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Paint Recomendations

Posted By: Ventucky Red

Paint Recomendations - 01/24/11 01:31 AM

Boy-oh-boy are my arms sore. Did a lot of sanding yesterday and today. There is not an inch of the 32 feet on this mast that has not been scrutinized, epoxied where need, and sanded smooth as glass again.

Now that we're already for the paint, wondering if there are any recommendations. I am planning to use the Rust-Oleum Professional Enamel. Are there any other aerosol products I should look at?

Here are a couple of pix of the project:

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

Posted By: catman

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/24/11 02:21 PM

I think after all the work you did you might want to get a quart of awlgrip of some other 2 part paint that will last. Should be easy to roll-tip that mast.
Posted By: Jake

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/24/11 02:28 PM

Originally Posted by catman
I think after all the work you did you might want to get a quart of awlgrip of some other 2 part paint that will last. Should be easy to roll-tip that mast.


I agree - though I would probably try to find a method to spray it, I have seen some pretty good roll and tipped paint jobs. The 2 part paints available today (like awlgrip) are incredibly tough and durable.
Posted By: carlbohannon

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/24/11 02:49 PM

I would not use a current aerosol paint after doing that much work. It just doesn't last very long. My first choice would be a good 2 part linear polyurethane (Awl Grip, Imron, PPG, etc). Some of the old style 1 part auto paints hold up almost as well and there are some "coatings" available in aerosol that are really tough but ugly.

I have to paint a Marstrom mast and will probably use a DuPont Imron industrial paint that DuPont says is identical to what Marstrom uses on his yellow boats.
Posted By: waterbug_wpb

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/24/11 05:10 PM

Matterhorn White. the way it should be smile
Posted By: Sloansailing

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/24/11 06:00 PM

Find an auto shop that can spray it and spring for good paint as mentioned above. Worst thing in the world is to do hours of prep for a shitty looking paint job.
Posted By: Cab

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/24/11 06:56 PM

I would spend the 20 dollars on the rustoleum paint and primer and give it a try. If you really don't like it redo it with better paint next year. It is easy to use and does not require a lot of tools you may or may not have. It would probably be 250 dollars just for the awlgrip system of paint, converter, reducer, primer, and primer converter.
Posted By: PTP

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/24/11 07:00 PM

Originally Posted by Ventucky Red
[Linked Image]


ok, so I'm bored at work. But why are there two perfectly good sawhorses off to the side and you have the mast balanced on the arms of two chairs?
Posted By: pgp

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/24/11 09:05 PM

At one time Rust oleum had "fish oil" in it and it wasn't compatible with automotive paint. I've no idea if that is still the case.
Posted By: Ventucky Red

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/24/11 09:37 PM

Originally Posted by Cab
I would spend the 20 dollars on the rustoleum paint and primer and give it a try. If you really don't like it redo it with better paint next year. It is easy to use and does not require a lot of tools you may or may not have. It would probably be 250 dollars just for the awlgrip system of paint, converter, reducer, primer, and primer converter.


Went down to the local boatyard at lunch to see what they would charge to do the spraying etc..... The owner had recomended me to Britesides by Interlux

Showed me a hull that had just been done (rolled and tipped) with the stuff and looked fantastic. Went down the street to the local Marine Store and picked up a quart of Materhorn White and a quart of primer and it was only $30 more that what the Rust Oleum cost me and that stuff is going back to Lowes this evening.

Originally Posted by PTP

ok, so I'm bored at work. But why are there two perfectly good sawhorses off to the side and you have the mast balanced on the arms of two chairs?


Ahhhh! Rube Goldberg!!!!

It was only sitting on the one chair's arm. I had the sprinklers going for a while due to I'll be shutting them off for the next week while I do the painting.
Posted By: PTP

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/24/11 09:40 PM

I am going to try Perfection paint on my board and rudder. Two part. I think it might be too brittle for a mast though.
Posted By: Ventucky Red

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/24/11 09:54 PM

Originally Posted by PTP
I am going to try Perfection paint on my board and rudder. Two part. I think it might be too brittle for a mast though.


Maybe for the boards and rudders yes. What I read about paints last night is the constant exposure to sunlight (UV) and the expansion and contracting from heating and cooling is what breaks them down.

Much of the pint on this mast especially at the base came right off with little or no effort from the wet sanding. In other areas it was on pretty solid with the exception of where it had been worn off.
Posted By: Jake

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/24/11 11:59 PM

Originally Posted by pgp
At one time Rust oleum had "fish oil" in it and it wasn't compatible with automotive paint. I've no idea if that is still the case.


I don't know about "fish oil" but the rustoleum and krylon aren't even compatible with themselves anymore. Forget doing a multi-colored paint scheme with overlapping colors...they'll crinkle where you spray over it's own previously cured paint (it didn't do this three years ago). I know this from the r/c sailboat model building I did last year.

