# Made these guideons / need rust advice



## choppedliver (Apr 4, 2009)

I wasnt about to pay $80 for a guideon set from Academy, so I gathered up some scrap steel this afternoon and made these guideons with my TIG welder. They are about 4 ft long, hard to tell that from the pic. The bottom half is made of 1/8" thick square tubing and the top is made of some thinner round tubing. I welded the round to the square, and made some t shaped brackets for the ends. I plan on running a 3/8" or 1/2" bolt andwasher through each end of the "t" and into the trailer frame. I decided to do this rather than go buy one of those u bolt kits with the big metal piece on the bottom. Those are also expensive.

Anyway, I need to clean all the surface rust off these and coat them with something. Ive tried that cold galvanize zinc rich paint stuff and it doesnt really seem to do the trick. Rust comes right through. Any other better ideas? I know Im only going to "slow the rust down", especially since I cant really get to the inside of the tubing, but I'm ok with that. Only have a few bucks in them. They will have pvc tubing with top mounted trailer lights when I'm done


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## ironman172 (Sep 28, 2007)

stainless or aluminum would have been better....I made some out of stainless.....try paint .....there is agalvanizing stick that can be used but very costly from what I was told and not sure how much better it would be anyway.


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## angus_cow_doctor (Apr 13, 2009)

coat them in concrete, inside and out????oke


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## choppedliver (Apr 4, 2009)

> *ironman172 (12/20/2009)*stainless or aluminum would have been better....I made some out of stainless.....try paint .....there is agalvanizing stick that can be used but very costly from what I was told and not sure how much better it would be anyway.




yep, stainless and aluminum would have been better, but this is what I had laying around for free.


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## 1bandit (Jul 17, 2009)

> *angus_cow_doctor (12/20/2009)*coat them in concrete, inside and out????oke


now thats funny!


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## amarcafina (Aug 24, 2008)

They are Doomed, I don't think there is any way in hell you can keep those from rusting . Steel is a no-no around a boat, trailer of anything down here!


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## sniper (Oct 3, 2007)

It won't make them last forever but you can coat the inside of the tube, here's how. Get a can of the pant you are going to use. I assume it rustoleum of something like it. You have to get it in the brush on, rattle can won't work. Tape up one of the end real good with duct tape. On the other side use a funnel and pour in quite a bit. Then when you get a lot in there seal the other end and roll it around coating the inside. When you finish that one have a container to catch the excess and use it on the other one.


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## sniper (Oct 3, 2007)

Also be sure to put some PVC on that steel so it doesn't beat up your boat.


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## choppedliver (Apr 4, 2009)

> *amarcafina (12/21/2009)*They are Doomed, I don't think there is any way in hell you can keep those from rusting . Steel is a no-no around a boat, trailer of anything down here!


LOL, my whole trailer is made of steel. Plenty of trailers are made of steel. Sure its galvanized and even galvanized rusts eventually, but saying steel is a no no around a boat trailer is just not reality. Many,many,many boat trailers here are made of steel. Yes I would prefer aluminum and a lot are made of aluminum these days but plenty are also made of steel.


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## biggamefishr (Oct 26, 2007)

I've used aztec galvanizing in mobile a couple of times in the past and have been happy


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## choppedliver (Apr 4, 2009)

> *sniper (12/21/2009)*It won't make them last forever but you can coat the inside of the tube, here's how. Get a can of the pant you are going to use. I assume it rustoleum of something like it. You have to get it in the brush on, rattle can won't work. Tape up one of the end real good with duct tape. On the other side use a funnel and pour in quite a bit. Then when you get a lot in there seal the other end and roll it around coating the inside. When you finish that one have a container to catch the excess and use it on the other one.


Thats not a bad idea


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## X-Shark (Oct 3, 2007)

They are rusted now. Adding them to your trailer will make it look like crap. Unless you just like to look at rusty crap on your trailer?



The only way I know of to fix that is send them off to a place north of Mobile,Al. that can clean them and galvanize them.



But guess what? Now you have over $80 in them.



I spend a bunch of money to get rusty parts off of a boat trailer. I hate the way it looks.


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## lastcast (Oct 12, 2007)

Before you paint them you might want to use Prep & Etch or Ospho to get a better seal and slow the rust. Dont know if you ever used it but it works pretty good.

Skip


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## sniper (Oct 3, 2007)

> *X-Shark (12/21/2009)*They are rusted now. Adding them to your trailer will make it look like crap. Unless you just like to look at rusty crap on your trailer?
> 
> The only way I know of to fix that is send them off to a place north of Mobile,Al. that can clean them and galvanize them.
> 
> ...


that was helpful


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## 1bandit (Jul 17, 2009)

Just paint them and put them on your trailer. You may have to paint them every year or two but they will probably outlast your trailer springs.The metal looks fairly thick. All kinds of ships. barges, battleships are made of plain old steel and they last for years and years some painted some not.


