[Public-list] Mast Finish Question

[John Birch]

Hi Andrew,

There are several methods of stripping your mast, one is as Don wrote, 
another is sanding which many spar repair firms use, or chem strip - each 
has pluses and minuses. If you want a good job you will have to remove all 
your fittings - this is a major pain but worth it in the end. We are talking 
days of work here between removing hardware, stripping, painting and 
reinstalling. If you are painting again I would recommend considering 
Brightside Polyurethane One Part - it can be sanded between coats and if you 
want it to look better than a spray job then do the 400 - 1500 wetsand paper 
route and follow up on the final with a buff of a product like 3M Finesse It 
and then wax. It will look fantastic - I did an A Class Cat that way this 
year, roll and tip and the results are awesome. Advantage of Brightside is 
that it is touchupable - awlgrip is not.

If you are going to have the mast au natural you will have to sand it - get 
it nice and clean and then I would suggest a clear coat like SparCoat - 
stinky Toluene based product but wears well and the mast won't become 
blotchy with oxidization. Or just let it oxidize and wax it from time to 
time to clean it - in that case buff it with SS wool and acetone or fine 
rubbing compound to get it smooth and get the sanding marks out.

When rebedding winches you should use a plastic gasket material on the base 
to avoid the bronze / aluminium contact and use caulking on the SS bolts so 
the threads don't oxidize the aluminium mast. Getting bolts out of an old 
aluminium mast is a fun project all on its own ; )

Personally, I would not consider working from a chair on this - I'd take the 
spar down.

Hope this is a help.

Good luck.

Cheers,

John


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cole, Andrew L" <andrew.cole at llff.com>
To: <public-list at alberg30.org>
Sent: Friday, December 16, 2005 8:39 AM
Subject: [Public-list] Mast Finish Question


Our mast was painted white at some point, however the paint wearing thin
or missing in many places, resulting in a splotchy appearance.  I'm
thinking about pulling the stick in the spring to fix a couple things.
While it is down, I would like to do something to clean up the
appearance.  Any suggestions?

I don't have any preference between bare aluminum and painted, but I'd
like it to be fairly clean and low maintenance once it is finished, so
I'm leaning toward bare aluminum.  Are there any decent, easy to use,
strippers out there that will leave a bare aluminum surface to gently
oxidize and stabilize?  Any corrosion problems to worry about (we're in
Annapolis if it makes a difference)?  If I decide not to pull the stick
yet, is the process something I can do piecemeal from the chair?

If I have to paint it, I prefer to do it by hand, as I'm not planning on
stripping all the fittings at once if I can help it.  Any suggestions
for a good surface prep or paint?

Thanks,

Andrew Cole
Andante - #152

Cole, Andrew L
Admitted in Maryland, Virginia & Florida
One Corporate Center
10451 Mill Run Circle, Suite 1000
Baltimore MD 21117


tel: 410 581-7408
fax: (410) 581-7410
mob: (410) 206-3577

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