Prop Polishing?

BruZerII

BruZerII

New Member
Oct 17, 2006
96
Elyria, Ohio
Boat Info
1986 300 WE
Engines
Twin 260 Mercruisers
Sitting here on the shores of Lake Erie looking at the 3-4 inches of snow with 2-3 inches of ice underneath dreaming of getting the boat ready for launch. One of the items that crossed my mind was polishing my props. I have a few questions.

1. Is this a do-it-yourself job?
2. What are the advantages/disadvantages?
3. What type of compound should I use?
4. Buffing wheel on a drill?
5.

Thanks in advance.
 
I don't think I would waste my time, unless you have a prop guy check them out. I have heard on this forum that some propscan folks will check them for free, so you may want to look into that as I have seen night and day improvements from getting my props tuned.

Good luck.

briman
 
The effect you would achieve would be cosmetic only and the effort is far from trivial. Start with 400 grit sandpaper and work up to 1200 wet. Then, switch over to a metal polishing compound on a wheel and work down to Flitz or equiv on a drill polisher. A typical stern drive prop can take 12-20 hours.
 
With the proper equipment, polishing a SS prop should take no more than 45 minutes. The propeller can be easily cleaned with rubbing compound or Scotchbrite. Do not use steel wool. After cleaning, use chrome polish to protect the finish. Stainless steel props can also turn white from calcium or lime in the water. In this case, clean the prop with household mineral bath and tile cleaner. Again, do not use steel wool. Follow up with chrome polish to protect the finish.
 
Last edited:
my props have the factory BII drive rough finish. there is no way I could get them to the shiny state in 45 minutes. It might not be 12-20 hours but no way 25 minutes.
 
I just got my props and exhaust tips looking brand new in 30 min. and they where looking really bad. I take a 2 gal. bucket and put about 1 gal. of water then add about a cup of Muriatic Acid to the water. Then I get cheep paint brush and start brushing it on. If it is fizing then there is enough acid in the water. If it dosnt fiz then just add a little more acid. I just keep brushing untill they become shiny. Once im done with the props and the exhaust tips I rinse everything of with with fresh water.

The muriatic acid can be found in the paint section at your local home depot or what ever you got around you.
 
Summer1 said:
I sent my to Prop doc now look better that new!
Click to expand...

I was thinking about sending mine to prop doc as well... How fast was the turn around from prop doc? Was the price including shipping the props to him comparable to having it done locally? There must be someone near the Cape that does props, isn't there?

My marina opens this Tuesday and I plan on removing the props first thing. One of them has a small chip in it.

Michael
 
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