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

you don't have alot of money in them so if they don't last forever,so what. have them sand blasted, dry them with a torch ( so i've been told) and put a good paint job on them. they will be alright for a while. having them galvanized would be better but, there's the money thing again. Joey


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## johnsonbeachbum (Oct 1, 2007)

I was gonna say to cap off the bottom of the uprights and fill them up with veggie oil. But I am guessing your gonna run wires up the center.

Pouring paint inside and rolling it around sounds good. Then just paint the outside with a brush. I do not think there is any magical rust preventive that is cheap. 



Are you gonna be drilling holes in your galvan trailer to mount these? If yes the holes drilled will now be exposed steel to saltwater and cancer.



I used the round bent aluminum guides on my trailer. The horizontal portion is u-bolted to the trailer frame crossmember with a piece of wood between guide tube and crossmember.

They are tight enough that it takes all I got to push them forward or backward.

My boat has a rather square bow at the rub rail and if I come in too hot or not lined up good enough the guides roll/push forward without bending or breaking.

Then I just push them back upright. No harm no foul.


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## Tuna Man (Oct 2, 2007)

Made from scrap..well done. Paint them and install. They will last a few years. While in that time frame collect some more scrap. You have the equipment to make more and I'd venture to say you have about a hour in them. In some spare time make your "T's, put them up for later use. Or make a complete set when you find the material.


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## choppedliver (Apr 4, 2009)

> *1bandit (12/21/2009)*Just paint them and put them on your trailer. You may have to paint them every year or two but they will probably outlast your trailer springs.The metal looks fairly thick. All kinds of ships. barges, battleships are made of plain old steel and they last for years and years some painted some not.




yeah its 1/8 thick, very stout. And my trailer is a 1979 trailer so it is not like its new. The trailer has plenty of rust on it already and the guideons will most likely outlast the trailer. Just figured I would put some spray primer and some rustoleum.


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## choppedliver (Apr 4, 2009)

> *X-Shark (12/21/2009)*They are rusted now. Adding them to your trailer will make it look like crap. Unless you just like to look at rusty crap on your trailer?
> 
> 
> 
> ...




yep, but my whole trailer is rusted lol


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## choppedliver (Apr 4, 2009)

> *Tuna Man (12/22/2009)*Made from scrap..well done. Paint them and install. They will last a few years. While in that time frame collect some more scrap. You have the equipment to make more and I'd venture to say you have about a hour in them. In some spare time make your "T's, put them up for later use. Or make a complete set when you find the material.




Thanks for the comments Tuna man... Yeah they will outlast my 1979 rusted ass trailer lol. I like your advice, you think like me  I never throw scrap wood or metal away. I can either burn the wood or build something and metal always finds a use. And you are right on target, about an hour maybe a little more with the welding and cutting. My chop saw blade is about shot.


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## Tuna Man (Oct 2, 2007)

Choppedliver...I think like you because I'm like you. I HATE to discard any metal or wood materialthat can be used for a project. Thats why my garage/shop looks like crap. My son came home to roost for 9 months, he saw my garage and wanted to clean it up for me, and my wife said something. I broke down and we got out there discarding things. I had a bike rack that would fit on my 5th wheel. I had no intension's of riding (peddling) a bike again although I had 3 in the garage. No sooner then they went to the dump, we decided to make these.....









Just for information, parts not counting labor we have $250.00+- in it, and the bike is new. This one is for a friend, mine was made from guess what.....one of the bikes I had out in the garage for years...$150.00 in mine.

Now I'd take this with me when we hit the road, BUT guess where the rack is...:banghead:banghead:banghead:banghead:banghead ...yup the dump:banghead:banghead


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## Mike aka FishWerks (Oct 22, 2007)

Like the beachbum said; Weld caps on the open ends of the square/round tube. Just seal em up. Sand blast the units, clean good and paint with a brush on primer. You're welcome to borrow my small sand blaster and I think I've got a bag of sand blast media you can have as well, you'll need an air compressor. Nice job on an inexpensive trailer tweak!


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## bwendel07 (Sep 30, 2007)

Just thinking out loud here but how about taking a can of great stuff and filling the inside of the pipe / tubing and wire brush the outside to get to clean metal and put that plastic / rubber thick coating on them. drill a hole and put a couple of small zinc's in them? 

Any thoughts?


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## Tuna Man (Oct 2, 2007)

> *bwendel07 (12/22/2009)*Just thinking out loud here but how about taking a can of great stuff and filling the inside of the pipe / tubing and wire brush the outside to get to clean metal and put that plastic / rubber thick coating on them. drill a hole and put a couple of small zinc's in them?
> 
> Any thoughts?


