Touching up mast at areas around fittings

[Suijin]

So I have my mast down, cleaning, rewiring, new lights and instruments, etc.

There is some moderate corrosion around fittings from dissimilar metals. Tomorrow they are coming off and I'm taking the SS wire wheel to those areas with the goal of then etching, priming, and touching up the paint and Tefgeling the fitting fasteners.

This does not strike me as worth shelling out $70 for a quart of Alwgrip Snow White against the very limited areas that need to be painted. Somewhere down the line I'll probably strip and repaint the entire mast, but that could be years.

Do I have viable alternative in terms of paint that's not going to just come off in a year or two? I have a generally low opinion of Rust-oleum but they have a few aluminum specific products which would certainly be the quick and dirty approach.

Does anyone have any recommendations for an affordable alternative to the Awlgrip route?

Thanks a bunch.

[GordMay]

Por-15 ?

[UNCIVILIZED]

Generally with aluminum it's the quality of the prep that determines how well & how long coatings stick for. Though if an area is to see a lot of flexing, then super premium coatings make sense, along with the top notch prep.

Consider using a 1-part Poly, like Interlux Brightside, for example. The 1-parts tend to be good paint, just not at the level (or cost) of the 2-part ones that you're trying to avoid. And if you don't mind recoating a little more frequently, at a lower cost, it's a decent option. Especially on something which isn't as prep intensive as are a boat's topsides. Where doing the very involved prep each time that you paint is part of what makes using coatings with better longevity more attractive.

Also, white is slightly more forgiving of small imperfections in the surfaces of areas being painted than is say dark blue.

[Suijin]

Thanks guys. I'll be trying one of those products if the rigging shop where my mast is getting some attention won't give me a cup of whatever they use, which I forgot to ask them about.

[roverhi]

Might want to add some insulating material behind the offending hardware. Plastic electrical tape has worked for me. If you want to get a bit more involved, the plastic window material in dodgers makes a great insulator.

POR 15 is a really tough one part paint. Clean up with SS wire brush, metal etching wash and the paint should do it. If you use something like Rust Oleum, use a zinc chromate primer.