Fiberglass Buffing....

[emergpa1]

Nelsonhow,
I think I know wherebu r at. A couple of years ago I was using mainsail's buff magic post to restore my gelcoat. I remember a couple of questions that it did not seem to answer. They may or not be the ones you have. But here r my solutions anyway.
1. To sand I found it best to start with 600. I worked up to 2000 before buffing. Buffing several times will not make up for sanding. To sand, I began with circular motions. I used the amount of pressure I would use for a massage. Start hard and ease up. I would finish with light back and forth motion as if I were dusting. The mistake I always made was UNDER sanding. Change paper a lot. The finer the grit,, the more time you spend in an area. I did not find it to be difficult or unrewarding. Very relaxing work once you get the hang of it. Of course my boat was on a trailer in my back yard.
2. With the buffer, light pressure. The lighter the better. Don't use the edge of the pad for small areas. Keep the pad slightly tilted. But only slightly.

Those r the only things I have to ad to mainsails excellent article
Keith
.

Stuff I used. Very indebted to Maine sail and this site. Thanks guys!

 

[Maine Sail]

Stuff I used. Very indebted to Maine sail and this site. Thanks guys!

See, I did leave some supplies out of that article.... The Sam Adams!!!

 

[emergpa1]

See, I did leave some supplies out of that article.... The Sam Adams!!!

A little beer makes everything better!
Keith

 

[Ward H]

First post here. Just bought a 76 Newport 17 that is sail worthy, structurally sound and dry. It was left out under trees for several years so it is very dirty and moldy. A couple of chips in the gel coat but mostly it's just dull.
Will follow Maine Sail's excellent tutorial except for the first step, the acid wash. I am not comfortable using the acid.
Is there an alternate wash that I can use? Can I use one of the house or cement cleaner products in a pressure washer?

Thanks,

Ward

 

[emergpa1]

First post here. Just bought a 76 Newport 17 that is sail worthy, structurally sound and dry. It was left out under trees for several years so it is very dirty and moldy. A couple of chips in the gel coat but mostly it's just dull.
Will follow Maine Sail's excellent tutorial except for the first step, the acid wash. I am not comfortable using the acid.
Is there an alternate wash that I can use? Can I use one of the house or cement cleaner products in a pressure washer?

Thanks,

Ward

I'm not sure about the pressure washer, it will break the seal on your fittings so that you get leaks. For my wash I used some tide and a little bleach dissolved into a bucket of warm water. It worked ok for me. It does make the surface slippery, so could be a safety problem.
Other thoughts anyone?
Keith

 

[sailcruiser]

I have no idea if this will work but it is inexpensive to try. A site I looked at for bleach alternatives suggests a paste of baking soda and water. I'm sure this will need some elbow grease to work. Vinegar is also a mild acid if you don't mind smelling like a salad. I use a lot of vinegar on my boat as a bleach alternative when cleaning the head.

Here is the site:http://www.coastal.ca.gov/ccbn/toolkit/fs-cleaning.pdf

Let us know if you try any and they work.

SC