Awlcare for Awlgrip

[APL]

Has anyone here had any experience applying Awlcare with a DA? Awlgrip calls for applying by hand and not to use a machine, but Id think that applying it as a LSP with a LC red pad on a PC set on speed 3 would achieve similar results.

My guess as to why they have this stipulation is due to the prevalence of rotaries in the marine industry and the potential heat and over abrasion to the finish that could result.

Just looking for input.. I have a boat here that I could experiment with, but it'd rather hear from someone who has done it firsthand first.

[KB in MD]

Just as a forums rules FYI:
Product discussion and support should be limited to products we carry and sell on Your Car Wax SuperStore - We Are Car Care, Car Wax, Car Polish, Auto Detailing Supplies, Car Buffers & Car Accessories Store, Autogeek has hundreds of products to detail your motorcycle: cleaners, waxes, polishes, & more!, Pinnaclewax.com- Pinnacle Car Care Products, Wolfgang Car Care Products, and Welcome to Diamondite® The Ultimate Glass and Plastic Care Systems..

[dcjredline]

Rules? Who reads the rules? LOL!!!!! Obviously not many people.

[01GreyStangGT]

You may find more answers on Autopia Auto Detailing Forum. It isn't limited to products that Autogeek sells.

[Mike Phillips]

Has anyone here had any experience applying Awlcare with a DA? Awlgrip calls for applying by hand and not to use a machine, but Id think that applying it as a LSP with a LC red pad on a PC set on speed 3 would achieve similar results.

My guess as to why they have this stipulation is due to the prevalence of rotaries in the marine industry and the potential heat and over abrasion to the finish that could result.

I think your guess is spot on.

I've studied the information provided by Awlgrip about the care and maintenance of their paint system and from what I can tell they recommend only two products and two procedures.

1. Wash with their boat wash soap.

2. Maintain with their sealant.

From what I can tell their sealant is a NON CLEANING and NON ABRASIVE sealant so it will not COMPROMISE the top layer of the Awlgrip paint surface which ruins the paint.


I completely agree that machine applying their sealant with a soft foam wax pad and a dual action polisher would not only NOT be a risk for the paint but like all waxing procedures the machine will do it better, faster and even safer than working by hand.

I say go for it.

Just looking for input.. I have a boat here that I could experiment with, but it'd rather hear from someone who has done it firsthand first.

I have not done it first hand as all the boats I work on are gel-coat. I know of all the HORROR stories about guys that don't know one lick about what they are doing that take a compound or even a cleaner/wax to an Awlgrip finish and destroy it.


I also cover this in my how-to book. Click the link below and I posted pictures showing the 5 pages of the Index. This book is the most in-depth book I've ever written.

BOOK: How To Detail Boats With Marine 31 by Mike Phillips


Here's page 5 of the Index, look at the right hand column under, Miscellaneous Topics. I also cover taking are of these finishes in the first few chapters of the book under the general topics of washing boats etc.




On Autogeek.com

How To Detail Boats With Marine 31 by Mike Phillips

[Mike Phillips]

Just as a forums rules FYI:

Product discussion and support should be limited to products we carry and sell on Autogeek.com

While that is true, we not as rigid as we used to be we watch for a few people that know very well what the rules are and knowingly break them all the time. They are what is called the,

Babysitting List


It's a list you really don't want to be on and all the Mods know who's on it.


As for the brand new member's questions.

I've studied Awlcare for Awlgrip on the Alwgrip website and they insist that ONLY their products be used on their paints and for good reason. The Awlgrip paints are like the PPG Ceramiclears in that after the paint is sprayed a portion of the paint formula migrates to the outside to create a corrosion and oxidation resistant finish. If a person uses anything abrasive on this outer surface it will destroy it and the ONLY remedy is to repaint the boat and this is very costly.


So thanks for watching out for the forum but in a case like this we're here to help people and the person that started this thread really needs to make the right choices to take care of the finish so a mistake is not made.

