has anyone had experience with this product? specifically I'm wondering;
does it have any negative affects on the metal or surrounding material (they claim no)?
I would be very careful around Awlgrip but it will be fine on gelcoat. Personally I would not like to see it sit on anodized aluminum for a long period either but that is just me being cautious.
does it work as well as they claim?
Yes it does work as advertised but it does require patience as it is not a fast product.
are there other products out there that work better/safer/same but cheaper?
No, not that I have found and this is why the makers developed this product. Nitric and citric acid are the only acids safe for re-passivization of SS. Nitric will never be sold to the DIY market thus that leaves only citric acid. Wichard used to make a re-passivation paste but it was a LOT more expensive and does not work nearly as well as Spotless Stainless.
Here is a review I posted a month or so ago. I really do love the stuff..
Spotless Stainless (LINK) = Direct mail order only
The stuff works quite well though is a tad slow and on some older stuff and may require two applications.
Some things I have learned about it.
Do not use in direct sun
Do use it on a warm humid evening so evaporation is kept down
It won't work well in cooler temps
Work on the shaded side of the boat if working during sun up hours
Don't stand their watching it
Here are the ACTUAL photos of Spotless Stainless working. Thanks for inducing me into getting around to uploading them..
Temp 68F, humidity 63%, set time 1:20 minutes, only because I got side tracked. I can't accurately comment on how long it actually took to get that clean. This was a 25 year old Wichard snap shackle that I have had on a number of halyards. The surface is pitted from time and exposure, and the Spotless Stainless won't fix pitting, but it did and does remove the rust very well even if a little slow. In higher temps and humidity it does seem to work faster. Below 70 degrees it seems to begin to slow down.
It is what it is:
Before:
During:
After Rinsing:
Not bad for doing nothing but brushing it on, letting it sit and rinsing it.
Oh and YES I do find it a tad expensive but don't doubt the price will come down when volume eventually goes up.
Yesterday the boat was on the mooring and after a sail I busted out the SS and a chip brush. Worked up near the bow. While waiting I got some paperwork done then went back and rinsed it off. Overall really, really easy. The ability to clean stainless while I am doing work for my "real job" is really quite nice..
For rinsing it I used a bucket of water and a wet microfiber rag. I did not feel like going into the dock to rinse down or to get out out my on-board hose. Rinsed off fine..
I also tested a spot where I waxed over some rust purposely. It does not work very well unless the stainless is unprotected and may take considerably more time or perhaps not work at all depending upon how thick the wax coating is.
These pics were all taken yesterday 6/23/10..
Before:
During:
After:
These pics were all taken yesterday 6/23/10..
Temps were 78F with about 84% RH and it worked in about 30 minutes today. It was however direct sun so I had to keep it wet. I discovered that you can cover it with a dampened and wrung out microfiber rag and it keeps it wet longer.
Keep it wet and use in warm temps and the stuff really works and leaves a very nice shiny surface.
For experimentation's sake I tried it on a seacock. I also used a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser with the Spotless Stainless. This took a long time, a lot longer then the stainless, but the results were great when it finally had enough time to do its work. Getting through the verdigris took a while but this is right next to my nav station where I was working so it was easy to keep an eye on the progress..
I don't advise using the product in this manner, not its intended use, but I did do it.
