Stainless Steel Cleaning (Again!)

[Carl and Juliana Dupre]

Our 2001 H340 has LOTS of stainless steel on it, and cleaning at least some of that stainless steel seems to have become a regular part of just about every weekend. We have used both 'Flitz' and "Wenor'. They both clean away the tarnish and spots very nicely, but they all too soon return.This has been a topic of several recent posts. In a couple of responses cleaners that also re-pacivate the stainless surface were mentioned. Also specifically mentioned was a material called 'Wichinox' (??).We are trying to relocate these posts and follow up on some of the suggestions. We have scoured the forums and queried the archives and we can't turn this up at all! Did our aging minds just make this up? Are we delusional from all of the sun in New England this summer? Do we just not know how to search the archives very well? All of the above?Please re-respond with the suggestions and also where to locate some of these materials. The usual suspects (WM, BUS, etc.) only seem to have the usual stuff.Thanks in advance!Carl and Jules/v 'Syzygy'

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

Carl and Juliana ........................

.......... I wrote a responce to a gentleman who was having problems with his SS rails on a new Hunter but I can't find it in the archives for love nor money (well for money anyway).The original discussion had some very good contributions if anyone can put their finger on it.The gist of my reply was that there is a problem with the quality of SS if it is staining continuously. Rather than bore you with a metallurgical dissertation, check out an older neglected boat and you will invariably find the rails are in pristine condition as far as shine goes. The SS was probably homegrown with a known metallurgical composition as opposed to an offshore supply.Regards,s/v Island Hunter

 

[Bryce Grefe]

winchinox

Carl & Juliana,the product is called winchinox and its made by wichard. I beleieve WM carries it along with Boat US. (See the atached Wichard page at the bottom) I got some from a local chandelry that carried wichard products. Works very well. Have touched my stainless since last season. By the way missed you in dutch Harbor a couple of weeks ago.BryceS/V SpellbinderH410

 

[Carl and Juliana Dupre]

Ralph and Bryce

Bryce: Thanks! We had checked Wichard's website and couldn't find any mention of this stuff. Same with WM catalog. We will try again. Sorry we missed you at DH; would have enjoyed seeing you again. It has been a bit of a weird year for us. Ralph: Thanks for the comments, and it's good to know that we aren't the only ones who couldn't find the original post; must be stuck somewhere in limbo between currently active posts and the archives. I suspect the only problem with the stainless steel on our boat (and many others) is simply that it is grade 304 and not grade 316. The grade 304 will resist severe pitting and any real destructive corrosion if given some maintenance and care, but it is just not quite "stainless" enough to avoid some staining and spotting on a regular basis. Grade 316 is significantly more resistant, especially to chlorides, but I am not certain that I would want to see the $$$ to replace all of that stainless on our boat with a higher grade. We will be content to have paid the price we paid for the boat, and make additional "elbow grease payments" along the way.Carl and Jules/v 'Syzygy'

 

[Terry Cox]

I JUST PICKED UP A CONTAINER...

this morning at WM. They keep it back by the rigging stuff rather than with the rest of the cleaners. A fellow skipper says it works great. I'll let you know the outcome when I use it on my boat.BTW, the first time I asked WM they could not find it on the shelf nor in their catalog. They do carry it, at least they do in their Everett, WA store.

 

[Jim Maroldo]

On stainless sateel...

It's pretty odd... I too DEFINITELY posted a reply to the owner of a 2002 Hunter with lots of rust showing up on his s/s parts. I can't find it anywhere on this site. Anyway, the gist was the same as Ralph mentioned. There HAS TO BE something wrong with the compound chosen by Hunter on their newer models; our 1987 H23 has NO RUST ANYWHERE, and it has spent virtually it's entire life at the Jersey shore. I don't do anything to it other than hose it down along with the rest of the boat. Heck, just walk around your local marina and look at the other boats! Talk to other boat owners. The chrome stuff always goes bad eventually, but stainless steel should not. Jim Maroldos/v: Lil' Wass Ett