Aluminum paint question

[tbull]

I am going to be painting my 1989 Sea Nymph GLS 195. Until recently I thought I was losing the boat due to some financial problems. Luckily I am not, but now I am trying to catch up with the rebuilding process I started 7 months ago.

I am on a tight budget, and am looking for ideas for some other type of non marine paints you guys have used on Aluminum. I have been reading up on Rustoleum, and even stopped in Tractor Supply to look at that Valspar enamel paint they have for farm equipment.

Most of the original paint is still there, other than the transom. I had to replace it, and took everything down to bare in order to find and seal all the holes I had in it from various sonars. I bought some rustoleum self etching primer to use on that. The rest of the boat I had just planned on sanding down to get a good grip for the new paint.

Can you guys point me in the direction of a type of paint that will work, but not break me in the process?

Thank you very much in advance for your help. Attached is a pic of the boat.

 

[tbull]

Re: Aluminum paint question

I forgot to mention I will have to roll the paint, dont have a compressor big enough to spray. Wish I did.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Aluminum paint question

Welcome to iBoats!

You are spot on with the Valspar Tractor Paint. It is basically the same as rustoleum. Valspar also makes a Hardener for the paint and I can personally testify that it works GREAT!!! It makes the paint VERY GLOSSY and Durable, dry time is sped up 40%. HINT: It is Acrylic Oil Based paint so you can buy the white paint and then use Artists Acrylic Oil Paint that you buy at any Art Supply store to TINT the paint to any color in the rainbow. Two qts of Paint yielded 3 coats on my 15ft fiberglass hull. You can check my thread to see the results. I used Pettit Easypoxy but basically the same thing. Will be using Rustoleum on my trailer.
You can use the Roll n' Roll method using 6" Very Fine Premium foam rollers to roll it on and get Spray like results.

My forumula is 1qt of paint 32 ozs, 1 1/2 cups-12ozs of Acetone for thinning and 2ozs of Hardener

 

[Bondo]

Re: Aluminum paint question

Can you guys point me in the direction of a type of paint that will work, but not break me in the process?

Ayuh,.... R U S T O L E U M industrial enamels....

'n throw the extra cash for the Majic Hardener...

 

[tbull]

Re: Aluminum paint question

Thanks guys....How long does the drying/hardening process typically take. And should I set the boat out in the sun to speed up the process?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Aluminum paint question

4-6hour to the touch 72 hours cure. Do NOT put in Direct sunlight until After 72 hours

 

[KellyC]

Re: Aluminum paint question

Ok, I have a question for you then WOG. Would it be ok to tarp the boat to keep it out of the sunlight for the 72 hours? I do not have a place that I can put my Islander into to keep it out of the sun and was hoping that would be ok.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Aluminum paint question

Yep as long as you make a "Tent" like structure and DON'T let the tarp touch the Paint.

 

[tbull]

Re: Aluminum paint question

One more question guys. Do I need to do anything special to prep this hull? So far it has been sanded down. There are quite a few bare metal spots, more than I thought there would be. But most of the hull has the original paint still. I have read alot of things on here about aluminum oxide primers? Do I have to primer this entire hull? Or just hit the bare spots with the rustoleum self etching primer? I know there is alot of good info on various threads on here, I just cant seem to find the process, and one that doesnt break me financially. Thanks again for all your help its much appreciated.

 

[tbull]

Re: Aluminum paint question

Here are some pics of the progress from today..

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Aluminum paint question

Looking good tbull. Just hit the bare spots with the rustoleum self etching primer. A light coat is all thats needed. I'd recommend washing the hull first with a 50/50 water/white vinegar solution first. This high acidic bath is good for the aluminum. Dry it will then prime the bare spots. Wipe it all down with mineral spirits right before you're ready to start the final finish coats

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Aluminum paint question

Sorry but I do NOT like rustoleum self etching primer on bare aluminum. I tried it with horrible results. Other aluminum surfaces I have painted in the past have had the top coats let go with that primer but not with zinc chromate primer. You do what you like but I thought I would mention that.

Right now I have a 14' Starcraft I painted 5 years ago and the interior was done with the rustoleum primer and the exterior was done with zinc chromate...... the interior is peeling off in sheets.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Aluminum paint question

Sorry but I do NOT like rustoleum self etching primer on bare aluminum. I tried it with horrible results. Other aluminum surfaces I have painted in the past have had the top coats let go with that primer but not with zinc chromate primer. You do what you like but I thought I would mention that.

