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hull blacking


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Buy 4 - 5" cheapest you can get. Throw away at end of the day. Get some latex gloves as well. Rollering is quicker, but it goes on thinner and can miss bits - I prefer to brush on three coats.

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Buy 4 - 5" cheapest you can get. Throw away at end of the day. Get some latex gloves as well. Rollering is quicker, but it goes on thinner and can miss bits - I prefer to brush on three coats.

 

thanks to everyone who has given me advice.

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I think a brush is better than a roller as you can work the blacking into any pits much more effectively.

Something with a bit of stiffness is good, the very cheap ones can be much too floppy, but something cheap enough to throw away afterwards.

I have heard that two coats is best if using a brush; it goes on thicker and three coats can be too thick. My own experience would support this.

Last time I got a sort of circular decorators brush from B&Q which was very good for the bow. A big flat brush is better for the sides.

 

........Dave

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I think a brush is better than a roller as you can work the blacking into any pits much more effectively.

Something with a bit of stiffness is good, the very cheap ones can be much too floppy, but something cheap enough to throw away afterwards.

I have heard that two coats is best if using a brush; it goes on thicker and three coats can be too thick. My own experience would support this.

Last time I got a sort of circular decorators brush from B&Q which was very good for the bow. A big flat brush is better for the sides.

 

........Dave

Thanks Dave for that, this will be the first time for blacking, is there anything else you can think of that i need to check or would reccomend

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Cheap bristle brush. Synthetic will melt in some types of blacking, as will synthetic rollers (which as others have said, don't do as good a job). Wrap the brush in polythene to keep it soft overnight.

 

Other hints - try to stay out of the water long enough for it to dry good and hard, if you can. I think this is what led to Warrior's blacking lasting so well.

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thin the first coat (with white spirit if it's standard black bitchumen) this is a primer coat that flows into all the nooks and crannies, use a medium pile roller on a pole, 2 coats, any more is a waste of time and money, thick coatings chip and crack off. you don't need a brush unless it's rivetted. The most important factor is the steel must be dry, damp in the pores of the metal knackers the adhesion.

 

I do mine between tides on the Thames and the fact is once its on dry metal bitchumen paint can go straight back in the water, mine lasts 3 years plus.

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I do mine between tides on the Thames and the fact is once its on dry metal bitchumen paint can go straight back in the water, mine lasts 3 years plus.

 

likewise, i said this on a previous thread and all I ever used was elcheapo Wilko black bitumen and that lasted on average 3 years. even taking the boat up the worst of the network on regular occasions.

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Thanks Dave for that, this will be the first time for blacking, is there anything else you can think of that i need to check or would reccomend

 

Disposable overalls and gloves, rolls of "decorators" paper towel from B&Q, its a messy messy job.

If you are very unlucky with the weather then condensation can be a problem. In the worse case you might need to drain the water tank if its an integral type.

The blacking can go very stodgy very quickly once you have opened the tin. Decant what you need into a paint "kettle" and get the lid back on. Try not to open a new tin right at the end of the day.

Big serious scrapers and replacement blades (not wimpy decorators tools).

Some very course sandpaper, or better, very course sanding discs for an angle grinder. The idea is to remove loose rust but NOT to leave a smooth polished surface.

A couple of young fit friends or relatives to help!

Beer in the evening.

 

............Dave

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Disposable overalls and gloves, rolls of "decorators" paper towel from B&Q, its a messy messy job.

If you are very unlucky with the weather then condensation can be a problem. In the worse case you might need to drain the water tank if its an integral type.

The blacking can go very stodgy very quickly once you have opened the tin. Decant what you need into a paint "kettle" and get the lid back on. Try not to open a new tin right at the end of the day.

Big serious scrapers and replacement blades (not wimpy decorators tools).

Some very course sandpaper, or better, very course sanding discs for an angle grinder. The idea is to remove loose rust but NOT to leave a smooth polished surface.

A couple of young fit friends or relatives to help!

Beer in the evening.

 

............Dave

 

Yep....(we did our first DIY blacking last summer) ...all the above.

We used a combination of small/mini rollers and brushes. Worked well for us. Having just been right up the whole length of the Llangollen and back again quite pleased how the blacking stood up to the various scrapes and bangs.

Definitely get 'serious' scrapers, with long handles and spare blades.

A hat (or hood) as bound to get it on your head at some point, especially when around the stern/weed hatch.

 

I know a lot of people go on about how messy it is, but it doesn't have to be THAT messy...with a bit of care and the right gear.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi, I've got some questions about blacking. When blacking the hull of a boat is it comin to NOT black the underside. I have worked on a few ya hrs before and have antifowled everything below the water line in the past. But I have been told by others they don't bla Kyle bottom of their hulls as 'it jut get scraped off' which seemed unusual to me. But was

Woundering if this is the norm on steel hulled narrow boats?

 

Cheers.

