TOPIC: Painting aluminum prop

Is there a trick to getting the paint to stay on an aluminum prop. I have panted mine a couple of times and it seems to have adhered very well. lasting about a season then all of a sudden it starts to peel off. I have used etching primer and whimbledon white duplicolor paint. Lightly sanding the surface first before the etching primer.

I struggled with this same problem last year after my "sandbar incident" Hustler, here are my thoughts and findings. It sounds like you're doing the prep work right, but I don't think Dupli-Color is the right paint for the job. The prop companies use a (two-part) special paint/covering, bake it on, and even that won't last too long. (It would last a lot longer if you didn't run aground on sand bars, let me tell ya!) As fast as that prop is spinning, and the pressure from the water acting as an abrasive, it's not going to stick. Maybe the pro's here can advise a better paint or coating to use.....?

Another point, the trials and tribulations of this helped me realize I was trimmed up one hole too high. The alum. prop was "burning" the paint off first trip out. I trimmed down one hole, and it helped a great deal. (Boat performance should be the first priority, not the paint on the prop, mind you.) My new project will have a polished bronze prop, and hopefully I'll be able to afford a stainless steel prop for the Starflite after the $$$ recover from the project. Save the alum. props for spares.... Just my two cents worth, fire away guys! LOL

Hey something I know a lot about. I was an auto body repair tech and painter for 15 plus years and you'll need an acid based etching primer to start with. It's the only thing that will eat into the aluminum and stick. DuPont had what they called variprime or what we called "Green Death" because of the color and horrific smell. You should be able to get etching primer in small spray cans from any auto body supply shops. Clean the prop with a real good metal prep and then acid prime it and then paint. I would color with a real good heavy enamel or if you want to use spendy paint go with a catalyzed single stage like IMRON. It's like liquid cement but paint. We used Imron white when we did PWC hull repairs because it resisted sand and rock scratches really well. Just don't run it cause you won't be sanding runs outta this stuff.

hope this helps,

SS

Any thoughts on POR-15 sealer paint for a prop, I bought some in a pint to seal a toilet tank repair where the epoxy seeped through the repair, that stuff gets hard and was black, dont know of other colors? It stopped the leak! I brushed it on and it flowed out smooth and a gloss...

I'm getting ready to paint my aluminum wheel with a U-TECH polyurethane and they suggest "Aluminum after it has been properly treated with M5700 Alodine. Please refer to the M5700 Alodine TDS". That said the guy at the auto paint store says that acetone will also work. Good luck.

I know you are asking about painting. But, I am about ready to give up and just polish my aluminum prop. Anyone done that?

Michigan Wheel powder coats their aluminum propellers.

DaveK wrote:

I know you are asking about painting. But, I am about ready to give up and just polish my aluminum prop. Anyone done that?

That's pretty easy. Strip off the old paint and use mothers aluminum polish then wax it to help keep the shine.

SS