It does, however, lay down much smoother than before and you can get a pretty impressive result out of a can (durable enough for an r/c sailboat that lives mostly indoors)...you just can't layer colors.
Posted By: TeamChums

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/25/11 12:28 AM

I painted a Mustang with Rustoleum once. Looked great but my finger hurt for quite a while.
Posted By: pgp

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/25/11 12:35 AM

Did you try repainting afterward?

A consideration for painting is the possible need for repair. Some painting systems can be "blended" by using special solvents and clear coatings designed specifically for that purpose. Dark and metallic colors are the most problematic, light solids are the easiest.

Posted By: Jake

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/25/11 01:59 AM

Originally Posted by TeamChums
I painted a Mustang with Rustoleum once. Looked great but my finger hurt for quite a while.


I did that too with a Toyota Celica that I put together from two wrecked ones. It held up pretty well considering!
Posted By: Ventucky Red

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/25/11 03:17 AM

Originally Posted by Jake
Originally Posted by TeamChums
I painted a Mustang with Rustoleum once. Looked great but my finger hurt for quite a while.


I did that too with a Toyota Celica that I put together from two wrecked ones. It held up pretty well considering!


Too bad they didn't have these back then, designed by taggers for taggers!!!! Great for rednecks wanting to make their 84 Ford Mustang 68 Impala look like the General Lee grin

[Linked Image]
Posted By: Jake

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/25/11 03:20 AM

Originally Posted by Ventucky Red
Originally Posted by Jake
Originally Posted by TeamChums
I painted a Mustang with Rustoleum once. Looked great but my finger hurt for quite a while.


I did that too with a Toyota Celica that I put together from two wrecked ones. It held up pretty well considering!


Too bad they didn't have these back then, designed by taggers for taggers!!!! Great for rednecks wanting to make their 84 Ford Mustang 68 Impala look like the General Lee grin

[Linked Image]


I was building one good car from two wrecked ones (one in the front, one in the back) .... I didn't have $7.99 to spare even if that existed at the time!
Posted By: Seeker

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/25/11 03:54 AM

"I don't know about "fish oil" but the rustoleum and krylon aren't even compatible with themselves anymore. Forget doing a multi-colored paint scheme with overlapping colors...they'll crinkle where you spray over its own previously cured paint (it didn't do this three years ago). I know this from the r/c sailboat model building I did last year."

Most of the paints that come in spray cans have a small window of when they can be recoated without crinkling...if they are not recoated quickly you have to wait 3 days or more for it to cure...check the can, read the instructions, follow the instructions....it will let you know when you can recoat. Many seem to think they know more about a product and its correct application than the chemist that developed it in the first place, evidenced by the problems that are encountered from not reading and following the instructions.

In the grand scheme of things the paint is the cheapest part of the process...once you commit to a cheap paint you are screwed...you will have to remove every trace of the cheap paint and spray a barrier coat before you can go over it with any two part marine linear Poly or even any decent automotive paint. The powerful solvents in the professional coatings will lift any of the cheap spray paints.

On a mast especially, you need a paint with exceptional flexibility...cheap spray can paint isn't going to cut it. There is a good reason why Awlgrip costs what it does and enjoys the reputation it does.

Remember the line..."Never enough time and money to do it right the first time but always enough to redo it right the second time."
Posted By: Ventucky Red

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/25/11 04:57 AM

Originally Posted by Seeker

On a mast especially, you need a paint with exceptional flexibility...cheap spray can paint isn't going to cut it. There is a good reason why Awlgrip costs what it does and enjoys the reputation it does.

Remember the line..."Never enough time and money to do it right the first time but always enough to redo it right the second time."


I have been doing some homework on this and Awlgrip, Interlux, Glidden, and a few other noted brands are all owned by the same company AkzoNobel.
Posted By: Jake

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/25/11 12:51 PM

Originally Posted by Seeker

Most of the paints that come in spray cans have a small window of when they can be recoated without crinkling...if they are not recoated quickly you have to wait 3 days or more for it to cure...check the can, read the instructions, follow the instructions....it will let you know when you can recoat. Many seem to think they know more about a product and its correct application than the chemist that developed it in the first place, evidenced by the problems that are encountered from not reading and following the instructions.



I understand about applying multiple coats of the same color but what I'm talking about is where different colors come together and overlap. I certainly can't mask off and paint a second color on the edge of another while the first color is still wet. Recoating time on the can is less than 15 minutes. I contacted the companies and they admitted they changed their formulas which made multiple color overlaps more difficult but increased other properties in the paint.