[Mike Phillips]

You may find more answers on Autopia Auto Detailing Forum.

It isn't limited to products that Autogeek sells.

While that's true, there's not a lot of accurate information in the forum world about Awlgrip paints and that's why I included a section on these marine specialty paints in my new boat detailing book.

It's possible Ray and the team have read that section.... if can certainly come in handy to have some background info on boat detailing in general and Awlgrip paint in specific.

[Whitewater25]

Yes you can. We use similar procedure on the motor yacht I work on with no issues. I know several other boats that do the same thing. It is really easy to do by hand but the machine helps for larger areas. Only downside is its longevity but it definitely helps the paint,especially if it's fresh paint. As long as the paint is fully cured!

[APL]

Stellar answer Mike! You confirmed my suspicions. Truly a master of the craft, hopefully some people here could also better understand this system as Mike explained it.

I'll give it a shot on my personal boat, worst case Ill have to respray a section, I'm not in love with the current finish so no harm there if things don't work out.

For the other posters, The pads and what accessories I use were purchased from AGO as I have found this forum to be an invaluable tool and choose to support it via purchasing what supplies I can from AGO, however, I felt as if this would be an appropriate venue to ask for insight to this question as it is specific to a particular extremely popular paint system.

AGO does not offer any product that directly competes with, or is intended to address, what Awlgrip's product does, actually no one does, besides the manufacturer, hence no violation of forum etiquette.

If you are not familiar with this system, using another product or process on one of these finishes can easily run over $10K and up to correct. Their products are not cheap, so no corners can be cut there, however if machine polishing with a PC can speed up the job, remember the old adage that time is money.

There is a wide breadth of information here and as I expected, more then one knowledgable poster had something beneficial to add.

The insight is appreciated from all.

[Mike Phillips]

Stellar answer Mike! You confirmed my suspicions. Truly a master of the craft, hopefully some people here could also better understand this system as Mike explained it.

Thank you. Helps to write a book on the topic of boat detailing to increase your general knowledge base of materials and coatings used in the boat world. Plus I shot Ship Shape TV for 3 years with John Greviskis and that was a real blessing.

AGO does not offer any product that directly competes with, or is intended to address, what Awlgrip's product does, actually no one does, besides the manufacturer, hence no violation of forum etiquette.

The makers of Awlgrip are pretty specific about what they officially recommend to maintain their paint system. It's real simple too, a boat wash and a boat sealant. My guess is the boat sealant is a non-cleaning or very very light cleaning synthetic paint sealant.

In our Marine 31 line, the Gel Coat Carnauba Wax + Sealant is a non-cleaning hybrid that offers the gloss of Carnauba wax and the longevity of a synthetic protection ingredients. While I'm sure it would be a very safe alternative for the Awlgrip Awlcare but for the cost of the paint and a paint job, (that's two things), I'd follow the manufacturer's recommendations.

If you are not familiar with this system, using another product or process on one of these finishes can easily run over $10K and up to correct. Their products are not cheap, so no corners can be cut there, however if machine polishing with a PC can speed up the job, remember the old adage that time is money.

After studying their educational materials at awlgrip.com/support-and-advice the conclusion I came to was that as long as you stick with soft foam waxing pads, (not foam cutting or even foam polishing pads), then it would be completely safe to apply the Awlcare.

From Awlgrip.com

Awlcare

Awlcare is a protective polymer sealer formulated to protect and remove mild stains from Awlgrip®, Awlgrip High Solids and Awlcraft® 2000 topcoats.

To me they way I read the above description of their product is it is a synthetic paint sealant that may contain a very light amount of chemical cleaners for removal of topical stains which is common on boat hulls.

There is a wide breadth of information here and as I expected, more then one knowledgeable poster had something beneficial to add.

The insight is appreciated from all.

Thanks APL.

I find that AGO attracts very high caliber people that in turn makes this a very high caliber forum.