Painting stainless???

[AnchorageGuy]

Gord, These are mast steps. We are now painting the spars and would have liked to paint the steps also. Guess they will stay stainless.

[Pblais]

Passivation is normally done in a bath of phosphoric acid salts. "Winchinox" paste made by Winchard actually is designed to restore the passivation of SS as part of it's cleaning properties. It contains these salts to rebuild the passivation.

I've recently been using it on my 13 year old SS rails and other fittings. If you use any other cleaners they really only strip off the surface to expose newer steel. It then goes bad pretty fast without wax.

I seriously doubt that it would work well enough to allow paint to stick given paint won't stick to new SS that has been treated at the factory. Passivation is mostly just to extend the "stainless" properties of the steel. So I doubt it will help make the paint stick.

You'll find Winchinox most useful on 304 SS since it has less resistence than 316. 304 however is much stronger so you may see it used where you expect more structural stress. They make a "super" stainless that has the best of 304 and 316 but I don't think it is ever used on boats as it is hideously expensive.

Trying to make paint stick to stainless is an up hill fight.

[GordMay]

Paul:
You seem familiar with the subject.
I've found Phosphoric Acid ("Ospho" etc) to turn Stainless & Mild steel a grey-black.
Do I understand you correctly, that "Wichinox" contains phosphoric acid?
Gord

[Pblais]

Yes, it has some in it. It does seems to slightly change the color. I was looking at the 3M web site on their stainless cleaner and it is mostly a strong base caustic with a detergent. Great for cleaning but does nothing for protection.

If you do a web search on Winchinox you should get a few hits on some discussions. So far I've found it to be a good product. I just cleaned up a 10 year old Magma grill with it and the finish looks great.

[GordMay]

PAUL:
Thanks for the info' on Wichinox, etc.

CHUCK:
Being mast-steps, I don't suppose you should put anything on them - don't want to make them slippery.

BTW:
I've had good luck protecting stanchions, rail, & etc. prepping /w "Nev-R-Dull', then wipe /w "Zip Wax" (the cheapo car wax you add to wash water).

Gord

[hubstuckey]

Cleaning
Preparation is critical to promoting adequate paint adhesion. Stainless steel should be washed with a water-based degreasing agent before the application process begins. Soap and degreasers must be thoroughly rinsed, as they can interfere with adhesion.



Instructions
1
Clean the surface of the stainless steel with a degreaser or liquid dish soap with degreasing properties. Remove any dust or grime from the steel, applying the degreaser with a sponge. Wipe down the surface with fresh water and buff dry with a soft cloth.

2
Rub the surface with fine-grit sandpaper, gently roughing the surface. Stainless steel is naturally smooth and your paint and primer will have trouble adhering to the glossy and smooth surface. Rub the sandpaper around in small circles over all areas of the stainless steel.

Abrasion
Before any paint is applied, stainless steel should be coated in a galvanized metal-etching primer, using a paintbrush manufactured for latex paints. After the primer cures for 4 to 6 hours, painting can begin.



Paint
Although virtually any type of paint will bond to a properly prepared stainless-steel surface, a two-part epoxy paint is the preferred coating. It provides durability and an attractive sheen.

Application
Because stainless steel is so slick, professional painters often dilute the paint with 1 oz. of water to every gallon of paint. This helps promote a smooth, professional-looking finish, free of unattractive brushstrokes.



Warnings
Stainless steel should never be painted unless it has first been abraded with a galvanized metal-etching primer. No other type of primer will promote adequate adhesion. Never paint over an unprimed stainless-steel surface, or the finish will chip and peel soon after application.

Good luck.

[Wotname]

Welcome aboard Hubstuckey, nice first post.
Not sure if you realize the last post to this thread was 10 years back but someone may still be interested .

[chala]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

I don't know who your pros are but I work here for the fleets department of the city and their painters asure me sandblasting works. The rougher the surface the better.

And they are right if it is that just a light wipe with clean garnets will do the job, needs only to remove the shine. 2-part epoxy is fine with a topcoat for the UV.
That paint on the SS is 12 years old and not ready to come off. Next year I may refresh the topcoat.

Originally Posted by chala

Most of the fittings are welded.

In fact I should have painted all the SS fittings I spend far too much time polishing the uncoated SS.

[BillyBobtx]

First of all, let me say I am no professional when choosing paints/ primers. However for this instance I did go to the "pro's" at Rustoleum. I realize this post is old, but I like many, were going to use it for reference and instruction.

This is my request to Rustoleum:

I have a small 304 stainless steel plate that sits in the nose of my saltwater sailboat. It will sit in the weather. Instructions to paint are to use a galvanized metal etching primer. When I go to Home Depot website for metal etching primer your rep says that to paint SS I should use a universal bonding primer. Can you tell me which it is? Can I paint epoxy paint over either?

This is the response that I got from Rustoleum:

For this type of application you would need a primer that is good on a galvanized surface but also perfect to top coat with a Epoxy coating. We recommend using the Stops Rust Universal Bonding Primer or the High Performance VK9300 2K Epoxy Primer Spray. This will help the Epoxy coating bond with the surface. We have included a link to the product page for your reference. The High Performance product can be found usually at Wal-Mart's

High Performance VK9300 System 2K Epoxy Primer Spray: High Performance - VK9300 System 2K Epoxy Primer


Since the 2k epoxy did not get any great reviews for painting outside in the heat and since it is not readily available within my timeframe I am going with the Universal Bonding.

I will follow the cleaning/ prep instructions per the original post and go with it.

[Aloha_float]

Alodyne or strontium chromate primer for the aluminum. Same primer used for aircraft frames.

[Aloha_float]

Keep in mind that you have a very limited redcoats window for the chromate - I believe it's under 4 hours. It applies in a very thin coat and acts as an etching primer.

[drcot3]

s/s A316 I just roughed it with wet/dry then primer(hempels) then micron extra and 8 months later in the sea water its still adhered to the s/steel in the water and the sections above sea level. its the light abraiding / primer thats important and following the painting advice on coverage/time.
Good luck, paint can always be rubbed off and start again next year, but why paint your spars/mast anyway just detach your main halyard and clip it to the side rail, that stops the noise and protects your mast / halyard.