Like mentioned earlier, the material is thick enough (1/8") that it will most likely last as long or longer then his trailer. I wouldn't do much besides brush, prime, and paint the outside....besides think how it's going to look up against a ole rusty trailer:doh


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## choppedliver (Apr 4, 2009)

> *Tuna Man (12/22/2009)*Choppedliver...I think like you because I'm like you. I HATE to discard any metal or wood materialthat can be used for a project. Thats why my garage/shop looks like crap. My son came home to roost for 9 months, he saw my garage and wanted to clean it up for me, and my wife said something. I broke down and we got out there discarding things. I had a bike rack that would fit on my 5th wheel. I had no intension's of riding (peddling) a bike again although I had 3 in the garage. No sooner then they went to the dump, we decided to make these.....
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Man that bike is awesome. I know what you mean about throwing stuff out. Usually about the time I throw it out, a few days later I find a need for them.


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## choppedliver (Apr 4, 2009)

> *bwendel07 (12/22/2009)*Just thinking out loud here but how about taking a can of great stuff and filling the inside of the pipe / tubing and wire brush the outside to get to clean metal and put that plastic / rubber thick coating on them. drill a hole and put a couple of small zinc's in them?
> 
> 
> 
> Any thoughts?




Im thinking about just welding them shut. I dont think too much rusting is going to take place if I cap them off. Only so much oxygen and moisture in there. And like tuna man said they will probably outlast my trailer. I'm gonna prime em, paint em, and be done with it.


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## fishing with carl childers (Oct 3, 2007)

man you are always making something , if you keep this up one day you are going to invent something thats gonna make you a millionaire. good luck and keep on welding. keep posting your inventions i like the way you think.


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## kahala boy (Oct 1, 2007)

Couldn't you powder coat them?


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## choppedliver (Apr 4, 2009)

> *fishing with carl childers (2/8/2010)*man you are always making something , if you keep this up one day you are going to invent something thats gonna make you a millionaire. good luck and keep on welding. keep posting your inventions i like the way you think.




Thanks bud, you should see what I have floating in my pool! It's my latest invention but I can't let it out of the bag yet. I have about 20 more inventions on my list. I literally dream crap up while Im sleeping.


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## choppedliver (Apr 4, 2009)

> *kahala boy (2/8/2010)*Couldn't you powder coat them?




Could but probably not cost effective. I think they are going to get a can of rustoleum and be done with it. lo. Don't care if they rust, they will last a few years. Right now they are still in my garage.


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## choppedliver (Apr 4, 2009)

Well I finally got around to it. I ground the rust off these suckers. The Upper tubing ( round ) is galvanized. The lower ( square is not). So the upper is really not of much concern. 

On the bottom, I sprayed rustoleum industrial enamel down the tubing. I was pleasanly surprised at how far I was able to coat the inside. I am pretty sure it reached all the way to where the galvanized joins the regular steel.

For the vertical part, I wasnt as worried about rust from salt water accumulation, since it is vertical and will drain out. Now it is coated, so it should slow down , and I always rinse with freshwater.

On the horizontal part of the "L" , I took some 316 stainless steel plate I had laying around left over from building flounder gigs, and I sealed that sucker completely off. Just welded it shut. 

I put 5/16" holes in each cross member and will be drilling same size hole in my trailer frame. 

I topped the whole thing off with 4 coats of the same semigloss black rustoleum industrial enamel.

My pvc guideons with the LED lights will be covering the tubing. The wiring will run down the square tube.

Here is a picture so far










Remember this is an old boat, with an old trailer, which is half rusted already. These guideons will most likely last much longer than my trailer, and all they cost me was some welding supplies , some rustoleum, and about $2 in galvanized bolts. I already had the metal laying around.


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## imontoyu (Apr 11, 2010)

Grind as most of the rust off them as you can, primer them, then put the truck bed liner paint on. When they rust out build some new ones, and just keep your eyes on scrap aluminum laying around here and there. If something doesn't look good about just do it again until its good for you.


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## hogdogs (Apr 19, 2010)

I have sprayed hundreds of gallons of industrial enamel... We baked it at 175-200 degrees for an hour or 3. It really made it much more durable. It adhered much better as it flowed into the fine grooves we don't see with the naked eye...

Good luck with your new guide-ons!
Brent


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## brasshog (Mar 25, 2010)

If you look around you can find the rubberized coating that is made for dipping the handles of tools in for about $12. Wal-mart,hardware stores, and even Advance Auto sells it I think. I would just pour it through a couple of times or give it a bath. good rubber coating may help it last especially inside the tubes.


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