Can I make my own copper coating?

[yann78]

I have done it on my rudder without a proper sanding. I can not say it works because I have to clean it every 2 weeks with a stainless steel scouring pad (in the carrib). I am pretty sure that with a good sanding with 280 can activate the copper, because I think it is not expose (still brown not dirty green).
I should try that on a smal aera to check ...

[yann78]

"I have done it on my rudder without a proper sanding" after application of the mixture ....

[Carl-T705]

Originally Posted by letsgetsailing3

Just be sure to get the proper regulatory approval, and you'll be all set.

What do you mean ?

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Carl-T705

What do you mean ?

He's being facetious. In actuality when it comes to kitchen sink formulation of an anti fouling coating that you do not intend to sell, if you can legally possess the ingredients, you can us them in bottom paint.

[j.g.evans]

Years ago I would drop my mooring chain over the winter with a name tag on it. In the spring it would always come up encrusted with barnacles. I tried many tag materials including solid copper and Teflon. All were barnacle covered.
I believe old sailing ships were CU clad for worms and not general fouling.

[betwys1]

Originally Posted by sagablu

Wouldn't the epoxy encapsulate the copper rendering it inert? To answer your question, I don't think you will accomplish anything trying to out think the chemists that work for paint companies. What I do think will happen is you will have a hard/impossible to remove coating that will not accomplish what you expect. But...what do I know?

IF the epoxy encapsulates the copper, it will NOT repel sea life.
Once upon a time, the Admiralty tried an electrolytic protection scheme for the copper bottoms then used on Navy ships, which dissolved bit by bit and needed replacement. (Think it was Faraday who came up with this?)
The electrolytic protection did indeed save the copper bottom from solution, but, BUT.... the sealife climbed aboard as before, so the RN dumped the3 idea.
Take home message: if you want protection, copper has to be exposed to sea water.

[blazing928]

Couple of years into Coppercoat. Water temp 13c to 22c, Marina, pretty healthy water so a lot of growth on pontoons.
Propspeeded areas get heavily covered in weed slime in a couple of weeks.
Coppercoat doesn’t. A fine soft growth, 1-2mm, that wipes off very easily, and doesn’t stay if we use the boat every few days and run up to 25knots Then a harder growth, like a web that needs a good scrub with say a green scotchbrite.
Stern faces the sun, north here in Oz, and that gets more growth than east side always in shade. Waterline is very green as it gets wet and dries in the air.
I was very pedantic about burnishing, you use a soft pad that just removes the epoxy to expose the copper.
My take is that a new coat of traditional anti foul works better, my mates boat shows this, but for long term cost and environmental impact I prefer Coppercoat.
Another marina has already banned scrubbing ablative anti foul, so you have to take boat into bay to clean. That’s a big hassle.
The Coppercoat epoxy is a very effective barrier coat, so if you hate it, then 80 grit sand it and paint antifoul of choice.

I watch videos and see a lot of people not follow the instructions and minimum temperatures for coating.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by blazing928

Propspeeded areas get heavily covered in weed slime in a couple of weeks.
Coppercoat doesn’t.

FYI- Propspeed is not an anti fouling paint and it has no biocide, unlike Coppercoat. It is a foul release coating. Apples and oranges.

[blazing928]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

FYI- Propspeed is not an anti fouling paint and it has no biocide, unlike Coppercoat. It is a foul release coating. Apples and oranges.

Yes I know that propspeed has no anti foul properties, I was using it as a indication of the growth I experience in the area, as a comparison.

My mistake not to be clear about that.

[lateral]

Originally Posted by Popeye2

Can I mix up my own copper coating? One part epoxy resin- 2 parts copper powder?
One coat?

Yep, you can use waterbased epoxy & 300 mesh copper spheres at 1kg/l.
Or 100% solids same ratio.
Works about as well as coppercoat which varies. Mainly with growth rate
of area you are in & your boatkeeping flagelism.
I switched to International Ultra 2, after two years, which was much better.
YMMV.

[I14]

In the 90's my company made the original Coppercoat here in NZ. It was a polyester gelcoat designed for in-mould application as an in-situ antifouling. As has been said it sometimes worked brilliantly and sometimes was disastrous and eventually we discontinued it. The epoxy based one followed some years later and it works by having a very high copper powder loading and a particular grade and fineness of copper powder. The powder needs to be dispersed into the epoxy using high shear to break up any agglomerates. I tried to make one once for a 2K acrylic waterbased system I was playing with but it was impossible to get hold of the correct grade of copper powder so I gave up. I make my own cuprous oxide based formula now, standard ablative (more or less!).

[Franziska]

It might be better to try to glue on thin copper sheating with epoxy.
Meaning, leave the copper side exposed.
Not sure how long it lasts.
On a slowish sailboat the water flow might not rip it off. Mind you it's heavy though.

[Carl-T705]

Check out the Pearson Ariel website. A poster named Ebb did this and it looked like a copper hull very nice. It seems to me later he painted over the entire hull . Can't come remember the reason right now

[andypag]

Originally Posted by Cracassis

Yes, I can do mine and I'm already in the second painting, the first one lasted 9 years and this one is already 4 years old. Like all other epoxy and metallic copper paints, it is necessary to revitalize it annually by sanding 320 (sorry Google translation)

What kind of resin did you use? And how much copper did you add?

[Cadence]

If you want to be a paint scientist. Buy the best paint you can and mix in the hottest pepper powder you can find. Not high tech but works.