Removing Paint Off of Drives
 

My lower units need repainted and was thinking of tackling it this winter. A sand blaster is to messy, has anyone tried a dry ice blaster or a soda blaster?

I'm about to try a soda blaster, but haven't got around to it yet.

I'm curious on opinions and feedback too.

s022mag I'll post my results when I get to it, probably won't be for a couple more weeks at least though...

Make your job easier and get soda with 10% aluminum oxide mixed in. As well as going faster, it will also provide a better tooth for the repaint and remove any corrosion. We use Armex, but other brands may have it as well. Its going to be a dusty job and I would recommend removing them and doing it away from the boat. Tenting the area effectively is crucial.

Read up on soda blasting and prep before paint. Had a friend soda blast his drives and no matter no what the painter did the paint came out matte finish. Later he found out that the drives were not prepped properly after being soda blasted.
It might just be as easy as cleaning with vinegar and water. There are a few threads on the blasting and car prep forums.

The metal should be washed with Holdtight 102 before painting. It removes the soda residue and provides a flash rust barrier before painting. Regular prep should follow the Holdtight once you are ready to paint.

why would an all aluminum
drive need to have a flash rust protection??am i missing something?

Just a general statement regarding soda blasting in general as that is what Holdtight is designed for.

How do you got about soda blasting your k planes? Does the piece mounted to the hull come off or do you have to tape the boat off?

It might be just me but I just sanded mine and primed and painted it. They are not that big so sanding by hand doesn't even take that long.

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[IMG]http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/...2012160348.jpg[/IMG]

Nice! Did you take them off or just tape off everything?

aircraft stripper

Yes I took them off and sanded with 80 got smooth. Put a nice coat of epoxy primer and two coats of high build primer. Then sanded it smooth with 400 and painted with single stage. Turned out better than new. The outdrive was all pitted and nasty took one day.

The first on I painted and the second is a rebuilt from merc.

[IMG]http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/...2012160403.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/...2012160425.jpg[/IMG]

fixx
 

+1 i also just use a fine stroke D/a sander..if theirs any pitting i use all metan which has alunimum oxide in it,sand the drive with 120,then 180 then fixx the pitting and sand with 240,,i use dp 90 epoxy and if i dont see ant sand scratches then i hose them down with imron poly paint..

+2 if you do not have to remove the base paint I would not. I originally scuffed up my old TRS's and shot them with white DuPont ChromaOne single stage and it stuck great and was hard as a rock. 2 winters ago I blasted and filled in all the corrosion, primed and then painted. The paint does not adhere as good as before.