Mercury aluminum prop

[cheetahgod]

What is the best way to polish and prevent oxidation of aluminum prop?

[wbeaton]

It’s a losing battle. Wax seems to help a bit.

Wayne
Upper Canada Chapter

uccaomci.com

[The Boat House]

The polish itself protects the metal but
it has a limited time that it is effective
depending on exposure. It can last for
years in a controlled environment an
only weeks say on the wheels of a car
that is driven every day. A prop that
is left in the water is a matter of days.
Anything you put on the polished
surface to protect it will take away
some of the shine. (waxing or clear
coating) So to maintain the maximum
shine you polish when it looks like it
needs to be polished. Polished
aluminum requires some maintenance.
Its why people chrome it.

[jpatti75]

As a polish, White Diamond is pretty good (although Mothers is one of my favorites), although as a sealant to slow oxidation, White Diamond is especially good. It’s pricey, but a little goes a long way.

https://whitediamondamerica.com/product … nd-sealant

JP

[cheetahgod]

Ok. I think I might paint it red. What would be the best way to paint it?
Thanks

[garry-in-michigan]

Use a self etching primer.

Or you could bring the price of the polish down by getting 5 others to go in on a case with you. . . 😀

[jerry-ahrens]

I like Flitz polish. Great stuff for aluminum, and most metals. It also works great for fiberglass and painted surfaces including clear coat. I keep a bottle on the work bench at all times. Like Tubs said, you have to give a buffing once in a while to keep it shiny. http://www.flitz.com/

[The Boat House]

If your going to paint it first you will have to get it
clean. Its been exposed to oil and aluminum is
somewhat penurious. One of these water based
grease removers is probably the best choice.
Let it soak in a 50/50 mix for awhile then rinse
it off well. The metal etching primer that Garry
mentioned is a necessity if you want the paint to
stick for any amount of time. You should understand
that the paint on a spinning prop is being exposed
to roughly the same strain as if it was being sprayed
with a high pressure washer. Any fracture or week
point will lead to the paint pealing off epically at
the outer edges of the prop. When I paint a prop
I use a metallic (silver – gold – copper). No
primer. I just clean it well and spray it on. The
metallic’s touch up well and with out the primer
you can easily strip the paint off (lacquer thinner) and
redo it for a show or just to hang on the wall till
spring.

[jeff-register]

Tubs,
Nice Merc prop & the KE7.

[20mercman]

I have had some props that refuse to hold on to paint, and others that I have painted and the have many miles on them and no issues. I think that the ones I have that are resistant are ones that had spent a lot of time with no paint on it, and they absorbed oil into the metal. The hubs are one section that I have on 1 prop that sheds paint like a wet dog.

P.S. I paint some of mine gold like you did on that KF-7 prop. This color seems to have better tooth than my cloud white on my Mercury’s.

Steve

[Author]

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