barnicles on props

[wmfels]

ok im wondering how to clean up my props. it had been sitting a loooong time, did a quick bottom job in the water now that the boat is out the props look like crap,wasnt sure they were brass till i scraped with a screwdriver. is there any kind of acid to use to get them looking good ? or atleast smooth?

[wmfels]

they were covered with barnicles but still have the remnants stuck to them

[rsmith]

sandblast is the only thing i've found to make the paint stick

[ron6785]

ok im wondering how to clean up my props. it had been sitting a loooong time, did a quick bottom job in the water now that the boat is out the props look like crap,wasnt sure they were brass till i scraped with a screwdriver. is there any kind of acid to use to get them looking good ? or atleast smooth?

Use a grinder with a wire wheel that will clean them up and is much better than using any kind of grinder blade or sand paper. It is also much easier and better on the shafts

[lumina]

Hi All,

We're a fan of the wire wheel appraoch. Fast, and it's easier on the stainless steel and bronze.

[krush]

don't use steel wire wheel

[rsmith]

I agree with krush the wire wheel not only imbeds small particles of steel into the bronze it also seems to "smear" the metal and the paint dosent take. If you cant sandblast use a disk sander with 80 grit thats what they use at the prop shops.

[REBrueckner]

You can hand sand, orbital or disk power sand....

What's the name of the product you can "paint" or wipe on and then wipe off barnacle shells???? It's been posted here previously.

Probably a mild acid to react with calcium carbonate...marine shells....would vinegar work???

[Avenger]

FWIW my yard used some kind of acid to clean my props during a short haul this summer. They used a sprayer to put it on. You could not get far away enough from it when they did. Literally, green smoke came off them.

After a few minutes they hosed them down with water and they looked brand new. Next time I'm there (maybe Saturday) I'll ask them what it is.

Otherwise, if it's heavy and you have to manually remove them, I would suggest the wire brush on a grinder for starters because most abrasives will clog up too quicly. Once you've got the heavy stuff off follow up with a sander to remove the rest, and any transferred steel.

[rsmith]

I use this stuff on the lower unit of my outboards. Works ok but not great.Get a wiff of it and youl find out how the guys in the trenches in WW1 felt like.



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