Treating your narrowboat to this service is the best thing it could possibly receive to its painted surface, this is because steel naturally wants to rust caused by the mill scale. Mill scale on new steel is dark in colour unless exposed to the damp then it rusts. When a boat is sand or grit blasted the grit penetrates the steel removing this mill scale, significantly increasing the life of any further paint on the hull or cab.
Sand Grit Blasting is the key to a long lasting, problem free, successfully painted narrowboat. Also very important is the conditions in which the narrowboat is painted! If the boat is likely to get damp at any point during the painting process the damp can get trapped under the layers of paint later causing tiny air bubbles to appear known as micro-blisting in which months down the line can pop up to the surface, this is more noticeable on high gloss mirror finishes and usually new boats. Also if there is a lot of grinding in the painting area then the grind dust will settle on the boat in areas and contaminate the painting environment causing tiny spots of rust to appear. Also it is key that the bare steel is clean and free from rust and any oil or grease usually caused in the initial making of the shell.
OUR FACILITY
Our dedicated facility allows for shot blasting in a safe and controlled environment and allows contaminated waste to be disposed of safely
WHAT IS SHOT BLASTING?
Sand Shot blasting takes compressed air as its power and shots the high speed abrasive sand stream to the surface of the work area. Due to the impacting and cutting effect of the abrasive sand, the work surface is completely cleaned, at the same time, the surface quality is greatly improved. The Processed work area will have better fatigue resistance and adhesion force, which will help the coating have a smooth level and last much longer.
WHY SHOT BLAST YOUR BOAT?
Over a number of years antifoul builds up so that the underwater hull surface is no longer smooth which is not efficient and it also is not good for antifoul adhesion. Ideally this build-up of antifoul should be removed back to the hull every five years or so. Not only is this a very time consuming job but it is also potentially messy and unless care is taken will introduce toxic paint into the environment.
PREPARING YOUR BOAT
Shot blasting is a very dusty process. We will endeavor to minimize ingress into the boat, however it is impossible to prevent all ingress. Therefore we recommend that you cover as much as possible inside the boat. We also recommend the removal of any fixtures that you do not want blasting on the outside of the boat wherever possible.
We do not undertake a material thickness survey. It is your responsibility to ensure that the steel thickness is suitable for shot blasting. We will not be held responsible for any holes that are uncovered or created by the shot blasting process.