It can be done - but it involves spraying very light coats of the subsequent colors where they overlap...which means you can't lay down a smooth coat. It will be orange peeled and will need to be sanded and clear coated.
Posted By: SurfCityRacing

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/25/11 03:30 PM

Spring for the AWLGRIP and someone to spray it. It's as tough as nails, but it's very toxic. Every mast that leaves our local spar shop with paint is Awlgripped. It's the right way to go.
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/25/11 04:25 PM

Originally Posted by PTP
Originally Posted by Ventucky Red
[Linked Image]




why are there two perfectly good sawhorses off to the side and you have the mast balanced on the arms of two chairs?

They are there just for support
Posted By: sol18sailer

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/26/11 02:11 AM

Just my .02 but I think I'm going to have to agree with everyone telling you to use a quality product. I would highly suggest you visit a local Paint and Automotive supply shop that is a jobber for the local body shops. They will likely have several people on staff who have sprayed catalyzed product or single stage acrylics and can tell you what will work best for your situation. The problem that your going to run into is deciding if you want to do the work yourself or have someone do it for you? I would strongly suggest you do it yourself for several reasons.

1: Do you really want to load up that mast, haul it off to a custom paint shop, pay and arm and a leg, wait several days before you can pick it up, and then risk damage while transporting "soft" paint?

2: If you already have a compressor of a decent size you can pickup a very usable generic gravity fed HVLP spray gun for about 75 bucks. A quart of reduced and flattened ready to spray acrylic enamel(which is a lot more than you'll need but probably the smallest they will sell you the way I described,) should only set you back around 30 bucks at your local automotive paint jobber and will give you a professional finish and durability that will far exceed anything you'll get out of an aerosol. You'll also end up with a lot less unnecessary product on your mast which while minimal, is a good place to reduce weight.

3: When you finish this project and see how awesome it turned out, you'll wonder why you waited so long to start spraying things the "right" way. You'll also have the tools and confidence to tackle other projects that may have seemed like a job for someone else before. Just make sure to spot prime the bare spots, final sand, and wipe every thing down with a good solvent based wax and grease remover. Good prep will make every paint job better regardless of the product used.
Best of luck with whatever you end up doing.
Posted By: Ventucky Red

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/26/11 02:32 AM

Originally Posted by sol18sailer
Just my .02 but I think I'm going to have to agree with everyone telling you to use a quality product. I would highly suggest you visit a local Paint and Automotive supply shop that is a jobber for the local body shops. They will likely have several people on staff who have sprayed catalyzed product or single stage acrylics and can tell you what will work best for your situation. The problem that your going to run into is deciding if you want to do the work yourself or have someone do it for you? I would strongly suggest you do it yourself for several reasons.

1: Do you really want to load up that mast, haul it off to a custom paint shop, pay and arm and a leg, wait several days before you can pick it up, and then risk damage while transporting "soft" paint?

2: If you already have a compressor of a decent size you can pickup a very usable generic gravity fed HVLP spray gun for about 75 bucks. A quart of reduced and flattened ready to spray acrylic enamel(which is a lot more than you'll need but probably the smallest they will sell you the way I described,) should only set you back around 30 bucks at your local automotive paint jobber and will give you a professional finish and durability that will far exceed anything you'll get out of an aerosol. You'll also end up with a lot less unnecessary product on your mast which while minimal, is a good place to reduce weight.

3: When you finish this project and see how awesome it turned out, you'll wonder why you waited so long to start spraying things the "right" way. You'll also have the tools and confidence to tackle other projects that may have seemed like a job for someone else before. Just make sure to spot prime the bare spots, final sand, and wipe every thing down with a good solvent based wax and grease remover. Good prep will make every paint job better regardless of the product used.
Best of luck with whatever you end up doing.


Actually we just got the gun and will be using a product from Interlux called Britsides. I am not set up for the two part and knowing my neighbors once I start that I'll the AQMB knocking at my door.

Let me give you the breakdown on how I got to this point.


1.) Scraped off all the stickers and the crud they leave behind.

2.) Coment clenser, a Scotch pad, and the hose. Once I had the epoxy work done to patch the holes the whole mast was cleaned using this.

3.) After we hosed it it down we washed it again with with dishsoap and water.

4.) Then we went to work wet sanding with 180 - 220 - 400.

5.) Repeated steps 2 & 3.



Posted By: sol18sailer

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/26/11 02:51 AM

Nice! I google'd your paint and it looks perfect for your carbon mast. Poly's are always great for a surface that's going to see some flex. Couple of questions, did you get reducer for the paint? It's going to be to thick to spray as is, unless your a fan of the textured look. smile Also I would suggest that you final sand (wet sand would be best,)with at least 600 grit and then wipe it down again before spraying. Honestly it's probably a little anal for a Mast but I grew up prepping and later shooting cars for my dad, so I go with what I know.

