On my Albin Ballad restoration I've run into some incredibly tough stains in the fiberglass and as a result have a shelf full of cleaners of various potency. But the one recommended by a fellow Vega sailor is Mary Kate's On & Off.
Link for review: http://tinyurl.com/7cph5ux
A lot of cleaners seem to have various levels of oxalic acid in them. "Wood Bleach" is an inexpensive product that is mostly oxalic acid crystals and when mixed with hot water is a very powerful stain remover.
http://alsnetbiz.com/homeimprovement/oxalic_acid.html
On the fore deck there'd been a length of steel chain rusting away for over five years which had left rust stains right into the gel coat. A solution of wood bleach, soaked in paper towels held down with a brick and covering the rust, gradually removed most of the stain over a one week period (Ikept wetting it with the solution). I'm sure a further application would remove them completely.
I also use it to remove rust stains from Dacron sails. In my experiments cleaning sails I've discovered Dacron is an incredibly tough material, impervious to most harsh cleaners. Oxalic acid, muriatic acid, bleach, have all been tried with varying degrees of success. Each type stain seems to have it's own magic remover. Be sure to experiment on an old sail first, of course! I have an old jib that is a "test pilot" for my stain removal efforts. It has mold, mildew, rust, blood, and several other unidentifiable stains to work on.
As always, any of these products require care and personal protection when using. Most packaging has all the appropriate precautions needed, and common sense helps a lot, too!
Peter
#1331 'Sin Tacha'
www.sintacha.com
Link for review: http://tinyurl.com/7cph5ux
A lot of cleaners seem to have various levels of oxalic acid in them. "Wood Bleach" is an inexpensive product that is mostly oxalic acid crystals and when mixed with hot water is a very powerful stain remover.
http://alsnetbiz.com/homeimprovement/oxalic_acid.html
On the fore deck there'd been a length of steel chain rusting away for over five years which had left rust stains right into the gel coat. A solution of wood bleach, soaked in paper towels held down with a brick and covering the rust, gradually removed most of the stain over a one week period (Ikept wetting it with the solution). I'm sure a further application would remove them completely.
I also use it to remove rust stains from Dacron sails. In my experiments cleaning sails I've discovered Dacron is an incredibly tough material, impervious to most harsh cleaners. Oxalic acid, muriatic acid, bleach, have all been tried with varying degrees of success. Each type stain seems to have it's own magic remover. Be sure to experiment on an old sail first, of course! I have an old jib that is a "test pilot" for my stain removal efforts. It has mold, mildew, rust, blood, and several other unidentifiable stains to work on.
As always, any of these products require care and personal protection when using. Most packaging has all the appropriate precautions needed, and common sense helps a lot, too!
Peter
#1331 'Sin Tacha'
www.sintacha.com