I'm doing some much delayed home maintenance and decided to tackle the re-painting of the front gate. I thought a quick clean up with the wire brush, a light sand then some metal friendly paint. However, like most boat related jobs I want to do it well. Out comes the scraper and I soon discover that a gentle tap with the side of the scraper and the paint chips away in flakes.

Is this what happens on steel boats? I have heard the term "chipping paint" but never given it much thought. Quite relaxing and much better progress with scraper and tack hammer.

It turns out that under the thick white paint I have a thin layer of brown and then black on galvanised steel. Now I am in a quandry, How to do this job without turning it into an art project, it's a gate after all. Perhaps chip the curly bits where the existing coating is thick and unsightly and just tooth up the flat bits where the paint is reasonably sound?
Any advice welcome, and if you have a steel boat and need help chipping your old paint then let me know!

If you are painting bare metal don't you use an acid based primer that 'bites' into the metal, thereby preventing chipping ?.

yes, that's how I remembered it but modern paints must have "secret sauce". This 1 part Epoxy enamel for metal seems to be a single application. Perhaps because it's epoxy enamal not turps based enamel.


Looks like my gate started life galvanised, I would leave it like that if I thought I could get away with it but ... At least no sign of rust anywhere.

Hi Dave,

If you're sanding back to bare metal you'll need an "etch" primer as the first coat. If it was me I'd scrape then sand to get a smooth surface, then use an etch primer on the bare metal. Then paint as normal.
You can buy the primer in tins like normal spray paint. We use it at my work when we have to touch up small jobs.

I'd start with 120 or 240 grit paper and finish with 320 grit paper for the final sand. 120 then 240 and then 320, etch prime, under coat, then one or two top coats.

More than happy to pop over and lend a hand, I'm sure I have some of the primer in my shen.

Mike.

Thanks both for pointing out what I didn't read on the paint instructions. For some reason just didn't see the last sentence!
Also Mike, thanks for the offer of help, I'll just chip away at it, Better to do some sailing in dinghies I think. Away next weekend but keen to sail the one after if weather the least bit favorable.

Aldi metal paint. Stock up when they have it. $20 for a litre. Made in Germany. Paint over bare metal with two coats. I use it on my car trailer and a boat trailer and even the bottom of my fibreglass work boat. Sprays really well. I also use it on the blades of my self steering gear.

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DrogueOne said..
Thanks both for pointing out what I didn't read on the paint instructions. For some reason just didn't see the last sentence!
Also Mike, thanks for the offer of help, I'll just chip away at it, Better to do some sailing in dinghies I think. Away next weekend but keen to sail the one after if weather the least bit favorable.

Yeah thats been the problem, when I have the weekend free there is little wind. I'll be busy doing a course on the weekend of 10th and 11th of Sept. The weather will probably be perfect that weekend, haha. Perhaps the weekend after will be suitable.

Thanks,
Mike