to us!

You can also get a hard spongy disk that fits a 115mm grinder, very effective at removing paint without damaging the surface but a bit expensive from Screwfix at over £8 each and it wears down after a bit.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/non-woven-preparation-wheel-115mm/83915

[ditchcrawler]

3 hours ago, Chop! said:

It was my video that you watched, there are costings on the same page for the expensive, time-consuming and blister-making alternatives versus the cheap to hire, quick but bloody noisy and I had to wash the boats moored next to us!

You can also get a hard spongy disk that fits a 115mm grinder, very effective at removing paint without damaging the surface but a bit expensive from Screwfix at over £8 each and it wears down after a bit.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/non-woven-preparation-wheel-115mm/83915

I wondered about those scrubbing disk things 

[Chop!]

I'm sure that Northants Welding Supplies have these fibre disks for about half Screwfix's price.

[WotEver]

1 hour ago, Chop! said:

I'm sure that Northants Welding Supplies have these fibre disks for about half Screwfix's price.

Good tip

 

Unfortunately their online catalogue is currently broken but I guess a phone call would work, even if it is old-fashioned