I had a passer by recommend acetone to remove oxidation. Internet opinions are both for and against it. What's your though on it?
Removing Oxidation
- Thread starter Project_Mayhem
- Start date
Acetone will not remove gelcoat oxidation but it can be used to remove dirt, grime and stains. To remove oxidation suggest the following and refer to the youtube videos below:
Step 1: Sanding. Start by using 1200 grit sandpaper to get the really rough oxidation off of the paint followed by 2000 grit wet or dry sandpaper.
Step 2: Hard Buff With Rubbing Compound. On a wool buffing wheel put rubbing compound on the surface.
Step 3: Buff/Polish.
Step 4: Admire Your Work!!
Or this:
Or this (buffing tips about mid way through the video):
Tips For A Great Buff & Wax
Buff Polish & Wax Try these products (for Gel-Coat only not intended for Awlgrip) The Cliff Note Version: Steps: #1-Clean the hull with an acid base cleaner like FSR, oxalic acid or On & Off to remove rust & tannin staining. (only if necessary) #2-Wet Sand by hand 600 (if real bad)...
forums.sailboatowners.com
Or this (buffing tips about mid way through the video):
That is the only way to get rid of oxidation. I recommend wet sanding, that is what I found to give the best results. Good luck.
Well the above video is an obvious pitch for the Sea-Shield products. I have never used or heard of them but the basic techniques shown are sound.
The blue boot=stripe on my Hunter had become oxidized badly over the years and I was unhappy every time I looked at it. General compounding and polishing just wasn't cutting it.
In the pictures below, you can see the results I obtained. In this first picture the badly oxidized boot-stripe can be seen on the right hand side. On the left side I had polished with 3M Marine Compound and a buffer with a heavy cut wool bonnet. In this area it was better but not great.
In this picture I had polished a different area with the 3M Marine Compound but the results were still poor.
So I bit the bullet and began wet sanding. I spent the whole day on the boot-stripe. I sanded with 600, 1000, and 1200 grit wet paper with a soft foam block by hand. Afterward I used a different polish- Presta Super Cut - with my same buffer. The results as shown below were dramatically better. The real improvement was due to the wet sanding. And IMHO I think that the Presta products perform better than the 3M products - and less expensive too.
The bottom line for me is that if you want to really restore the oxidized areas to like-new, wet sanding is the way to go.
The blue boot=stripe on my Hunter had become oxidized badly over the years and I was unhappy every time I looked at it. General compounding and polishing just wasn't cutting it.
In the pictures below, you can see the results I obtained. In this first picture the badly oxidized boot-stripe can be seen on the right hand side. On the left side I had polished with 3M Marine Compound and a buffer with a heavy cut wool bonnet. In this area it was better but not great.
In this picture I had polished a different area with the 3M Marine Compound but the results were still poor.
So I bit the bullet and began wet sanding. I spent the whole day on the boot-stripe. I sanded with 600, 1000, and 1200 grit wet paper with a soft foam block by hand. Afterward I used a different polish- Presta Super Cut - with my same buffer. The results as shown below were dramatically better. The real improvement was due to the wet sanding. And IMHO I think that the Presta products perform better than the 3M products - and less expensive too.
The bottom line for me is that if you want to really restore the oxidized areas to like-new, wet sanding is the way to go.
The results from a proper wet sand can be astounding. Right now I'm concentrating on work that's needed to launch. A decent cleaning would be nice. Can acetone cause any damage to the gelcoat?
I would be most obliged if you could forward me the phone number of that passer by as I have a piece of the Brooklyn Bridge I'd like to sell him
. I think anyone who has ever touched a gel coat surface knows that only mechanical abrasion of any sort will remove oxidation. Acetone for stain removal but the oxidation remains.
And let me guess, the passer by was a power boater
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@Rich Stidger , I see what you've done but somehow, somewhere in the past, I arrived at the conclusion that the boot stripe on out boats was Awlgrip and as such, non repairable. Obviously that wasn't the case. I know I've poked at it a few times with mild cut polish with no results.
This is something I have GOT to get to work on. I only wish you had the common decency to tell me this last year when I had the boat out for bottom painting
. It's going to be a bugger to do this from a dinghy in the water because I only bottom paint every five years.
Some boats may have the boot stripe painted with Awlgrip, but AFAIK Hunter molds the color in with gelcoat. Maybe that is why they have only offered a blue stripe instead of other colors.@Rich Stidger , I see what you've done but somehow, somewhere in the past, I arrived at the conclusion that the boot stripe on out boats was Awlgrip and as such, non repairable. Obviously that wasn't the case. I know I've poked at it a few times with mild cut polish with no results.
This is something I have GOT to get to work on. I only wish you had the common decency to tell me this last year when I had the boat out for bottom painting
I can't imagine doing this job from a dinghy. And if you do, please don't use electric powered buffers. Maybe an air-powered would work but I don't want to read about you getting electrified.
Most any clear liquid applied with a coarse cloth will pick up some of the oxidation and give the appearance being shiny and free of oxidation. This will work for about as long as it takes for the acetone, water, minerals spirits, alcohol, etc to dry. Then you'll be back to the same dull finish.
Some cleaner/waxes have a mild abrasive mixed in and for a quick job these will work, but to get the look that Rich got, it takes physically removing the oxidation, the older more neglected the boat, the worse the oxidation. And forget about using Poliglow or those other products, the shine doesn't last that long and it is a pain to remove.
C'mon now. You know you'd love to be able to drop names when I appeared on the front page of your newspaper and you'd be able to say, "Yah, I know that guy".
Im with Maine Sail. Collinite Cleaner. Maybe sandy paper now and then, but it seems a little overkill.
Make sure the dingy is dry @Ralph Johnstone , if you insist on electric tools, cuz you cant book your hairdresser right now.
Make sure the dingy is dry @Ralph Johnstone , if you insist on electric tools, cuz you cant book your hairdresser right now.
This is totally the marina's fault for not providing GFCI outlets! Electricity and water go great together. I mean the whole reason your mast is grounded is to attract more electricity right?
Shouldn't that be, "Yah, I knew that guy, he was a whiz with photoshop."C'mon now. You know you'd love to be able to drop names when I appeared on the front page of your newspaper and you'd be able to say, "Yah, I know that guy".
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You got the tense wrong. It's not "Yah, I know that guy", it's "Yah, I knew that guy".C'mon now. You know you'd love to be able to drop names when I appeared on the front page of your newspaper and you'd be able to say, "Yah, I know that guy".
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How did you do that?C'mon now. You know you'd love to be able to drop names when I appeared on the front page of your newspaper and you'd be able to say, "Yah, I know that guy".
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@Ralph Johnstone owns a newspaper publishing service. Far more lucrative than a boat polishing service.
And, I might say, a damn sight easier than trying to polish a boot stripe with an electric device when it's half under water most of the time
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