West Marine Aluminum Polish - UPDATE

[Sarge]

UPDATE - I can no longer recommend this product. After a recent rain it left very noticible streaks on my teardrop. I do believe they will go away in time, but I DO NOT want anyone using this product on my recommendation!!!



Previous message -

Hey, I did a search before I decided to post this message and realized how often the terms "polish" and "polishing" have been used, but I didn't read anything about West Marine Aluminum Polish...maybe I just missed it.

As you can see from the photo on the left, the color of my Element matches my Teardrop pretty closely. The sides of my TD are annodized, so they appear grayish. After I washed my TD I wanted something that would just protect the finish without making it shiny. The first place that I looked for such a product was in boating supplies since I've seen many, many aluminum boats. I came across West Marine Aluminum Polish (WMAP).

I've tried the WMAP and it works pretty darn well for what I wanted. It seemed to even out the various shiney and dull spots on the non-annodized aluminum. On the annodized aluminum it is awesome...everything looks perfectly smooth and clear. I wish I could have gotten the entire trailer in annodized aluminum, but Hunter could not obtain 5 foot wide annodized aluminum panels for the body (I have the Fat Shadow).

I applied the polish when it was very hot and sunny, which was not very wise, but with some minimal rubbing (in the direction of the "grain" to avoid scratching) it looks good IMHO.

-Sarge

[San Diegan]

Hi Sarge,

Thanks for the recommendation. I tried looking up West Marine ALuminum Polish and got a few hits. It is still unclear to me as to whether it polishes the surface and seals or preserves it as well. Does anyone "wax" their aluminum?

Thanks,

Tom

[Sarge]

San Diegan,

The WMAP is definitely not a wax. It's a petroleum product that seems to coat the metal but doesn't remain oily. Water beads off and bugs and tree sap come off easily. It also seems to have toned down the lighter parts of the aluminum to a more consistently grayish color. Works for me, but maybe not for everyone.

-Sarge

p.s. - here is a link to the product http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&&storeId=10001&langId=-1&productId=66281&ref=81902

[San Diegan]

Sarge,

Thanks for the link. I think this will work for me as well. The smaller HU-1 is all anodized and I don't really want to polish it out as it is the partial oxidation from the anodizing process that provides protection.

Tom

[Sarge]

I entered this transaction to get this message moved to the top. Apparently simply editing a message does move the message to the top of the queue.

-Sarge

[San Diegan]

Bummer, Sarge. But thanks for the heads up.

Tom

[campadk]

I'll second your comment about not polishing on a hot sunny day! Not a good idea.

I polished last year then applied car wax. Worked well on the galley door... probably because I did a better job... I think. Once you have polished, I believe a cleaner is required to ensure all the residue is removed otherwise the wax looks hazed. If you apply the wax and the cloth gets dirty you know there is still residue to remove.

On the side I had polished I had issues after running through some mud on the way home... made a mess. I'll be retrying this in a few weeks, hopefully with improved results.

Here is the Hunter (non anodized) galley hatch after 12 months since it was polished...



Keeping the tear out of the weather (and sun) as much as possible helps. Ours gets tucked away in its den in the winter, or garage in the summer when not in use.

I have a page about my polishing attempts at
http://campadk.com/pjsnoozer/pjpolishing.html .

[Sarge]

Dave,

Your Tear sure is PURTY! The shine and the fenders are very nice.

To be honest, I'm looking forward to my tear oxidizing and turning a nice dull gray color. I was just looking for a way to allow it to oxidize without having bird dropping spots and sqashed bug guts discoloring it. I don't think I'm asking for much, but I'm finding it's a major pain in the posterior to protect the aluminum without having unintended side effects. The water stains that resulted from the rain running down the sides of the tear after using the WMAP were UGLY! I managed to remove them with a cleaner/polish, but who knows what effect this stuff is going to have. It looks great now, but it did after using the WMAP also.

I keep telling myself, 10 years from now I'll look and wonder why I even worried about this...

-Sarge

[madjack]

...Sarge, try a medium duty scuff pad cut to fit a random orbit sander(you do have one don't you) after doing the whole trailer, wash well and to get that color you want, also it will blend blemishes in with everything else...I wouldn't try this on an anodized finish and I would test it out on a piece of scrap aluminum first because as always...YMMV
madjack

[SteveH]

To be honest, I'm looking forward to my tear oxidizing and turning a nice dull gray color.

Sarge,

Have you tried some etching aluminum wheel cleaner? It's available at your local auto parts store, and will definately do the job if you indeed want a dull aluminum color.

I would suggest you get some and try it on a piece of scrap aluminum to see if you like the color, but be careful with it because it has a mild acid in it. Definately don't want it in your eyes.