The black transom strap I've used has discolored or blackened a patch of the white paint on the hull. So far, I know Simple Green won't get it off. What would you recommend for hard dirt or this kind of discoloration?
- Status
3m
3m makes a fiberglass cleaner with a very mild abrassive quality that says it will not harm gel coat. This product seems to woud great and even leaves a wax finish on the affected area when done. Dave Oberholtzer "hyrdrotherapy"
3m makes a fiberglass cleaner with a very mild abrassive quality that says it will not harm gel coat. This product seems to woud great and even leaves a wax finish on the affected area when done. Dave Oberholtzer "hyrdrotherapy"
Vim works for me
I use Vim on all sorts of stains, from coffee and tea stains on cups, stains on counters (formica), and I even tried it on old rust stains on fiberglass (a 25 year old fiberglass trailer) with some success. The newer the stain, the easier it is to remove. As always, try a small area first. Vim should be in your grocery store where dish detergents are sold. I suggest you make a cloth pad to place between your strap and the hull, to avoid stains in the future.
I use Vim on all sorts of stains, from coffee and tea stains on cups, stains on counters (formica), and I even tried it on old rust stains on fiberglass (a 25 year old fiberglass trailer) with some success. The newer the stain, the easier it is to remove. As always, try a small area first. Vim should be in your grocery store where dish detergents are sold. I suggest you make a cloth pad to place between your strap and the hull, to avoid stains in the future.
Cloth Pad Recommendation
You can use the 4" waxing/polishing pads that come in bundles of 6 for about $3.00. Much neater than a "rag" blowing in the breeze and are machine washable. Besides, they can also be used to clean the bottom of the boat after you pull it out of the water (if you trailer all the time.) Kitchen sponges work well once or twice but deteriorate after a trip or two.
You can use the 4" waxing/polishing pads that come in bundles of 6 for about $3.00. Much neater than a "rag" blowing in the breeze and are machine washable. Besides, they can also be used to clean the bottom of the boat after you pull it out of the water (if you trailer all the time.) Kitchen sponges work well once or twice but deteriorate after a trip or two.
ajax
I use an abrassive kitchin cleaning powder like ajax for tough stains.....of course it will remove the wax as well
I use an abrassive kitchin cleaning powder like ajax for tough stains.....of course it will remove the wax as well
OXYLIC ACID
Anything that is abrasive is removing gelcoat, which is a thin layer of resin over the fiberglass cloth. Oxylic acid chemically removes most stains without abrading the gelcoat. It is including in some boat cleaners, but Boat/US sells the dry powder for about $8-10( I can't remember the name, but it is the cleaner isle, in a cylinder about 10 inches tall and about 3 inches in diameter). Just wet the powder with water(fresh or salt) and let it sit 10-15 minutes, keeping it moist. then rinse off, soap helps get rid of the residue. It is recommended by Practical Sailor, who commented that the faster a cleaner works, the faster it is removing your gelcoat. For tough stains, sanding the stain out may be the solution, but you only have a certain amount of gelcoat before you have to turn to Awlgrip epoxy/paint.
Anything that is abrasive is removing gelcoat, which is a thin layer of resin over the fiberglass cloth. Oxylic acid chemically removes most stains without abrading the gelcoat. It is including in some boat cleaners, but Boat/US sells the dry powder for about $8-10( I can't remember the name, but it is the cleaner isle, in a cylinder about 10 inches tall and about 3 inches in diameter). Just wet the powder with water(fresh or salt) and let it sit 10-15 minutes, keeping it moist. then rinse off, soap helps get rid of the residue. It is recommended by Practical Sailor, who commented that the faster a cleaner works, the faster it is removing your gelcoat. For tough stains, sanding the stain out may be the solution, but you only have a certain amount of gelcoat before you have to turn to Awlgrip epoxy/paint.
Compound
Best solution is to use Finese-It by 3-M which is a compound material. Use a buffer at low speed and it will buff out the stain. Then wax. You may have to bufff the entire area to match. CrazY Dave Condon
Best solution is to use Finese-It by 3-M which is a compound material. Use a buffer at low speed and it will buff out the stain. Then wax. You may have to bufff the entire area to match. CrazY Dave Condon
Oxylic Acid Question
Tying a couple of threads together here, but I suppose that's ok. Will Oxylic Acid help remove oxidation? Sounds like good stuff if used directly in the powder format. Any experience with this?
Tying a couple of threads together here, but I suppose that's ok. Will Oxylic Acid help remove oxidation? Sounds like good stuff if used directly in the powder format. Any experience with this?
- Status