Toon cleaner
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BigKahuna
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Toonbrite Aluminum Cleaner. Good stuff!
FIRE UP
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Well Maybrook,
One of the important points in using ANY form of commercial cleaner/restorer/brightener and a few other names is, what those do is simply *deoxidize* the aluminum. And that simply means, you're removing the outer layer. Steel RUSTS. Aluminum OXIDIZES. It's the same process only different. If you don't paint steel or protect it in some manor after it's been cleaned, it will rust. It's the same with aluminum. It's just a bit slower process. What I'm getting at is, pretty much no matter what product you use that's made for "cleaning" and or "restoring" or "brightening" aluminum, it will not stay that way and will return back to a very dull stage of gray and oxidized. I'm just letting you know this stuff in case you're not aware. Below are pics of mine when we first bought our '14 Benny 25.5RCL with the 350HP Yamaha 4-stroke 5.3L V8. It had a mere 24 hours on it when we purchased it 5 years ago.
And, it had been in an RV garage 24/7/365 unless it was being used. The oxidation/degradation of the toons was minimal but still there. I wanted them CLEAN so, I purchased the same kind of product listed above only made/marketed by Starbrite. Without a doubt, it was/is potent stuff. I think they've lessened the strength of that particular product since I purchased a few years ago. Anyway, I followed the instructions on and did a small area at a time, about 2.5' - 3' wide x the full vertical height of the toon. Using some good mechanics rubber gloves, I'd dipped that rag in that solution and wrung it out slightly. Then, I'd wipe back and forth starting at the top. By the time I got to the bottom of that section, you could already see the upper part of the toon changing colors from a dark gray to almost white.
That's the basic sign of RAW aluminum. When done, I had an almost pure white toon. Maybe not WHITE WHITE but, very, very much brighter than what a new toon looks like. While I was pleased that all the oxidation and discoloration was definitely GONE, I wasn't too sure I'd liked what was the results. I left them like that for some time, while I pondered my next move.
Scott
One of the important points in using ANY form of commercial cleaner/restorer/brightener and a few other names is, what those do is simply *deoxidize* the aluminum. And that simply means, you're removing the outer layer. Steel RUSTS. Aluminum OXIDIZES. It's the same process only different. If you don't paint steel or protect it in some manor after it's been cleaned, it will rust. It's the same with aluminum. It's just a bit slower process. What I'm getting at is, pretty much no matter what product you use that's made for "cleaning" and or "restoring" or "brightening" aluminum, it will not stay that way and will return back to a very dull stage of gray and oxidized. I'm just letting you know this stuff in case you're not aware. Below are pics of mine when we first bought our '14 Benny 25.5RCL with the 350HP Yamaha 4-stroke 5.3L V8. It had a mere 24 hours on it when we purchased it 5 years ago.
And, it had been in an RV garage 24/7/365 unless it was being used. The oxidation/degradation of the toons was minimal but still there. I wanted them CLEAN so, I purchased the same kind of product listed above only made/marketed by Starbrite. Without a doubt, it was/is potent stuff. I think they've lessened the strength of that particular product since I purchased a few years ago. Anyway, I followed the instructions on and did a small area at a time, about 2.5' - 3' wide x the full vertical height of the toon. Using some good mechanics rubber gloves, I'd dipped that rag in that solution and wrung it out slightly. Then, I'd wipe back and forth starting at the top. By the time I got to the bottom of that section, you could already see the upper part of the toon changing colors from a dark gray to almost white.
That's the basic sign of RAW aluminum. When done, I had an almost pure white toon. Maybe not WHITE WHITE but, very, very much brighter than what a new toon looks like. While I was pleased that all the oxidation and discoloration was definitely GONE, I wasn't too sure I'd liked what was the results. I left them like that for some time, while I pondered my next move.
Scott
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sunedog
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I acid wash annually with Napa's Aluminum Brightener Cleaner. Does a great job. I don't use a bucket and rag like Fire Up. I dilute it 1 part acid to 3 parts water in a 2 gallon garden pump sprayer. Rinse your trailer with fresh water before, during and after (especially if it's galvanized). I spray the solution from the pump sprayer starting at the bottom and working up. (Do this with any cleaner on any vertical surface. It prevents streaking). Keep the solution off of the painted panels. But I've never had an issue with overspray and I'm not terribly neat when applying it.
At least one member here had a disaster with discoloration when he had his acid boat washed by the dealer, if memory serves. But I've done this process annually to my boats for at least the last 20 years with no damage. YMMV.
At least one member here had a disaster with discoloration when he had his acid boat washed by the dealer, if memory serves. But I've done this process annually to my boats for at least the last 20 years with no damage. YMMV.
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BigKahuna
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Yes like Sunedog we used to have our old Bennington's toons acid washed but we never did it on the trailer! Our marina in Virginia picked it up by the deck so they had full unobstructed access to all 3 toons! After the acid wash had fully dried I used to apply Sharkhide before they put my boat back on the trailer!
