Polishing an aluminum boat

[bcgreen]

I have a 22' alumin. boat and i am going to polish it. Not sure how far I going to take the polishing, but what is the most important is, that after I have put all the effort into getting a nice clean look, what do I seal my work with?
I have heard of Sharkhide, but I was also wondering about using Optimum opti-seal. Any other ideas or will Opti-seal alumin.?
Thanks

[Vegas Transplant]

On large panels I use flour to make polish/residue removal easier.
Then 845 to seal as it cleans up the last vestiges of residue. OOS would not be optimal lsp choice IMO.

Also see marketing for Opti-Gloss.

Happy detailing...

[allenk4]

On large panels I use flour to make polish/residue removal easier.
Then 845 to seal as it cleans up the last vestiges of residue. OOS would not be optimal lsp choice IMO.

Also see marketing for Opti-Gloss.

Happy detailing...

Please explain exactly how the flour is used

Interesting

[Vegas Transplant]

Hand worked aluminum polish does not break down the aluminum oxide cutting agents manufactured into wet polishes.

If allowed to dry naturally then finger and toweling marks are the norm during and after removal . Resulting in another polishing step to eliminate said.

Lightly dusting wet polish slough with flour lends to a more uniform end product

I like to remove spent product during the cutting process by using flour to both dry the slough and provide a slick "glide"- so to speak. Saving both time and effort.

[Vegas Transplant]

Have you ever heard of someone toting a bucket full of flour along with them on a big polishing job?



Wait until you get to polishing the aluminum on these big rigs. The amount of black polishing residue can be astonishingly hard to remove on a lot of the metal surfaces. You'll wipe and wipe and wipe, you'll find that a lot of times you'll just be moving black from one spot to another.



When you encounter this, you'll want to break out your bucket full of flour, take a dry microfiber or cotton T-shirt type of towel, (have both with you) smash it down into the dry flour, flip it over and smash it down in the flour again, shake the excess flour off the towel and wipe the still wet black polishing residue off with this flour coated towel. It magically removes the black residue better than any amount wiping with a normal towel. I am not kidding at all on this. Even if you don't use it, grab a bucket with a lid, pour at least a small bag of flour into it and take it along with you. A $5 investment here can save you hundreds of dollars in time on one of these big jobs where there's a lot of aluminum and paint side by side especially. You'll want your bucket of flour with you when doing an aluminum polishing job of any sort or size. Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

[carnie]

Interesting take on the flour,Going to try that, we have carnival rides with aluminum tubs and like you said we just seem to move black spot to black spot, we have used a product called Gords polish which works very well but lots of black to remove, Vegas Transplant, can you elaborate a little more on the 845 as I'm new to a lot of techniques here

[Vegas Transplant]

Just like waxing paint. A little goes a long way. Seals your hard polishing and buffing work thus slows down future oxidation. Plus cleans the remnants of residue in the process.

[carnie]

Just like waxing paint. A little goes a long way. Seals your hard polishing and buffing work thus slows down future oxidation. Plus cleans the remnants of residue in the process.

I was asking the brand name

[dad07]

I was asking the brand name

Collinite Liquid Insulator Wax #845, liquid wax, heat-resistant wax, car wax


this what VT is referring to.

[Vegas Transplant]

My bad bro.

End product is brillant reflection on polished aluminum. Kinda wet looking, super slick feel. Long lasting.

Tim beat me to it.
Howdy Tarheel neighbor