Lead Keel and VC17

[Connemara]

I've been repairing the ding in my lead keel, a project that is pretty much done. I am down to bare lead in some places.

Q: Can I put VC17 directly on the exposed lead or do I need some sort of undercoat?

My concerns are two-fold:
--are the lead and the copper in VC17 likely to interact in unpleasant ways?
--and will the VC17 adhere to the lead?

Looking forward to knowledge.

Connemara

[minaret]

Undercoat. I'd suggest Interlux 2000. Follow the rules for coating lead and do at least 4 coats of 2000.

[fstbttms]

From the product data sheet:

STEEL/LEAD (Keels & Hulls) Blast to near white metal surface (Sa 2½). Apply 3-4 coats of VC Tar2.

Apply 2-3 coats on the area to be coated per season. Do not sand between coats of VC 17m Extra with Biolux.

[donradcliffe]

You can use the Interlux, or just 4 coats of West or other epoxy. Whatever you use, sand the keel so the lead is fresh, and put the first coat on the same day.

[Connemara]

Thanks all.

Connemara

[minaret]

VC tar sucks to work with. Interlux 2000 sticks to lead like peanut butter on shag carpet if you apply it immediately after abrasion and with substrate (the lead) at 15• above current dew point. This is the secret-don't coat cold lead. As a lead keel is a giant heat sink, this means the whole thing must be warmed up, unless coating in the afternoon on a warm dry day. Even then it's wise. Just put your hand on the bare lead even on a hot day and you'll notice how cool it is, unless it's in direct sunlight.

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by minaret

VC tar sucks to work with. Interlux 2000 sticks to lead like peanut butter on shag carpet if you apply it immediately after abrasion and with substrate (the lead) at 15• above current dew point. This is the secret-don't coat cold lead. As a lead keel is a giant heat sink, this means the whole thing must be warmed up, unless coating in the afternoon on a warm dry day. Even then it's wise. Just put your hand on the bare lead even on a hot day and you'll notice how cool it is, unless it's in direct sunlight.

If you are doing this prepatory to launch and have the power in your yard, I would seriously suggest heat lamps and a heat gun with a diffuser to warm the lead surface to take the barrier coat(s). I mean, it only sees sunshine in a row of boats for a few minutes a day, right?

I barrier-coated a rudder in shadow in spring with this technique and it worked well.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by S/V Alchemy

If you are doing this prepatory to launch and have the power in your yard, I would seriously suggest heat lamps and a heat gun with a diffuser to warm the lead surface to take the barrier coat(s). I mean, it only sees sunshine in a row of boats for a few minutes a day, right?

I barrier-coated a rudder in shadow in spring with this technique and it worked well.

I use a small 75,000 btu kero heater for this. Lead is such an efficient heat sink that lesser measures will generally have their heat instantly dissipated with little effect. Propane heaters condense too much moisture on the burn, diesel has sooty exhaust (read contamination). Kero is the sweet spot. Especially if the bottom or keel in question is tented and the heat can be ducted into the tent directly on the keel, i.e. no exhaust in the bag.

[hamburking]

Be very cautious of the lead dust (if you are sanding lead). It will make you insane. Lead poisoning (by eating or breathing lead, including lead vapour and dust) is called hatter's disease. Its the basis of the character the mad hatter in Alice in Wonderland. Hat makers often went insane. They used heated lead to make the brim of hats stiff.

Once inside your body, lead accumulates in the brain. There is no way to remove lead from your body.

[dennismckim]

Originally Posted by hamburking

Lead poisoning (by eating or breathing lead, including lead vapour and dust) is called hatter's disease. Its the basis of the character the mad hatter in Alice in Wonderland. Hat makers often went insane. They used heated lead to make the brim of hats stiff.

I believe that was from mercury, not lead. Mercuric nitrate was used to treat the animal skins (furs) used for hat making.

[gulfstar37]

Believe lead poison is bad either from gunshot or ingestion or breathing. Unfortunately the real effects in adults weren't really found until highway overpasses were sandblasted to remove the good paint that contained large amounts of lead. These poor people suffered anything from memory loss from brain damage, organs being destroyed to death. That's from breathing the dust. Now they use negative pressure enclosures and pressurized suits pumping separate clean air from bottled source to sandblast.

I remember something about having housing tested for lead paint so young children didn't eat the chipping paint. If found it is big bucks for certified contractor to remove.

I believe above is correct it accumulates in the body over long periods of time. So if sanding lead keel it's probably worth taking a few precautions. Vaporized lead fumes being breathed is also a nono. One reason it's banned from antifouling in most of would. It pretty much took care of shell fish population but from what I understand was great keeping critters off the hull.

I also agree mercury is very toxic as stated.