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Use Bar Keepers Friend on fiberglass stains?

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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4479 Posts

Initially Posted - 09/29/2013 : 12:35:55

On one of the firearms forums I belong to, one of the guys tried using Bar Keepers Friend on the frame of a lacquered AK. The results were astonishingly bad, it basically destroyed the finish and he couldn't figure out why. He did some research and discovered that BKF has oxalic acid as one of it basic components. BKF specifically says: <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">DO NOT USE BAR KEEPERS FRIEND ON:
Gold, silver, pewter, marble, lacquered metals, or anodized aluminum<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"> I haven't been able to prove it contains oxalic acid to myself yet (still looking), but it would seem like it'd be good to use on stains on our fiberglass.

Has anyone used it on their hull to remove stains?

Edit: Found the [url="http://www.barkeepersfriend.com/files/file/MSDS_BKF_Powder_new.pdf"]MSDS[/url] and it does contain oxalic acid.

David
C-250 Mainsheet Editor

Sirius Lepak
1997 C-250 WK TR #271 --Seattle area Port Captain --

Edited by - delliottg on 09/29/2013 12:37:39

Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 09/29/2013 : 13:39:33

Yes and yes. It's especially good for rust stains. Soft Scrub with Bleach is a little less abrasive--I sometimes try that first.

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 09/29/2013 13:40:22

Dave5041
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Response Posted - 09/29/2013 : 21:44:17

Yep, but it won't be shiney if you are aggressive.

Edited by - Dave5041 on 09/29/2013 21:45:13

pastmember
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Response Posted - 09/30/2013 : 05:37:11

I am a Soft Scrub guy.

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islander
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Response Posted - 09/30/2013 : 14:12:57

Its also a good teak cleaner Shhhh, Keep it under your hat.

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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Response Posted - 09/30/2013 : 14:21:34

I use SoftScrub as well, but know from experience to wear my Sunday clothes (holy) because I'm going to get bleach on them somehow. I suppose you could manage to burn holes in your clothes with BKF as well, but it seems less likely.

Wonder how well it'd clean up fenders?

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TakeFive
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Response Posted - 09/30/2013 : 18:40:16

This partly depends on which BKF product you use. The dry powder can be very aggressive if you don't use a lot of water. They also have a liquid that is more like Soft Scrub.

I have used the liquid before on my fiberglass, but always gently, and always prepared to polish with finer grit if I need to, followed by Collinite Fleet 885.

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Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 09/30/2013 : 19:58:55

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by TakeFive
 ...followed by Collinite Fleet 885.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">P/S concluded that Collinite Insulator Wax (845) was more durable than Fleetwax, and one of the top performers they tested (a few years ago). I've been pleased with it.

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TakeFive
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Response Posted - 10/01/2013 : 03:31:16

Edited by - on

TakeFive
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Response Posted - 10/02/2013 : 18:08:15

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Stinkpotter
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by TakeFive
 ...followed by Collinite Fleet 885.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">P/S concluded that Collinite Insulator Wax (845) was more durable than Fleetwax, and one of the top performers they tested (a few years ago). I've been pleased with it.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Can you post a link to this? I could not find any statement about this on their website. [url="http://www.practical-sailor.com/issues/36_9/features/Liquid-Boat-Wax_5961-1.html"]Their Sept 2010 one-year evaluation[/url], in which they tested 845, said:

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Based on our cumulative test results, the average boater looking for an easy-to-apply liquid marine polish that will bead water for 12 months should consider either the Imar Yacht Polish, West Marine Pure Oceans Polish with PTFE, or the Nu Finish.... (no mention of 845 as a top performer)

...If you are confident using a power buffer, we also recommend our best paste waxes, either the Collinite 885 or the 3M Marine Paste Wax. Yes, these are harder to apply than the liquid waxes in this test, but we’ve found that they are worth the effort. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Seems like they consider 885 to be more durable than any of the liquid products, and 845 wasn't even a top performer among the liquids.

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Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 10/02/2013 : 19:25:55

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by TakeFive
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Stinkpotter
 P/S concluded that Collinite Insulator Wax (845) was more durable than Fleetwax...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Can you post a link to this? I could not find any statement about this on their website...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">No, I can't--I read it in a P/S issue at a library a couple of years ago. I don't subscribe to or have access to P/S reports. I'm open to new information, and might even try Nu Finish next year--I'm not convinced that any wax is as good as some of the new polymer finishes. It's more significant to me and anyone else with a dark colored hull--UV and oxygen wreak havoc on that. I'm not ready to go to Poly Glow yet--I feel that's more appropriate to older gelcoat than mine.

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Dave5041
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Response Posted - 10/02/2013 : 20:19:26

Dave, you would have been correct a few years ago, but things keep getting better and P/S keeps testing.

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Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
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Response Posted - 10/03/2013 : 06:12:44

I was better at a lot of things a few years ago...

But I figured Collinite's products were essentially the same in relation to each other, and P/S doesn't test everything in every cycle. Never mind... I'll probably be "testing" something else next spring. My dark green hull suffers on the sunny side.

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TakeFive
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Response Posted - 10/03/2013 : 07:27:00

FWIW, when I first bought the Collinite 885 Fleetwax, it was really tough to apply. I needed a power buffer to get it off.

The next time I tried it (a year later), I started by doing a thorough polish using a big, heavy duty polisher with Presta Ultra Cutting Cream. This was a lot of work, but it took all traces of oxidation off the hull and left it so shiny that you'd swear that it was already waxed. Then when I went to apply the Fleetwax, I was able to easily buff it off by hand, and I used less than half what I had used the first time because there were no voids for the wax to fill. It's those voids that create resistance when you try to buff the wax, and also limit the amount of shine, and which wax alone cannot overcome.

Moral of the story: Do the job right and thoroughly polish first to remove oxidation and restore the shine in the fiberglass without wax. Then use the wax to seal and protect.

Edited by - TakeFive on 10/03/2013 07:45:28

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