Painting of Black Aluminum Window Frames

Webmaster's Note: An exchange of postings took place on the SENTOA listserv in May, 2008, regarding the procedures for the painting of black aluminum window frames. Pertinent information from that echange is posted below.

From: Frank Johns
Subject: Re: [Sentoa] Black Sea Glaze Windows

On 32-227, I have anodized windows & wheelhouse doors with bare metal showing in spots and have been able to refinish them as follows:

Light sanding with 320-grit paper just enough to remove loose stuff.

Wipe with paint thinner.

2 coats of Rust-oleum grey primer thinned 40-50% with Penetrol (NOT normal paint thinner) I use a foam brush.

Sand again & wipe if needed to level runs and sags but use very light pressure.

2 coats of Rust-oleum flat black paint, thinned 40-50% with Penetrol. (I tried gloss black but it turns out much too glossy for me.) I also use a foam brush for this.

Finish with the reddish rubbing compound they sell at Pep Boys, NAPA stores, etc.

A car buff showed me how to do this and since these materials are not normally sold in marine stores, you will be pleasantly surprised at their cost. The secret of the Penetrol is that it makes the paint thin and runny enough to flow smoothly but does not destroy the hiding ability of the paint. Finally, I would practice on something other than the boat first.

Frank Johns
Reward 32-227
San Diego

From: John Walters
Subject: [Sentoa] Black Window Trim

I used the same process that Frank Johns described about 5 years ago on Jubilation 37008. There are two minor differences that I found sucessful. They are that I used 1 part epoxy for the paint and when preparing the aluminum after sanding I used vinegar on the raw aluminum before using paint thinner to clean the surface and then primer. The areas I used this system on have held up very well. In fact I think this process was written up in the Nordic Tug Newsletter a few years ago.

Regards,

John Walters
Jubilation 37008
San Carlos, Sonora Mexico