I second this. Sunedog and Big Kahuna spelled it our correctly. I put it in a home depot pump up sprayer. Lots of water on the trailer. I always started from the bottom of the toons and worked my way up as well.
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Fishwater2002
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Do you put anything on the toons after to protect or seal them?
Jack M
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In the past Bennington used Sharkhide, they now use Metal Jacket
FIRE UP
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Well gang,
I don't know about the water composition in any of your lakes that you folks play in but here in ours, Lake Havasu AZ, there's some form of caustic solution that we (original polisher) and many people have tried to analyze. In seeing some of your "cleaned" toons, just how long does it take for them to *re-tarnish* or develop at least some form of oxidation of stain or turning a darker gray etc? If not in say, a few times out after cleaning, might they turn "ugly" after a season? In the pics below, you see what happens to our highly polished toons after just ONE DAY on the lake! To be honest, we'd never taken the boat out after I acid (Starbrite product) washed them before we decided to do a serious polish job in the off season so, we never had a chance to see what our lake would do to freshly acid washed toons.
These are MIRROR polished and we absolutely love them. WE get constant nice comments both out of and in the water when playing around. But, without a doubt, having them remain like that is serious pain in the a$$. After just a few hours on the lake, when we return home, I back the boat into the RV garage and let it sit for a day, water spots and all. Then the next day, I break out the Vinigar water/solution in a spray bottle and spray all the polished toons down, along with the trailer and then, using a hot wet but severely wrung out microfiber towel, wipe everything down that was sprayed. All the water spots are completely gone, but not the severe waterline and down STAINING!!
I then break out the two random/oribital sanders, one equipped with an application pad and the other equipped with a removal pad and some Zepher 40 metal polish, some electric ear phones blue toothed to my I-pod and go to work. If we go out ONE DAY and bring it back in, it takes me about 4-5 hours of polishing to bring all them back to mirror finish. If we go out more than one day, like two or three, then it turns in to about 2 days of polishing! Yep, a pain in the a$$! I have tried a top commercial aluminum coating, the same one used on Semi-truck wheels and nope, that didn't fair well at all. I have tried a clear vinyl wrap and while it's hanging in there on the sides of the center rear toon, it's peeling off on the front edges slowly due to the water pressure from speeds of boating.
So, at this time, I created a monster in these toons if I want to keep them like they are. Good thing I'm retired!
Scott
P.S. I know some of you apply that acid solution with a garden sprayer. But, our trailer is a high metallic custom paint and I wouldn't even think about getting even a severely diluted solution of that acid on that paint. THIS is why I do the hand application, when I did it, before I decided to have them polished.
I don't know about the water composition in any of your lakes that you folks play in but here in ours, Lake Havasu AZ, there's some form of caustic solution that we (original polisher) and many people have tried to analyze. In seeing some of your "cleaned" toons, just how long does it take for them to *re-tarnish* or develop at least some form of oxidation of stain or turning a darker gray etc? If not in say, a few times out after cleaning, might they turn "ugly" after a season? In the pics below, you see what happens to our highly polished toons after just ONE DAY on the lake! To be honest, we'd never taken the boat out after I acid (Starbrite product) washed them before we decided to do a serious polish job in the off season so, we never had a chance to see what our lake would do to freshly acid washed toons.
These are MIRROR polished and we absolutely love them. WE get constant nice comments both out of and in the water when playing around. But, without a doubt, having them remain like that is serious pain in the a$$. After just a few hours on the lake, when we return home, I back the boat into the RV garage and let it sit for a day, water spots and all. Then the next day, I break out the Vinigar water/solution in a spray bottle and spray all the polished toons down, along with the trailer and then, using a hot wet but severely wrung out microfiber towel, wipe everything down that was sprayed. All the water spots are completely gone, but not the severe waterline and down STAINING!!
I then break out the two random/oribital sanders, one equipped with an application pad and the other equipped with a removal pad and some Zepher 40 metal polish, some electric ear phones blue toothed to my I-pod and go to work. If we go out ONE DAY and bring it back in, it takes me about 4-5 hours of polishing to bring all them back to mirror finish. If we go out more than one day, like two or three, then it turns in to about 2 days of polishing! Yep, a pain in the a$$! I have tried a top commercial aluminum coating, the same one used on Semi-truck wheels and nope, that didn't fair well at all. I have tried a clear vinyl wrap and while it's hanging in there on the sides of the center rear toon, it's peeling off on the front edges slowly due to the water pressure from speeds of boating.
So, at this time, I created a monster in these toons if I want to keep them like they are. Good thing I'm retired!
Scott
P.S. I know some of you apply that acid solution with a garden sprayer. But, our trailer is a high metallic custom paint and I wouldn't even think about getting even a severely diluted solution of that acid on that paint. THIS is why I do the hand application, when I did it, before I decided to have them polished.
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Wow…..thank you for the in depth feedback
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Thank you for your recommedation
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Many thanks for pictures and feedback
GEEEZZZ, not sure about the pure white look. Thank you for the pictures and feedback