In a message dated 96-12-05 18:04:50 EST, you write:
>I am in the process of buying some 2" 1/4 wall chrome molly masts.
>Since I have mortgaged the house to buy the stuff I am wanting to save
>a few bucks and paint it instead of galvanizing it.
>I guess I will just use cold galvanizing paint but from my past experience
>the cold galvanizing seems to come off very easily.
>
>The cold galvanizing has been the spray type maybe there is a better brush
>on type I am not aware of.
>
Sam --
There are other things you can do to your mast rather than hot dip
galvanize it. The reason that your cold galv didn't stick before was
probably due to being a poor product. Good cold galv products include the
Klein and LPS ones; they adhere extremely well and will stick to just about
anything. Poor products will run off or go on with a very thin coat. Buy a
can and try it to see if it's what you're looking for. This method is not a
long term solution.
You can use a marine paint. Remember all those steel ships at sea are
protected by several (many?) coats of suitable paint. Brush a couple of
coats of that on and it should last for years. There are probably some
people on this reflector who have personally chipped and painted for Uncle
Sam's boats at one time or other. Contact a marine supplier; they're sure to
have small quantities available.
There are also products that will give you a hard coating on steel.
Consult with an industrial paint supplier for details. They are pretty
common and you can probably buy the stuff by the gallon. Commercial towers
that have had their galvanized coating deteriorate many times are coated with
one of these products to seal them against further damage. Some of these
products are epoxy-type but there is a wide range of them available.
Many of these coatings will require bigtime preparation including surface
cleaning with chemicals or cleansers and putting on a primer coat. But then,
you did want to save a couple of bucks.
73, Steve K7LXC
TOWER TECH -- professional tower supplies and services for amateurs
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