Here is a quick video that shows how we protect the metal of the center dock from corrosion. This dock will go around one of the outer spars on the floating TriPod base. You can see two of these docks that are installed on our first floating TriPod base.
The first step is to remove all of the surface rust and corrosion. To do this, we are using grinders and sandblasting for now, and soon, we will be receiving a new laser tool that we will use in the future.
After we get all of the rust off of the metal, we use a thermal spray treatment that applies a thin coating of zinc to the surface to help protect it. Once the thermal spraying is done, we will paint the entire thing, and then it will be ready to be mounted to the spar.
This process moves pretty quickly and we can usually finish everything in about two days. We are making great progress on the second floating TriPod base and we hope to have it in the water soon!