Right now I have a 14' Starcraft I painted 5 years ago and the interior was done with the rustoleum primer and the exterior was done with zinc chromate...... the interior is peeling off in sheets.

Bob makes and excellent point. Moeller makes a great zinc chromate primer and it is the preffered product to use. Fumes are NOT GOOD for you so make sure and wear a mask when shooting the stuff.
Bob, out of curiosity, is the primer coming off too, or just the paint.

 

[tbull]

Re: Aluminum paint question

I am glad to be hearing this now rather than after the fact. Where can I find the zinc chromate?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Aluminum paint question

West Marine carries it. Moeller Paint brand. Might find it in some Auto Parts stores.

 

[tbull]

Re: Aluminum paint question

Man I am overwhelmed. Just terrified to screw this up. I am just wanting to do this right one time. I stopped in the KOI paint store today and talked to the guy. he recommended some stuff so I forked out the dough and picked up some OMNI AU mp170 epoxy primer, and mp175 catalyst. I havent opened anything and still have the receipts. Everything seemed ok at the time but I am confused now. He said I could not sand the epoxy primer. So how the heck and I supposed to get a smooth finish for the topcoat? Am I supposed to fork over even more cash and get a surfacing type primer to go over top of this epoxy? Am I over thinking here? Or just putting more into this than neccesary? This stuff was expensive, and I am on a pretty tight budget. The entire transom is bare along with some large areas on the rest of the hull, so I needed a good bit of primer for the bare. I just dont know if this guy knew I would need to purchase some more primer, or if he thought I wouldnt mind if it looked like crap?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Aluminum paint question

tbull, Take a BIG breath!!!!! Take the epoxy primer back and get your money back. If you cannot fine the zinc chromate primer locally then order from Amazon.com online. Not sure where you live but in a metroplex area you should be able to find it. Call a local body shop or marine repair shop to see if they can help you locate it. You ARE overthinking this. It is NOT brain surgery! I KNOW you want it to be nice and it will be. Slow down, take it easy and you'll be fine.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Aluminum paint question

I used this http://duplicolor.com/products/selfEtchingPrimer/ from Pep Boys. You only need a light dusting of the stuff.

 

[Mojo^]

Re: Aluminum paint question

I've seen this topic hotly debated on several forums which prompted me to do a little independent research. For over 25 years I worked in the aerospace industry where zinc chromate primer is widely used and I will not dispute it's superiority when applied over alodine. Without a doubt it is the top dog when it comes to corrosion protection and promoting paint adhesion on aluminum. However, I think it's a good idea to try and keep everything in context. If it's simply a small to mid-sized aluminum boat used occasionally for recreational purposes, is it really necessary? I suppose if you intend to keep the boat on the water for weeks or even months on end, have possible exposure to salt water or you are going to keep it for the rest of your life then zinc chromate over alodine would certainly be the way to go but for the average casual boater I think it may be overkill and cost prohibitive. I've reviewed the MSDS on at least a half dozen different brands of self-etching primers including some zinc phosphates and zinc chromates. Oddly enough, Rustoleum Self-Etching Primer contains the highest concentrations of zinc phosphate (5%) of any of the major brands I reviewed (DAP, Sherwin-Williams, Martin Senor, Tempo, Duplicolor, etc..) and to me this represents good value for your money. Sure, Rustoleum takes longer to dry/cure properly and all surfaces must be very clean before application but if you adequately prep by abrading the surface followed by a thorough cleaning and allow it to properly cure before top coating I can see no reason why it wouldn't be suitable for the average recreational boater. I think the trick is to apply several very light coats or dustings of Rustoleum rather than try to hit it all at once. If you have doubts to it's ability to properly adhere you can (and probably should) perform a simple dry tape adhesion test to ensure proper adhesion before proceeding with a top coat. Just my two cents.

 

[MichaelP]

Re: Aluminum paint question

I'm in the same position as you are tbull and you attracted some of the most experienced folks on this subject. I am also very apprehensive about this part of my project that coming soon so I'd like to jump in and get some validation on my process.

Here is my plan (at the moment)
1) wash bare alum (or entire boat) with 50-50 vineger-h20 and rinse with water
2) coat bare alum with ZC primer
3) prime entire hull with Rusto (self etching or bare steel primer?)
4) Top coat 2-3 coats Rusto Professional