by merecaver » Sep 27, 2006 12:20 pm
JoeyS wrote: I just got done caving with Kristen Bobo of the Upper Cumberland Grotto today, and she is the guru of cave gates in the TAG region. We talked about the Dunbar Cave gate project, and she said that basically, it is not that advantagious to paint these gates at all.
NZcaver wrote: I can't say I've ever heard of cave-friendly paint.
Robert Sewell wrote: Is there a special type of paint that won't harm the cave?
Hi all,
I am no expert on cave gate painting (or anything else for that matter, LOL), but I've helped paint a few cave gates, mostly in West Virginia WITH the help of the WV DNR.
From what I learned, it takes about one year for the iron (?) to rust on a cave gate and then you can go in with this special and expensive paint (about $80 per gallon). It goes on kind of purple but dries to black (or is it the other way around?). Mostly we have applied it with sponge brushes. Anyhow, it dries a different color so you can see where you missed.
I have no idea whether it is cave or bat friendly, but it helps protect the gate, which is hopefully protecting both the cave and the bats (and other critters).
I have not heard anyone ever commenting that the paint is bad for critters, though I can't imagine if one were to ingest the paint it would be good. Gross. This particular paint dries very quickly.
Meredith