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Hi, I've got some questions about blacking. When blacking the hull of a boat is it comin to NOT black the underside. I have worked on a few ya hrs before and have antifowled everything below the water line in the past. But I have been told by others they don't bla Kyle bottom of their hulls as 'it jut get scraped off' which seemed unusual to me. But was Woundering if this is the norm on steel hulled narrow boats? Cheers.

Professionals never waste blacking on FLAT bottoms. The inevitable scraping keeps that surface in good order. But if you have a V bottom do the lot (or it gets done for a higher price in boatyards as the blackers have special rates for [springers])

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The brush is going to be thrown away, but I'd go for one that has a bit of firmness in it. Blacking is thick and needs a reasonbly stiff brush.

 

It was usual practice to put three coats of blacking on. On the first coat, use the brush to work the blacking into all of the crevices. No point slapping it on too thick, it still needs to cure within the time the boat is out of the water.

 

As for the pitting. Every so often, level the surface with a scraper. Some problems can occur because water is still trapped in the pitting and doesn't dry out fully before first coat. So I'd reduce the pitting, from time to time.

 

If you brush into the crevices, a hairy roller will do the inbetween bits. Brushing the whole application is usually not an option for boatyards. Rolling is usually more consistent. If you don't force every ounce of blacking out of the roller, there's no reason why a good coat can't be applied.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Having never blacked a boat I have found this very interesting so nobody paints the bottom of a flat bottomed boat, is that right?

 

Some people do, but it's hard work. I intended to when I first blacked my 12ft widebeam 6 years ago. But as soon as I looked underneath and saw the size of the baseplate I soon changed my mind. It looked the size of a tennis court!

 

Also, it was too low from the bottom of the drydock to get a decent angle on the pressure washer lance to clean it properly.

 

The fact is that the more paint you can get on the bottom of your boat the better, but as with all painting it's dependent on prepping the surface.

 

If you have a thick baseplate then it's not critical to paint it, but make sure you do the uxter plates (counter) as it's close to the waterline, and if you have an upswept baseplate at the bow then that area should be painted too.

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I went to see my boat in Denham dry dock yesterday. So far they jetwashed and wire brushed the hull (48 foot), removed old anodes, welded on 4 new ones and applied 2 coats of blacking. This is her DSC_0775.jpg All this since delivering her on Tuesday late afternoon. The coats were still a bit tacky and they were waiting till dry and then the final coat - they also applied blacking on the bottom (he said there was evidence of the boat having gone over something like a shopping trolley or similar in the past - apart from that the hull looked pretty good for a nearly 25 year old. Should be ready sometime on Saturday if the weather is kind (and it has been very nice down London way). They are going to fill her up with diesel as they also run one of the fuel boats. Now I am going to have to work on the rest of the paint as its really noticeable that it does need 'touching up' as they say. All this since delivering her on Tuesday late afternoon. The coats were still a bit tacky and they were waiting till dry and then the final coat - they also applied blacking on the bottom (he said there was evidence of the boat having gone over something like a shopping trolley or similar in the past - apart from that the hull looked pretty good for a nearly 25 year old). Should be ready sometime on Saturday if the weather is kind (and it has been very nice down London way). They are going to fill her up with diesel as they also run one of the fuel boats. Now I am going to have to work on the rest of the paint as its really noticeable that it does need 'touching up' as they say.

Not sure I would fancy doing it myself even if I had the time. Nifty idea this floating dry dock on the cut.

Edited by roggie
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I went to see my boat in Denham dry dock yesterday. So far they jetwashed and wire brushed the hull (48 foot), removed old anodes, welded on 4 new ones and applied 2 coats of blacking. This is her DSC_0775.jpg All this since delivering her on Tuesday late afternoon. The coats were still a bit tacky and they were waiting till dry and then the final coat - they also applied blacking on the bottom (he said there was evidence of the boat having gone over something like a shopping trolley or similar in the past - apart from that the hull looked pretty good for a nearly 25 year old. Should be ready sometime on Saturday if the weather is kind (and it has been very nice down London way). They are going to fill her up with diesel as they also run one of the fuel boats. Now I am going to have to work on the rest of the paint as its really noticeable that it does need 'touching up' as they say. All this since delivering her on Tuesday late afternoon. The coats were still a bit tacky and they were waiting till dry and then the final coat - they also applied blacking on the bottom (he said there was evidence of the boat having gone over something like a shopping trolley or similar in the past - apart from that the hull looked pretty good for a nearly 25 year old). Should be ready sometime on Saturday if the weather is kind (and it has been very nice down London way). They are going to fill her up with diesel as they also run one of the fuel boats. Now I am going to have to work on the rest of the paint as its really noticeable that it does need 'touching up' as they say.

Not sure I would fancy doing it myself even if I had the time. Nifty idea this floating dry dock on the cut.

 

How on earth do they clean the baseplate before painting? It only looks like it's about a foot off the "ground".

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There is about another foot under the "whatever the bits across are called" so still not easy - he did say with a smile that he got *** to do it so I guess the apprentice type person to black there. Still can't be too easy to even jet wash under there.

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