the previous owner of my boat caulked it VERY thououghly with silicon. in some places smearing it out as much as 2 inches from whatever was being sealed...an ugly mess! hopefully it kept things from leaking over the years but i am going to clean it up and do it neatly. does anyone know how to remove old silicon?
- Status
Removing silicone
I don't know of an easy way to get it off as far as some kind of solvent but what I've done in the past is cut or scrape as much away as possible and then use a brass wire brush to get the rest off. The brass will not rust if little pieces get broken off. I have also used a brass wheel on a drill. You need to be careful not to get to carried away or you can grind off some of the non-skid or gel coat. Its kind of a pain to get off. Rob
I don't know of an easy way to get it off as far as some kind of solvent but what I've done in the past is cut or scrape as much away as possible and then use a brass wire brush to get the rest off. The brass will not rust if little pieces get broken off. I have also used a brass wheel on a drill. You need to be careful not to get to carried away or you can grind off some of the non-skid or gel coat. Its kind of a pain to get off. Rob
never seen the stuff
geeezzzz....and as muck caulk as i have run in my life. i'm on my way to home depot!
geeezzzz....and as muck caulk as i have run in my life. i'm on my way to home depot!
West Marine sells it too
Check the catalog. On a related note, the way to avoid smearing sealant or caulk everywhere is to mask off everything with tape; the deck, fitting bases, tracks...anywhere you don't want the stuff to stick. I use latex or vinyl gloves or even old plastic supermarket shopping bags to keep sealant off my fingers. As soon as you get the caulk where you want, remove the masking tape so the caulk doesn't dry and make removal a hassle. Old supermarket bags are great for disposing of this sticky mess, just turn them inside out, drop the tape on the bag and close it up from below when you're done. Peter H23 "Raven"
Check the catalog. On a related note, the way to avoid smearing sealant or caulk everywhere is to mask off everything with tape; the deck, fitting bases, tracks...anywhere you don't want the stuff to stick. I use latex or vinyl gloves or even old plastic supermarket shopping bags to keep sealant off my fingers. As soon as you get the caulk where you want, remove the masking tape so the caulk doesn't dry and make removal a hassle. Old supermarket bags are great for disposing of this sticky mess, just turn them inside out, drop the tape on the bag and close it up from below when you're done. Peter H23 "Raven"
caulking
If you want really nice looking caulking jobs , follow Peters advice and use a bit of vegtable / cooking oil on the finger of the glove, , makes it real smoooth, good luck Mike Bacome
If you want really nice looking caulking jobs , follow Peters advice and use a bit of vegtable / cooking oil on the finger of the glove, , makes it real smoooth, good luck Mike Bacome
what sealant should i put back?
ok, so i will get this old mess removed one way or another. i have some remover i got at home depot that i will try this weekend. so what is a good sealant that i could use for deck hardware, fiberglass gaps, etc.
ok, so i will get this old mess removed one way or another. i have some remover i got at home depot that i will try this weekend. so what is a good sealant that i could use for deck hardware, fiberglass gaps, etc.
3M-4200, LIfe Caulk etc.
William: 3M-4200, DOW, GE and Life Caulk are great products. The main thing is to use the product that is appropriate for the job. West Marine has a good matrix (based on the products that they sell) of what product works best for each application. Follow directions and use masking tape whenever in doubt. Don't use 3M-5200 unless you want to remove gelcoat and fiberglass when you remove a piece of hardware. There are other products on the market that have this type of bonding ability (so just be careful).
William: 3M-4200, DOW, GE and Life Caulk are great products. The main thing is to use the product that is appropriate for the job. West Marine has a good matrix (based on the products that they sell) of what product works best for each application. Follow directions and use masking tape whenever in doubt. Don't use 3M-5200 unless you want to remove gelcoat and fiberglass when you remove a piece of hardware. There are other products on the market that have this type of bonding ability (so just be careful).
- Status