help with oxidized paint please!

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doc1976

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So, my little 14' aluminum has been out in the sun for a while uncovered and I am trying to clean up the paint. Is there any products that can be sprayed on that will clean off the oxidized paint? I have used castrol superclean before but it is a little too strong and tends to damage the somewhat decent paint that lies underneath. I have scrubbed the transom on the outside and buffed it out with good results but I am more concerned about the inside where there are too many rivet ends. Im hoping for something I can spray on, give it a scrub with a brush and hose off (I do have a pressure washer). I'm not looking to make it perfect, just dont want to get the chalky film all over my clothes while using the boat.
 
Usually wet-sanding works to remove chalkiness ... but with the rivets, you might want to try gray-colored ScothBrite pads with a good strong cleaner on them.

Usually the wet-sanding technique is that the paper/pad should spends more time being rinsed than worked - for the best finish. At least that works de bomb when wet-sanding frp and gelcoat.
 
You might want to try vinegar & water. The chalk could be hard water deposit. Regardless of which cleaner you use, there will be some scrubbing required. Other agents I have used are solvents like mineral spirits & denatured alcohol. Be careful with these as they may soften the paint.

Obviously wear appropriate PPE.
 
I saw this Rust-Oleum product on TV about "Wipe and Restore" a painted finish.
advertisement touts that it is an excellent "outdoor" product..... but, that is just a sales pitch.
It probably lasts only one season before it needs to be reapplied. (depending on your location and how you store your boat).
Personally, I have not tried it - but I am a huge Rust-Oleum fan.
I go for the clean and repaint route as my boat lost its factory finish back in 1977.
- - - - Just passing on an option - - - -
https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/wipe-new/recolor

Restore.png





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Johnny said:
I saw this Rust-Oleum product on TV about "Wipe and Restore" a painted finish.
advertisement touts that it is an excellent "outdoor" product..... but, that is just a sales pitch.
It probably lasts only one season before it needs to be reapplied ...
I'd try it! As when I was but a teenager, my twin brother and I bought a used red fiberglass Starcraft run-about. It was shiny red when we bought it ... but turned 'pink' not a month later, as the surface was heavily chalked and oxidized, as the wax the Seller had applied wore off. And when I say it turned 'pink' ... I don't mean that trendy Nantucket Red fashionable salmon color, I mean a butt-ugly, there's no way 2 teenage boys want to be seen :oops: zooming around in a 'pink boat' in any kind of pink :twisted: !

This was before we knew of wet-sanding (or acrylic polishes like PolyGlow) and one day after spilling TC-W3 outboard motor oil on the hull, we noticed it turned bright red again! That hand-rubbed oil finish lasted longer than any wax, but was slippery as all get out ... if you stepped on the gunnel or ventured too far out on the bow deck to set/retrieve the anchor ... you were instantly overboard. My Dad said we used more oil keeping her red than the motor used! And as kids, we only knew headway speed (mooring areas) and wide open throttle!

So I'd say you have nothing to lose by trying that 'restore' product.
 
Dale - speaking of teenage years - - - -
my brother and I were working on an old car motor and had some
nasty greasy hands . . . we stopped for a break and ate some oranges
(we lived in an orange grove) and we would squeeze the acid out of the
peels onto our hands and the grease just dropped off..... we both said:
wouldn't it be cool if we could bottle this stuff !!

little did we know how the citrus acid would come into play 20-30 years later.
a quart of citrus acid, a quart of lanolin hand lotion and some finely ground pumice
ie: GO-JO HAND CLEANER !!!
 
After some time searching the net, I think I am going to try an aluminum siding cleaner. If it works good enough to prepare aluminum siding for paint, it should would good enough to remove the chalky stuff from the interior of the boat. It should probably prep the exterior for buffing too. Guess I will find out.
 
Doc - I visited my autoparts store today (Auto Zone) and they have a dozen
or so products for restoring that old faded paint back to the showroom finish
"Mothers" was the most impressive.... (according to the label).
Mothers.jpg
so that may be another option for you.
(just because it is a "boat" does not mean you have use marine products).

good luck - let us know what worked for you !!
 
Just thought I would post a quick update. I found an awesome solution to the oxidized paint problem. I used an aluminum siding cleaner for the house and it worked great. I just followed the directions on the package. I took two rounds of scrubbing but the whole boat was done in an hour. It took every bit of chalky oxidation off, leaving good paint to be quickly buffed and polished. Although the boat has 41 years of scratches and dings, I wanted to leave it original. Thanks again for the help.


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