Done sanding my hull but need to remove Honeydew before painting. Please help!

[Darren Nemeth]

Well, guys. I have a big problem that was unforseeable.

My hull is flipped, I just finished sanding the gel coat and keep the tarp on it now but the job has sticky honeydew on it.

Do you know the most effective way to get all of this off and out of the sandpaper scratches before I start coating with two part Interlux Interprotect 200E?

I have Pettit Dewaxer, Denatured Alcohol, Mineral Sprits and Acetone here and really need to get started on painting the hull pronto.

Dewaxer seems to get it off with a little scrubbing but I want to know what your thoughts are. I don't know if all if it is out of the sand paper scratches or will cause an adhesion problem with the Interprotect 2000.

Any ideas?

The trees here seems to been infested with scales about two weeks ago. I flipped the hull in the back yard in a spot where it isn't underneath any tree several months ago and cannot move it. The honeydew seems to be in the air. My car is parked on the other side of the house 80 ft away from all trees but I still have to get it washed twice a week.

Please help!

 

[drewpster]

Re: Done sanding my hull but need to remove Honeydew before painting. Please help!

Hmm this is good one. I would think it would be ok to use any product that is made to remove tree sap. It just means after you get the goo off you will need to clean it with acetone real good and maybe a quick scuff sand to be sure, then a final wipe down.

 

[jspano]

Re: Done sanding my hull but need to remove Honeydew before painting. Please help!

i would think acetone would remove the honeydew (which is a secretion from insects, it then will attract any pollution in the air) i would then use some tide laundry soap( the powder) with a fine scrunge pad, let dry and use a tack cloth.

 

[Darren Nemeth]

Re: Done sanding my hull but need to remove Honeydew before painting. Please help!

For future reference for those with the same problem, I used the enviromentally safe "green" mineral spirits and it cleaned it right off. Perhaps ordinary Mineral Spirits will work as well.

Wet the surface down and wait a minute then start wiping with one cloth and repeat. It seems as clean as the moment the gel coat was sanded.

 

[redfury]

Re: Done sanding my hull but need to remove Honeydew before painting. Please help!

That is good news, and good info. I've got a few cotton wood trees around here that give me fits trying to keep my cars clean ( no garage ), which is why I keep my boats in the back yard at all times ( don't want to have to clean the crude off of them! )