Baby Blake restauration

[-bliss-]

Hello all.
My boat has two Baby Blake marine toilets in need of an upgrade. I´ve bought two service kits, so all the bits and pieces needed to make them leak free are already on board. Now, prior to disassembly, I´m wondering which finish to give the pumps? At the moment the white paint is partly pealed off, so sadly they are quite far from the appearance they deserve.

My initial thought was to sand blast all brass parts, degrease, prime and spray- paint them glossy white, to mimic the original finish. Then I realized this might not be the ideal solution, given the constant exposure to salt water. Then I contemplated using hammerrite, or having them powder coated or chromed, or even cleaned and polishing to bare exposed brass and basically leaving them unprotected.. On second thought, I guess the latter alternative would look stunning for a very short time, and then start to demand frequent cleaning and polishing to maintain the appearance, so I´ll probably won´t go that route. Green brass isn’t too appealing.. How about applying clear varnish or possibly paint the bare brass with some runny two- component epoxy? I´ve heard the epoxy used for laminating carbon fiber is really runny, hence easy to apply with a paint brush, but have no idea how shiny the surface would look a day, a month or a few year after applying.. Would a more flexible clear varnish be a superior option to the hard rigid epoxy? Would varnish start flaking off rather quickly?

Aesthetically, both white, chrome and brass would be ok. The bulkheads next to both toilets are warm and rather dark mahogany, so I could easily live with the brass finish.. White looks very good too! I have to admit I´m quite fond of the original finish. However, I´m sure I could get used to chrome as well. After all, the most important aspect is to choose the finish and product that will give them a clean and presentable appearance for a long time. I really don’t care for nasty looking toilets..

If your verdict should be to have them chromed, I´m wondering how chrome on the inside of the pumps would affect the performance? I´m going to hone the insides of the pumps, in order to make the surfaces as frictionless as possible. I guess chrome on the inside would be way to hard to remove by honing, but I might take the pumps to an auto- shop that specializes in cylinder boring..

Would it be a good idea to apply a layer of said epoxy on the inside of the pumps to seal and make the surfaces as smooth as possible? Am I overthinking this, or is this a good idea?

To sum it up:
Which finish and which product will make them look ship shape for as long as possible? What to do with the insides of the pumps in order to pump both in and out as effortlessly as possible?

Thank you for reading. Looking forward to your qualified feedback. Much appreciated!

Best regards,
-kjetil-

PS: I really love these old school Blake toilets. Replacing them with something new and fancy is not an option.

[peghall]

The Baby Blake isn't "old school"...it's still in production. Blake toilets Current list price is about $6000 USD at today's rate of exchange (you don't want to know the price for a Blake Victory!). You'll find a photo and all the specs for it on this page: Baby Blake


I suggest you contact Blakes directly for the answers to your questions, sources for paint etc and any advice about installing the kits. You'll find their email address and phone number on their website.



--Peggie

[-bliss-]

Thanks for replying and pointing me in the right direction, peghall! I was kind of hoping you would chip in..

I´ll cut and paste, and hear what the guys at Blake suggest.

Simultaniously, I´m curious to hear first hand suggestions from other Baby Blake owners..

Thank you!

-kjetil-

[a64pilot]

A chromer can chrome only one side if you chose.
Go to a shot that does motorcycle parts to get a pretty chrome job as there is also an industrial process that is more for a hard, long wearing finish and isn’t nearly as pretty.
Paint and powder coat are temporary, although powder coat will last longer.
Clear coating polished brass immediately takes it to a duller yellow, and the clear coat fails too. However leaving it polished while gorgeous is a bad idea cause you will be polishing at least once a week.
Military we polished brass we wore every day, and if you touched it during the day, it would tarnish almost immediately.
You didn’t touch your belt buckle go to the bathroom, you used a handkerchief or paper towel, it tarnishes that fast.

[-bliss-]

Haha, thank you so much for your informative and entertaining reply, A64pilot!
I´m definitely not going to use neither handkerchiefs nor white gloves to polish my toilets on a daily basis.

I´ll get in touch with a vintage motorcycle shop locally. Excellent advice. Thank you so much!

Happy sailing!
-kjetil-

[HopCar]

I can think of a lot better ways to spend my time than polishing a toilet, even one as magnificent as a Baby Blake!

[-bliss-]

Haha!
Yep, me too! That´s why I want to find the superior approach, in order to ensure a long, unproblematic and clean relationship with these old beauties..

-kjetil-