Out Dammed Stickers, Out!

[esox07]

"Aluminum Jelly"? Is that a generic name or a brand name for a specific product?

 

[GA_Boater]

Aluminum jelly is more or less a generic name for aluminum cleaner - http://lmgtfy.com/?q=aluminum+jelly

 

[MRS]

I like the stickers. Gives the canoe character!

Ya why not just leave them on?

 

[esox07]

Yah, I guess. Why not just leave them on. They do kind of give it some character.

 

[JimS123]

I like the stickers. Gives the canoe character!

Character for sure. I have them on my boat too.

But the hull is stained and spotty. The chemicals needed to clean the hull and make it look new will destroy the color of the decals.

What I did was to polish the hull and then apply brand new stickers. They are still available.

"Naval Jelly" is a tried-and-true rust remover that has been available for eons. Loctite's aluminum version was specifically formulated for aluminum.

 

[dennis461]

Why are the trees growing out of the sky?

ROFL

 

[Old Ironmaker]

I thought that aluminum was hard to paint and won't the paint just wind up chipping off? Canoes are designed to be drug through sand and peppbles and shallow water and such? How would paint hold up to that?

Most all aluminum boats are painted. Canoes aren't but have a protective coating. Bare aluminum doesn't do well exposed to air for too long. When painting an aluminum boat once you get to bare metal the primer has to go on ASAP before oxidization starts hazing and then pitting the metal.

 

[esox07]

So, does a 43 year old canoe still have a protective coating on it? Or did it ever?

 

[jbcurt00]

So, does a 43 year old canoe still have a protective coating on it? Or did it ever?

You arent listening, aluminum self oxidizes to that hazy gray to 'protect' it. It isnt an applied coating, as said a couple times.

Go out and sand/polish a spot on the hull to high mirrored shine. Leave it for 3mo to a year and do nothing else to that spot.

After 3mo, maybe less, go look at that spot, its likely no longer super shiny. After a year, you might be able to tell where the spot is, but it'll be hazy gray like the rest of the hull.

There is NO FACTORY PROTECTIVE 'COATING', never was, unless a previous owner applied something, and who knows what that might have been, only the natural oxidization of aluminum.

 

[esox07]

I am listening jbcurt. However, one guy says there is a protective coating, and the next guys says there is not.
OK, next question: If I do polish the canoe, will I be doing any real harm to it?

Thanks jbcurt and all others that have lent their knowledge and opinions. It is much appreciated. And I have found this to be a great forum now that I have a boat.

 

[WIMUSKY]

As far as the stickers, I like 'em too. I would just leave them. If you do remove them, I use 3M adhesive remover to take the glue off...

No, you wont hurt anything by polishing.....

 

[jbcurt00]

It does, the natural oxidized surface IS the protective 'coating', its just not an applied coating.

old Ironmaker isnt wrong, you just misunderstood what he, and several others, meant.

And if you polish it, you have to maintain the polished hull, to keep it polished. Otherwise it'll slowly go back to hazy gray.

 

[esox07]

OK, so, I guess if I polish it and strip the "protective coating", it will eventually re-oxidize and develop a new "protective coating".

 

[jbcurt00]

OK, so, I guess if I polish it and strip the "protective coating", it will eventually re-oxidize and develop a new "protective coating".

Yep, IF you dont maintain the polished hull. How long depends on the environment you use and store the boat. Could be slow, could turn back fairly quick.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Sure it will...... I've seen people polish al to a mirror finish. Not canoes, probably because they figure, "why"....

 

[esox07]

Why????? The best answer that I can come up with is: "Because it is there".
Just a project I guess. Take some photos so when it turns back to dull gray, I can can pull up the photos.
Thanks for all the help and advice guys/gals.

 

[JimS123]

The "protective coating" comments threw me for a loop too. I never heard of factory coatings on bare aluminum, so I thought I learned something new here. But I guess I didn't.....LOL.

Yeah, many boats come painted. Baked on factory enamel will last a long time. Home brew self-etching primer and tip and roll Rusoleum will chip in a short time. Not worth it unless you have professional painting equipment..

My 22 year old tinny was polished and aluminum jellied and after another 19 years of being garaged-kept it still looked quite respectable. Now after another 7 years of living upside-down outside its starting to show its age again. But its still not as bad as how she looked after the first 22.

Clean it up and re-do it again after 5 years. No limit to how many times it can be done and each successive time it will get easier.

Its not cool if your boat don't shine!

 

[esox07]

Yah, Jim, that is kind of how I see it too. I would like to see this 43 year old canoe looking good at least one more time. Like I said, when I am done, I will take some photos to show others ten years from now of how good it "used" to look. But, maybe in 5 more years, I will get the itch to do it again. Who knows. I hope to post back some before and after pictures once the weather warms up and I can get out and "git 'er done".

 

[MRS]

If you just use it and send some big fish pitchers we would love it. And nobody would even notice the finish. Plus will give you more fishing time

 

[esox07]

Water is kind of hard around here for the next month or so....I am getting the itch and figure the project to polish the canoe will be a good fix in the mean time.