Deck hardware cleaning?
- Thread starter Knot Stressin'
- Start date
Looks like chrome or nickel plated bronze. The plating has worn off from weather and aggressive cleaning.
You may be able to get them replated.
You may be able to get them replated.
Like @Charlie Jones s/v Tehani said, you can put a nice shine on that. Even a wire brush on a hand held drill will make it look better but a dremel with a polish wheel would be ideal. Once it is how you like it, a thin coat of spray polyeurethane will help keep it looking nice for a few years... then you will have to repeat. On the other hand, patina looks okay IMHO so let it go green all over.
Each to his on definition of "Decent" looking.
From that picture...
It appears that water filled the inside and overflowed for years. What will stop that in the future?
Note: Metals and their alloys "Oxidize". The key selection for a Marine environment is to reduce that oxidations to a design acceptable rate. Cleaning exposes new metal to oxidize faster.
Jim...
PS: I quit polishing my boat's Stainless after the first 6 months, looks great!
About a decade ago I took the original chrome-over-bronze exhaust fitting in and had it buffed and re-chromed. Came out 'like new' i.e surface like a mirror.
Local shop that did a lot plating for car restoration and custom work did it. Price was reasonable. It was a kick to chat for a minute with other customers about their vintage cars and motorcycles!
As they say: Your boat, your choices.
And..... If its been many years/decades since these bases have been off the boat it is time to epoxy-fill-redrill and re-caulk all of the fastenings anyway.
Local shop that did a lot plating for car restoration and custom work did it. Price was reasonable. It was a kick to chat for a minute with other customers about their vintage cars and motorcycles!
As they say: Your boat, your choices.
And..... If its been many years/decades since these bases have been off the boat it is time to epoxy-fill-redrill and re-caulk all of the fastenings anyway.
I think it all depends whether you want all bronze fittings or chrome plated bronze fittings. A combination of the two does not look very shipshape, IMO. Of course, the biggest problem with bare bronze is that if you want it to look sharp, it requires constant polishing, whereas chrome just needs a quick wipe every now and then.
Neither has any bearing on the strength or longevity of the fitting, so you only have to choose which looks better to you. Expense wise, if your time has any value, it would probably cost about the same to remove and replate as it would to remove the chrome from the bronze.
Neither has any bearing on the strength or longevity of the fitting, so you only have to choose which looks better to you. Expense wise, if your time has any value, it would probably cost about the same to remove and replate as it would to remove the chrome from the bronze.
Either your manufacturer used a much better grade of SS or you are sailing primarily in fresh water. Even with the watermaker, I find it difficult to allot fresh water to something that is supposedly STAINLESS! So our stainless has some 'staining' until we can get around to cleaning it up. That's life.
Or...
I found minor differences after cleaning.
I did the full polishing after we got our boat.
Focused on the Jib sheet winch and electric winch which are prominent in cockpit viewing.
We even have canvas winch covers.
Our railing tubing is perfect.
Using these wenches [winches too
] often, keeps them polished, so to speak.But...
I don't take a lot of guests out either.
I just asked the Admiral if she thought our Stainless needed cleaning [she is a perfectionist on having the boat clean].
Ans: Not that I know of.
Like I said, each to his own definition of "decent".
Polish away...
Jim...
PS: Wenches don't need polishing.
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Does your bride know you have a electric wench on the boat? Does she approve?