"HiTech Redneck" wrote in message
...
Can anyone suggest the best way to clean an aluminum boat before painting?

My intuition says to use the finest steel wool you can get - the kind you'd
use on polyurethane between coats if you wanted it REALLY glossy. But, push
harder on aluminum. If it's so dirty that you feel some sort of chemical is
needed, I'd start with something made for cleaning aluminum alloy wheels,
follow with soap & water (to remove anything that might mess with the
paint's ability to stick), and then finish with steel wool.

I would not bring steel wool near any boat, ever. Wne used, it sheds many tiny
shreds of steel. If you cleaning of them isn't perfect, and it won't be, the
remaining shreds will form rusty specks in and on your paint.
Instead, use wet/dry abrasives or scotchbrite.

Doug Kanter wrote:

"HiTech Redneck" wrote in message
...
Can anyone suggest the best way to clean an aluminum boat before painting?

My intuition says to use the finest steel wool you can get - the kind you'd
use on polyurethane between coats if you wanted it REALLY glossy. But, push
harder on aluminum. If it's so dirty that you feel some sort of chemical is
needed, I'd start with something made for cleaning aluminum alloy wheels,
follow with soap & water (to remove anything that might mess with the
paint's ability to stick), and then finish with steel wool.

Agreed. How about bronze wool? There are also various cleaners/primers for
aluminum, but I can't think of the names right now. Really stay away from
steel wool.

--


Keith
__
If you turn the wheel towards shore, the houses get bigger. If you turn the
wheel away from shore, they get smaller. That is, unless you keep turning
the wheel, then they get bigger again.
"Jim Conlin" wrote in message neronze
...
I would not bring steel wool near any boat, ever. Wne used, it sheds many
tiny
shreds of steel. If you cleaning of them isn't perfect, and it won't be,
the
remaining shreds will form rusty specks in and on your paint.
Instead, use wet/dry abrasives or scotchbrite.

Doug Kanter wrote:

"HiTech Redneck" wrote in message
...
Can anyone suggest the best way to clean an aluminum boat before
painting?

My intuition says to use the finest steel wool you can get - the kind
you'd
use on polyurethane between coats if you wanted it REALLY glossy. But,
push
harder on aluminum. If it's so dirty that you feel some sort of chemical
is
needed, I'd start with something made for cleaning aluminum alloy wheels,
follow with soap & water (to remove anything that might mess with the
paint's ability to stick), and then finish with steel wool.

Keith wrote:
Agreed. How about bronze wool? There are also various cleaners/primers for
aluminum, but I can't think of the names right now. Really stay away from
steel wool.

Never put *any* copper alloy in contact with Aluminium in a marine
environment, if you wish to avoid accelerated galvanic corrosion. A
copper penny dropped in the bilges is as good as making a hole as a
broken mercury thermometer and only a little slower.

Knowing that, do you *really* want to leave small particles of bronze
embedded over the whole of the outside of your hull? :-)

If you are a cheapskate like me, you'll head down the supermarket and
pick up a couple of packs of those fancy panscourers Vileda make. They
are a cut above the green ones as the nylon is loaded with an abrasive.
They are silver-grey in appearance and non rusting. I am also a fan of
their 'gleaner' which is a pot scourer made from stainless steel
turnings. It is a very effective way of removing calcified deposits off
any metal or paint or varnish off sound hardwood. Watch out, its
extremely aggressive and if you dont want to risk scoring the wood
underneath you either need to be much more cautious as you get near to
the bottom coat or need to soften the paint/varnish with a chemical
stripper first so you dont have to press so hard. Dont try it on
gelcoat unless you need to clean up a surface you are patching over :-)

--
Ian Malcolm. London, ENGLAND. (NEWSGROUP REPLY PREFERRED)
ianm[at]the[dash]malcolms[dot]freeserve[dot]co[dot]uk [at]=@, [dash]=- &
[dot]=.
*Warning* SPAM TRAP set in header, Use email address in sig. if you must.
'Stingo' Albacore #1554 - 15' Uffa Fox designed, All varnished hot
moulded wooden racing dinghy circa. 1961

Maybe something gentler, like Bon Ami or Barkeeper's friend?

"Jim Conlin" wrote in message
...
I would not bring steel wool near any boat, ever. Wne used, it sheds many
tiny
shreds of steel. If you cleaning of them isn't perfect, and it won't be,
the
remaining shreds will form rusty specks in and on your paint.
Instead, use wet/dry abrasives or scotchbrite.

Doug Kanter wrote:

"HiTech Redneck" wrote in message
...
Can anyone suggest the best way to clean an aluminum boat before
painting?

My intuition says to use the finest steel wool you can get - the kind
you'd
use on polyurethane between coats if you wanted it REALLY glossy. But,
push
harder on aluminum. If it's so dirty that you feel some sort of chemical
is
needed, I'd start with something made for cleaning aluminum alloy
wheels,
follow with soap & water (to remove anything that might mess with the
paint's ability to stick), and then finish with steel wool.

Don't use steel wool on aluminum. It will cause a corrosion problem. Use
Scotch Brite pads.

Bill

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

"HiTech Redneck" wrote in message
...
Can anyone suggest the best way to clean an aluminum boat before
painting?

My intuition says to use the finest steel wool you can get - the kind
you'd
use on polyurethane between coats if you wanted it REALLY glossy. But,
push
harder on aluminum. If it's so dirty that you feel some sort of chemical
is
needed, I'd start with something made for cleaning aluminum alloy wheels,
follow with soap & water (to remove anything that might mess with the
paint's ability to stick), and then finish with steel wool.