Cleaning the Prop - What Tools / Methods ?

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by svrodeorm

I am amased at how many seems to use steel scrapers on their soft bronze (?) props.

would never do that. A piece of wood yes. Or plastic - as a credit card or ice scraper or something along those lines...

I've never thought of bronze as "soft" I've scraped quite a few and never gouged any of them with a putty knife. It would seem to me that if this fear of soft props eroding from putty knives and sand paper was real, we'd also see props rapidly eroding from the silt in water. ICW pushboats spend their entire lives in, for lack of a better description, really fine lapping compound. They don't polish their props off at any real rate without hitting bottom.

[cantxsailor]

I have an old bayonette with a lanyard so I don't drop it. The proper edge on a bayonette is dull so as to do the most damage to whoever you might be sticking with it so it won't scratch the bronze. If you square off end on it it works even better for getting into those narrow spots. I have since seen a couple of dive(abalone) knives that have the square ends so I guess I'm not the first bright one to do this..........m

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by svrodeorm

I am amased at how many seems to use steel scrapers on their soft bronze (?) props.

Originally Posted by svrodeorm

would never do that. A piece of wood yes. Or plastic - as a credit card or ice scraper or something along those lines...

Clearly you have never tried to clean a dirty prop.

[skipmac]

Scraped an awful lot of barnacles on bronze props for years with various metal implements and have yet to gouge or damage the prop. Barely even leaves light scratches.

Knocking barnacles off with a plastic scraper? Must be a different species than the ones that live in Florida.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by cantxsailor

I have an old bayonette with a lanyard so I don't drop it...........

cantxsailor is probably wise enough to have his lanyard tied with a loose loop from which he can escape. Myself, I need to constantly guard against doing something stupid! I free dive to clean my bottom and return to the surface with little reserve. I choose not to teather myself to my tools with lines that could become tangled in my work. My only exception has been my allen wrench for the zinc on a velcro tab. I guess I could use a velcro wrist band tied to a tool line. .......I think visions of the nightmare scenario have saved my butt more than once!

[DWT]

I bought a fancy windshield plastic scrapper a few years back thinking it would be "Prop friendly". It did NOT work on the prop and, being that I live in the Florida Keys... I'll never be useing it on my windshield either!

I have never nicked or scared my bronze prop useing a steel scrapper.

[chala]

Under water a 10mm by 50mm by 300mm piece of Starboard from the King Plastic Corporation FL. The plastic is soft enough for the barnacles to cut into it, be stuck and be removed, the tool self sharpen, also ideal for painted water line and seaweeds and zincs. That job can be done once a fortnight sea life permitting. The admiral keeps an eye on crocs, sharks and sea wasp (box jellyfish, nasty stuff). Out off the water I soften the left over “calcium” on the auto prop with vinegar and use a scraper made of SS. By the way Starboard do float.

[JamuJoe]

Excellent tips for prop maintenance in this thread!
1. Heat-dried lanolin grease on a polished prop before launching.
2."10 in 1" paint scraper on a velcro wrist lanyard. (file down/round the sharp corners)
3. Gloves (I like the thin 'mechanics gloves').
4. Ear plugs against displaced barnacles.
5. Weight belt for neutral buoyancy. (I'll use my BCD with weight pockets and manual inflator).

Underwater, I've used a dull knife and never seriously scratched the bronze, followed by a 3M or 'scotchbrite' pad. If the growth isn't bad, I use a plastic paint scraper.

I wonder about the feasibility of a hard teflon coating on a bronze prop?

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by JamuJoe

4. Ear plugs against displaced barnacles.

Bad, bad, BAD idea! Never put anything in your ears while diving! You should wear a hood however, regardless of water temperature.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Bad, bad, BAD idea! Never put anything in your ears while diving! You should wear a hood however, regardless of water temperature.

Double that recommendation.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

cantxsailor is probably wise enough to have his lanyard tied with a loose loop from which he can escape. Myself, I need to constantly guard against doing something stupid! I free dive to clean my bottom and return to the surface with little reserve. I choose not to teather myself to my tools with lines that could become tangled in my work. My only exception has been my allen wrench for the zinc on a velcro tab. I guess I could use a velcro wrist band tied to a tool line. .......I think visions of the nightmare scenario have saved my butt more than once!

Excellent comment. Better than a loop, even loops can jam, tie with a breakaway piece in the line like a very small nylon tie wrap. Small ones you can easily snap if you need to in a hurry. Velcro also good.

[Tellie]

Here in Florida on the finger canals the water has very high nitrogen content because of yard fertilizer run off. I have to dive my props and sail drives almost every week. If I let it go for more than three weeks there's no way plastic would do a thing. The barnacles would laugh. I get my brushes SS and brass from Home Depot where the welders are sold.
I never really thought of the lanyard becoming an entanglement problem until now. A great comment I will take stock in from now on.

[cantxsailor]

Since I float like a (fat blue) cork in my wet suit I hook my feet under the keel to hold myself in place and never have to put my head under the water. Barnacles in my ears? Never. Beans maybe but never barnacles. A good point about lanyards getting tangled though. I always try to make them short enough that my hand just gets in so there isn't much extra to tangle. I may try velcro or a bungie just in case...................m

[svrodeorm]

If paint scrapers and bayonets aren't sufficicient.... how about shooting them off with a gun

Apparently I haven't encounterned the 'panzar' barnacles you guys are talking about.... ro may bottom paint might be too good for them


anyway, do you paint antifouling on your props pr not??

I tried both, but can't really see much difference in the results.

If/when the zinc on the shaft is gone, the growth on the prop diminishes dramatically, but that's for known reasons.

[Wand]

Originally Posted by svrodeorm

anyway, do you paint antifouling on your props pr not??

Consensus here is that there's no point - begins flying off from the moment you engage gear. I'd like to see a tank test on that though. But try the heated lanolin - unless your barnacles are from space, I think you'll be happy.