Hope everything turns out well!
Posted By: Ventucky Red

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/26/11 03:32 AM

Originally Posted by sol18sailer
Nice! I google'd your paint and it looks perfect for your carbon mast. Poly's are always great for a surface that's going to see some flex. Couple of questions, did you get reducer for the paint? It's going to be to thick to spray as is, unless your a fan of the textured look. smile Also I would suggest that you final sand (wet sand would be best,)with at least 600 grit and then wipe it down again before spraying. Honestly it's probably a little anal for a Mast but I grew up prepping and later shooting cars for my dad, so I go with what I know.

Hope everything turns out well!


They do, it is Interlux Spray Reducer 216.

Still trying to figure the viscosity, any recommendations for a starting point?
Posted By: coastrat

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/26/11 04:38 AM

couple of things to mention. if the gun is brand new, do a small project with it before you spray the mast. they pack the guns with grease fron the factory and the first time you run material through there especialy something hot like marine poly, it will spit globs of grease on your stuff. learned that the hard way, gun puked on my hood in the middle of the paint job. paint a chair or something then clean her up proper and its ready.

as far as reduction, follow the destructions but stay on the lesser side, you can always add more(cap fulls at a time). test the spray pattern on some scrap material until you get the fan and material flow where you like it before you touch the mast. don't try to put a fat coat on and cover on the first coat, hit a light/med 1st coat, let it flash for 15 mins. or so then another medium coat to cover. whites useually cover real good, reds and yellows not so much. the main thing is not to run/sagg the material. your better off with several light coats than to drench it. don't forget beer...can't paint without it!
Posted By: Sloansailing

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/26/11 04:42 AM

Problem with spraying the one part paint is technically you should let each coat dry, then sand, then recoat the next coat. Because it is so thin to spray, you won't get much build up. You can hot coat the paint, but it can have problems with adhesion. This means you use up a lot more time and energy than if you used a two part paint, which will get a great finish with three consecutive sprays to build up the paint.

If you are going to use Brightside you'll be better off rolling and tipping, using the brushing liquid. This actually leaves a very nice finish if you get it thinned right.

Or, you can base coat with roll and tip and spray a final coat after sanding, which would produce the nicest fastest result for that product.
Posted By: sol18sailer

Re: Paint Recomendations - 01/26/11 02:28 PM

Originally Posted by coastrat
couple of things to mention. if the gun is brand new, do a small project with it before you spray the mast. they pack the guns with grease from the factory and the first time you run material through there especialy something hot like marine poly, it will spit globs of grease on your stuff. learned that the hard way, gun puked on my hood in the middle of the paint job. paint a chair or something then clean her up proper and its ready.

as far as reduction, follow the destructions but stay on the lesser side, you can always add more(cap fulls at a time). test the spray pattern on some scrap material until you get the fan and material flow where you like it before you touch the mast. don't try to put a fat coat on and cover on the first coat, hit a light/med 1st coat, let it flash for 15 mins. or so then another medium coat to cover. whites useually cover real good, reds and yellows not so much. the main thing is not to run/sagg the material. your better off with several light coats than to drench it. don't forget beer...can't paint without it!


I agree with coastrat of this advice. The first thing you should do is run some lacquer thinner or similar "clean" solvent through the gun to flush the needle, cap, and atomizing points. If you have another project to practice on great, but don't sweat it if you don't.

Follow this link for the MFG product sheet that will give you all the specs you need. http://www.yachtpaint.com/MPYACMDatasheets/Brightside_Polyurethane+eng-usa+A4+Y+20100614.pdf

Reducing your product should be done based on the size of the nozzel your gun has. Every gun can be different but it's probably around the 1.5-1.7 size range. Reduction should be based on the manufactures recommendation for the product (if it's not on the can call the store where you bought it or check the MFG website,) and adjusted only slightly to compensate for a smaller nozzle or temperature challenges in the curing environment. The reducer you purchased is specific to the spray application because it will allow the paint to be thinned without decreasing dry time and in a lot of cases actually increasing dry times. This will allow you enough time to coat the entire mast allow it to flash off then re coat while the paint is still "open" and able to bond with the consecutive layers. Single stage products can have very long dry times so be sure to follow the MFG direction on this and don't rush it. Don't put to much on the first coat. Thinner coats make for better adhesion to both the mast and each other. Your final coat should be the thickest and around .5 mils and in regular applications will give you the best gloss. Remember to watch your overlaps, release the trigger and re engage at both sides of your stroke, and always work directly in front you trying to avoid crazy angles or blind spots. And one last thing, make sure you drain your compressor really well before spraying. There is nothing more sickening than seeing your work ruined by water contamination. If you live in a really humid area I would pick up an in-line air dryer. Their available for around $5 and screw directly on to your gun in between the nipple. Sorry about the ramble I've been awake way to long and I'm a little jealous that you can even go outside and work without getting soaked. smile

Once again good luck and post some more pics when your done, I'd love to see how it turns out.
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