dull paint

[alanrob]

hi, has anyone got any better ways of bringing paintwork back to life, i`ve tried polish, rubbing compound etc all to no avail, a suggestion by a friend was to use baby oil, it looked better but lasted only a few days, l have some nice designs on the boat that l want to keep so l dont want the expense of a repaint so all ideas greatly welcomed. Alan

[Steve King]

hi, has anyone got any better ways of bringing paintwork back to life

 

Alan, a couple of years ago I discovered Farecla G3 compound, which is a water-based cutting compound that the trade use in the motor industry (available on eBay). I used to use T-Cut but G3 is sooo much better that I gave away my T-Cut. You use just a tiny amount on a damp cloth, it has no ammonia etc in it so it doesn't dry out while you're using it, and it cuts the old paint really well, but only as hard as you want to do so by the pressure you use. After washing off any residue and waiting for the paint to dry I would apply a fairly thin coat of gloss marine varnish - not so thin that it doesn't dry glossy but not so thick that it curtains. Every three or so years afterwards you will need to flat down the varninsh with fine wet & dry paper (or G3 it again) and re-varnish. Do not leave it longer, as if the varnish starts to craze you will need to do the whole paint job again. This works for me, others will doubtless have other ways of achieving similar results.

 

 

Steve

[Mukiwa]

Alan, a couple of years ago I discovered Farecla G3 compound, which is a water-based cutting compound that the trade use in the motor industry (available on eBay). I used to use T-Cut but G3 is sooo much better that I gave away my T-Cut. You use just a tiny amount on a damp cloth, it has no ammonia etc in it so it doesn't dry out while you're using it, and it cuts the old paint really well, but only as hard as you want to do so by the pressure you use. After washing off any residue and waiting for the paint to dry I would apply a fairly thin coat of gloss marine varnish - not so thin that it doesn't dry glossy but not so thick that it curtains. Every three or so years afterwards you will need to flat down the varninsh with fine wet & dry paper (or G3 it again) and re-varnish. Do not leave it longer, as if the varnish starts to craze you will need to do the whole paint job again. This works for me, others will doubtless have other ways of achieving similar results.

 

 

Steve

I go along with you Steve. Varnishing is the answer, but I would add that you should use a varnish with good UV protection such as Craftmaster Clear. You will get years of extra life, I kept my decorated back panel as good as new for a long time.

[alanrob]

Alan, a couple of years ago I discovered Farecla G3 compound, which is a water-based cutting compound that the trade use in the motor industry (available on eBay). I used to use T-Cut but G3 is sooo much better that I gave away my T-Cut. You use just a tiny amount on a damp cloth, it has no ammonia etc in it so it doesn't dry out while you're using it, and it cuts the old paint really well, but only as hard as you want to do so by the pressure you use. After washing off any residue and waiting for the paint to dry I would apply a fairly thin coat of gloss marine varnish - not so thin that it doesn't dry glossy but not so thick that it curtains. Every three or so years afterwards you will need to flat down the varninsh with fine wet & dry paper (or G3 it again) and re-varnish. Do not leave it longer, as if the varnish starts to craze you will need to do the whole paint job again. This works for me, others will doubtless have other ways of achieving similar results.

 

 

Steve

cheers Steve looks like a busy weekend coming up. Alan