Now a new paint developed for the offshore oil industry is being used to protect the Forth Bridge and may last up to 40 years before it needs repeating. It seems that the expression "like painting the Forth Bridge" to describe a never-ending task will soon be consigned to history.
The new process requires grit-blasting the old paint & rust back to bare metal and then applying three coats of a "glass flake epoxy resin" which chemically bonds with the surface of the metal forming an impenetrable layer.
This process applied to our railings would, as well as reducing annual maintenance costs, help to preserve them into the future and thus postpone indefinitely the enormous cost that would be incurred by their replacement. It would have the additional advantage of revealing all the finer details of the castings at present disguised by the accumulation of a 100 years of paint.
See also:-
The seafront "paintathon" has begun.
Seafront maintenance.
Brighton's seafront railings.
The seafront railings.
I hope someone in the maintenance department of the council has, like you, made the connection. Stripping away the accumulated paint sounds exciting! But years of lead paint will no doubt cause them to pause. I hope not for long.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope this wonder paint is more wonderful than the wonder composite used on recently installed benches on the seafront. Announced as vandal and weather proof the artificial wooden slats are already splitting in some places
ReplyDeleteRoger Hinton