Barient drum oxidation

[DinghySailor]

Hey all,
I just serviced my Barient 28s (original on '85 C&C) and was relieved to see the POs have taken care of these winches—internal parts are in great shape. But the anodized drum is showing some oxidization. Scrubbing with bronze wool and vinegar helped a bit. Would muriatic acid work better, should I try something else, or is this lost cause?

 

[dLj]

Pictures please...

dj

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

At the risk of plagiarizing @dLj , pictures please to give us a better idea of what might work.

Once the anodizing is badly worn off, there's not much hope unless you have the entire drum anodized.

Strong acid will quickly attack the anodizing (aluminum oxide) but will attack the underlying aluminum far less. So it's a definite no to muriatic (hydrochloric) acid.

I have anodized cleats on my boat and I have been able to bring them to a "better" appearance by hand rubbing them with an extremely light buffing compound called Meguiars Color Restorer and lots of elbow grease.

Won't take your breath away but it does make an improvement.

 

[DinghySailor]

Had to wait for better light to bring out the green spots in a photo. It's mostly a cosmetic concern, but given that anodizing has a life and these winches are otherwise in great shape, it might be worth reanodizing them. I know some have actually painted these with an etching primer and then a Rustoleum product. I've got my doubts about the durability of that finish. So the questions are:
1. Will anything take these spots off w/out harming the anodizing? Thanks Roger--I won't be using the muriatic acid and will look into the Meguiar's product.
2. Down the line, I'm pretty sure that reanodizing will be way cheaper than replacing the winches. Any members on the forum have experience with this? Recommendations?
3. Any experience out there with removing the self-tailing clamp ring in order to clean/lub in there? Or is this needed? Nothing in the manual addresses this.

 

[rgranger]

A small amount of barkeeper’s friend (oxalic acid) on a tooth brush followed by immediate rinsing with fresh water will get rid of the green without doing noticible harm to the other surfaces. Don't let it sit on the anodized surface for more than a few seconds.

 

[jssailem]

A tooth brush and some Corrosion Block, might be all you need.


I talked with the customer service person at Lear Chemical... The Canadian maker.

Lear Chemical Research Corporation

Lear Chemical Research developing and compounding anti corrosion lubricants and greases, ACF-50, Corrosion Block, Corrosion Block Grease, Rust Block, effectively solving corrosion related problems in the Automotive, Aviation, Industrial, Marine, Motorcycle and Recreational industries.

www.learchem.com

Said that they have motorcycle shops buying the product by the 55Gal drum. Spraying it on all metal parts.

No reason it will not clean up and then bind with your winch metals. I know it keeps the chrome on my padlocks shiny and they are under constant marine exposure.

 

[DinghySailor]

Late followup here. Thanks John for the LCR product ref. While perusing the lawn implement isle at Home Depot I came across a lanolin based spray by FluidFilm with no grease or solvents. I sprayed it on the drums and rubbed it in. Appears to be the ticket for cleaning up the spots to about 60% and giving a decent protective coating that is not sticky or visible. We'll see how it behaves in the heat.