Red Lead Primer

[J. A.Tones]

Can anyone explain the advantages (presuming there are some) to using red lead primer on a wooden hull rather than a good grade of regular primer ? The hull in question is a 36' trawler with western red cedar planking and it originally had red lead primer however in a good many large areas this has been sanded off in the course of my repairs. A side note is that the finish paint does not seem to have adhered all that well to the primer as there are fairly large "bubbles" where the top coats are comming away from the primer. Don't even know yet whether I can still get red lead up here but will be at the commercial boat supply house tomorrow to see.
Any comments ?
Thanks
John

[RGM]

Red lead is wonderful toxic stuff, it's great for wood boats, bad for anything living. Try an outfit called "Consolidated Coatings" in Delta, B.C. 604-946-7626. Good luck.

[lumberdude]

I used red lead primer simply because it is a very hard and durable undercoating for wood boats. I figured if I can't get off my house when I want to, it won't come off my hull when I don't want it to. Call Kirby Paints and ask them about the product. Another advantage is you can sure see a scratch or scuff that needs touched up in the finish coat.

lumberdude

[Scott Rosen]

Lead is great stuff for boat painting. It is just toxic enough to certain micro-organisms that it has a good rot-retardant effect. That's why they've been using it on ship timbers for so long, and that's why the best boat builders still use it.

[J. A.Tones]

Thanks guys, your comments are what I thought it was all about but its nice to get some confirmation.
Turns out that it is available locally at our commercial boat place so shortly I will have an orange boat.
Thanks again
John

[pwilling]

John, would you mind sharing with us which of your local boat supply places you found red lead? Steveston Marine says they have red but not white.

[Pelican]

Sandusky Paint in Ohio has it:http://www.sanpaco.com/

[JLM]

my boat will sit in the water all season so when im readey to paint it im going to use antifauling
paint. can you put a primer (red lead)under AF paint.thanks JLM smile.gif

(BIQ)1970 34'pembroke lapstrake mahogany

[Art Read]

JLM... I put it down under my bottom paint, (regular ablative stuff from Woolsey's) New construction, and it hasn't been wet yet, but it went on fine and still "looks" good a year later.

Anybody here in Seattle know anything about "FarWest's" Red Lead "Replacement" Primer? I've seen it, and it "looks" the same as the stuff I get from Kirby's, etcept perhaps a bit "lighter". They say it's got a different "binder" or "paste" they make it out of, so they can get around the current restrictions. Make sense?

[Stan Derelian]

Pwilling: Trotec Marine in Victoria has red lead. I don't know of anyone around here with white lead, but I recall some thread here talking about getting lead carbonate (white lead) from a ceramic supply place in the States. You would have to make up your own primer. You might check past threads.