Painting in place

[Rbyham]

My a4 runs good just looks a little rough. So I don't need to pull it but would like to freshen and paint. Painting in place I was wondering if anyone here has experience? I am thinking brush-on versus spray for better control. I found this kit and wondered what if anyone here would recommend or otherwise comment. Thanks.

POR-15®
https://www.por15.com/mobile/ENGINE-PAINTING-KIT_p_49.html

[sastanley]

Yeah...I've freshened up my engine in place. If you click on my user name, select "view public profile", and scan to the right, you will eventually get to my album with the engine. I don't quite have all the pictures in order, but you should be able to figure out the beginning and the end. I've been pleased with the results, and have also come to the realization that paint is a maintenance item on a metal box that goes from ambient temp to 250°F+ in some places in a matter of minutes. A proper chemical strip/sandblasting, etc. in a shop would produce better results than scraping/sanding/chipping off loose flakes in the boat.

A brush is OK, and definitely gets the paint on thicker, but as noted above, no thickness of paint matters if the underlying material flakes off. For overspray, I just draped lots of rags & stuff around..plus, with my galley removed, access is pretty good for this sort of operation...not so much if you are working under the stairs, which is more typical.

[Rbyham]

Nice job. Inspirational. I actually think you started with a rougher engine than mine. I suppose most guys would leave mine alone. And I may. I agree the prep is key. Getting all loose and rusted off or down to better layers is the hardest part. How much time did you spend in prep and what were your prep steps? Any opinion on the POR kit? Seems the degreaser and POR primer/topcoat tandem might work. If I had a big C30 cabin spray might make more sense but my smaller cabin makes me cringe to think of the overspray. Not so much from a control perspective though that is a concern. But more from a health perspective. My other challenge is yes I am under stairs. But I have very good access from front to aft end of head and block. The challenge would be the very back and trans which would involve some serious but doable contortions. I looked for a thread on in boat painting but couldn't find much. Did I miss your thread?

[Al Schober]

Agree that prep and priming are the key to the job. The top coat is just for color and gloss - you don't even have to worry about UV resistance.
For a primer, I've recently been using a 2 part epoxy - Interlux 2000E. Rather a pain to use, as you want to get the ratio of resin/catalyst correct. I've been mixing by weight using a gram scale which tends to be messy until you develop the technique. In addition to nitrile gloves, you'll have to add paper towels and plastic spoons to the list of stuff you'll use and discard. Oh yeah, a box of 2" chip brushes from Harbor Freight. But, the 2 part epoxy does stick well and gives a great surface for recoating.

[sastanley]

Well..here is the first thread I ever started...there are a few of the album pics in it. I am warning you there is lots of newbie-isms going on. http://www.moyermarine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2738

I've spread the pics out all over the place, which is kinda why I consolidated them in my album. For the prep, I used a brass/steel/stainless brush and sandpaper and screwdrivers and putty knives and just about anything to chip off old stuff. The biggest degradation was on the stbd side under the side plate. I had BIG chunks flake off there...so much that the boss area on the aft drain plug is no longer there..just the smooth block area...but it all seems to be holding OK so far. I used the black rust converter stuff with a chip brush, and the primer was Rustoleum.

The current paint is Rustoleum hammered copper, as the first color was high $$ Duplicolor touch up paint that came in small cans and was not readily available. The Rustoleum is available everywhere & is more gold than orange.

Al, great idea on the 2-part for a 'base coat'. As mentioned, I've used Rustoleum spray cans, and occasionally, a new 'chunk' flakes off.

[Mark Millbauer]

Rbyham,

POR 15 is great stuff. I have used it many times on various projects--mostly automotive related but including one cast iron keel on a Columbia 22. Follow their instructions as they have done a ton of research. They a good company and provide excellent support.

Mark

[Skywalker]

I just painted mine in place. On the advise of Ken, I used Rustoleum rusty metal primer. Painted it on with a brush. I didn't top coat it, didn't see a need.

Here's a pic or two.

Skywalker

[ndutton]

I like Rustoleum for this application mainly because it's the last commonly available high solids oil based paint. At least that's the case here in California, the environmentally friendly land of fruits and nuts with a governor nicknamed Moonbeam. The rattle cans are thinned way out to get them to spray at all so it takes several coats to build a decent thickness. The engine in my boat was sprayed in place with Rustoleum Hammered Copper (rattle can) and has held up pretty well for several years.

For my recent spare engine project I mixed a batch of home brewed Rustoleum bronze with a 60-40 blend of Leather Brown and Red. Since the engine was completely disassembled and on the bench I was able to spray it with my own equipment. After power wire brushing and solvent washing I applied two coats of rusty metal primer and three coats of home brew. It should last a while.

A neat trick with oil based paint (varnish too) is to add Japan Drier, aka cobalt drier to the mix, about a cap full of drier to a quart of paint. It acts like a catalyst causing the paint to become dry to the touch in about an hour in moderate temperature.

[Administrator]

One of these days, I'm hoping someone will powdercoat a rebuild.

Bill