On 13 Mar 2005 20:11:29 -0800, "grot" wrote:

I am preparing to paint my sailboat and need to remove waxes and
polishes on the surface to get a good bond. All the paint suppliers
have their proprietary hull cleaners / dewaxers that are very
expensive.

Aren't these cleaners just mineral spirits or ??

As it happens, I was with a first class glass technician this morning,
thought of this question and here is what he said.

He uses automotive wax removers and cleaners for a complete cleaning.
Mineral spirits will work, but it takes much more time and it won't
work as well as a formulated remover.

The chances of getting an incomplete cleaning without them is much
higher than without.

Sanding if the final step after a couple of runs with a cleaner.

Learn something new everyday. :)

Later,

Tom