Polish

[RichardH]

No not a new thread on the benefits of Gdansk built boats - just a quick query about what polish you can recommend for making the old dear a bit shinier.

[John Orentas]

No not a new thread on the benefits of Gdansk built boats - just a quick query about what polish you can recommend for making the old dear a bit shinier.

 

 

The dielect around the Warsaw area is good. Are we talking about the outside or the inside of the boat.

[Keeping Up]

No not a new thread on the benefits of Gdansk built boats - just a quick query about what polish you can recommend for making the old dear a bit shinier.

For the outside I use Mer. Once a year I use it neat, then 2 or 3 times during the summer I add a capful to a bucket of water and wash the boat down with it. In both cases the essential thing is to make sure it's complete;y dried to a powder before wipig it off with a dry cloth.

 

Allan

[dor]

I too have found MER to be good. It's hard work neat, but it does bring the old girl up a treat.

[RichardH]

Thanks - not heard of 'Mer' assume available from 'all good chandlers'

 

John - thinking of the outside - use 'Pledge' for the inside !!

[NB Alnwick]

We just wipe it over with a wad of damp cotton waste and add drop of diesel to get any soot off. . .

[dor]

Thanks - not heard of 'Mer' assume available from 'all good chandlers'

 

You may find it cheaper in Halfords.

[Keeping Up]

Thanks - not heard of 'Mer' assume available from 'all good chandlers'

 

John - thinking of the outside - use 'Pledge' for the inside !!

You probably won't find it in the chandlers, it's more of a car product. Most branches of "Halfords" and "The Motorists Centre" sell it or you can get it by post.

 

They do have a Website.

 

Allan

[John Orentas]

You probably won't find it in the chandlers, it's more of a car product. Most branches of "Halfords" and "The Motorists Centre" sell it or you can get it by post.

 

They do have a Website.

 

Allan

 

 

Mer: Got some as a Christmas present once, along with a fancy watch and some stinking stuff you are supposed to set fire to.

[charles123]

Mer is sold on ebay thats where I got some, at the time it was the cheapest source I found

 

Charles

[Badger_1]

You can even get the Gold and Frankinscence to go with it on ebay.

[DHutch]

Its seams that as always, i would be outvoted on this, but we dont use anything.

- Any time we make a mess, sweeping the soot out of the tubes, or coaling up whatever, we run a damp mop over it and splosh it down with canal water. But other than that, nothing. Does us ok.

 

 

Daniel

[Phil Speight]

Of well - here we go again!

The problem with "certain" modern polishes is that they integrate themselves with the molecular structure of the paint and are impossible to remove . Any one who has been caught out trying to paint over polish will understand why this could be a problem.

Use of polymer based polishes ( well, one in partcular) invalidates the warranty we give with our paint jobs.Excellent as they are they are made primarily for automotive use where the paint is of a different type, usually clear over base-coat , and has been oven baked on. One of the famous ones actually warns in the small print on industrial packs that you must "re-prime before re-coating". In other words it`s a bare metal repaint every time if you use the product.

Craftmaster have an admittedly expensive Carnauba wax polish which does not compromise the paintwork in any way , is easy to use and protects against weather and ultra violet light . Because of my commercial involvement I can`t actually tell you which polishes to beware off (it would be most improper )however shiny they leave the boat - but since this is not actually an advert I CAN say this; my honest advice would be use a wax polish that contains no polymers and no sealants . Ours is not the only one and it is neither the most costly nor the cheapest out there.

If you buy polish from Halfords or similar ( and they have a huge choice godamnit ) just read the label carefully.It`s worth the trouble because you won`t know you have a (potential) problem until repaint time.

I have no technichal grounding for what I`m saying here and the only way I could defend my position at need is by saying that we`ve had problems with polishes in the past and so have a number of other people who I have no reason to doubt.Including ,

surprisingly enough, the local motor cycle shop.

Cheers

Phil

[wrigglefingers]

Our local marina font of all knowledge floating and everything else wise, tells me I should be polishing my paintwork with Johnson's Baby Oil.

 

I have no idea whether this is a good idea as I'm too bloody lazy to procure a bottle.

 

Overall, I agree with Daniel. in its absence, bucket and mop does for Surprise, but then like me, she's not very glossy!

 

Jill

[Keeping Up]

I can't say whether or not Mer "integrates with the molecular structure of the paint", and I wouldn't know if it bonds with the paintwork (or even with the mains earth). Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't, but I've been using it since the boat was new 19 years ago, and in that time I've had two repaints (using International Toplac) without any problems; it hasn't had to be taken back to bare metal and the new paint hasn't fallen off. Of course I might just have been lucky.

Allan

[ayeaye]

Our local marina font of all knowledge floating and everything else wise, tells me I should be polishing my paintwork with Johnson's Baby Oil.

 

I have no idea whether this is a good idea as I'm too bloody lazy to procure a bottle.

 

Overall, I agree with Daniel. in its absence, bucket and mop does for Surprise, but then like me, she's not very glossy!

 

Jill

 

this johnsons baby oil must be good stuff I was told to polish my stainless steel cooker with it must try & remember to get some wonder if its ever used on babies do they shine?

[NB Alnwick]

Its seams that as always, i would be outvoted on this, but we dont use anything.

- Any time we make a mess, sweeping the soot out of the tubes, or coaling up whatever, we run a damp mop over it and splosh it down with canal water. But other than that, nothing. Does us ok.

Daniel

 

Not out-voting you - I guess that's in line with what we said in our earlier post on this subject.

 

Why anybody would want to wax polish a canal boat is beyond comprehension . . .

 

Its almost as daft as putting baby oil on your boat - that's the sort of trick Arthur Daily would have tried to sell a used car!

[Liam]

Polish!!

 

I've had mine 3 years and have still not got round to bloody painting it yet!

[Phil Speight]

I can't say whether or not Mer "integrates with the molecular structure of the paint", and I wouldn't know if it bonds with the paintwork (or even with the mains earth). Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't, but I've been using it since the boat was new 19 years ago, and in that time I've had two repaints (using International Toplac) without any problems; it hasn't had to be taken back to bare metal and the new paint hasn't fallen off. Of course I might just have been lucky.

Allan

Very pleased for you ! I am actually -that is really quite impressive - and I wouldn`t want this to become an argument because there is no need for one. However I must point out that I didn`t name Mer or any other product other than our own. I am saying though that the danger is there with certain polishes - and I can either offer the best advice I am able to or just keep quiet . This gives me a problem with the polish question and many other such. As a painter of many years experience I have my own way of doing things and have sufficient self confidence to believe in the methods I`ve settled on and the lessons I`ve learned over those years. So when I started Craftmaster, initially in order to maintain the quality of the work our particular combination of materials , staff and conditions produced as much as anything else, it was a natural progression to base the range of materials we put on sale on the ones we were most happy with in our paint dock. This makes it difficult for me on occasion to give advice without it sounding like an advert. I know how to deal with the paint and equipment I use at work -so I offer advice based on what I know. I hope I`m open handed as much as I can be. I have always acknowledged that what works with Craftmaster paint for instance will also work with all similarly based systems - including International obviously - and that Halford`s ( among others) offer a wide choice of polishes. What I said I stand by - if you use some polymer based automotive polishes on old fashioned synthetic enamel you COULD have a problem later- the make of paint is irrelevant.

Cheers

Phil

 

 

Not out-voting you - I guess that's in line with what we said in our earlier post on this subject.

 

Why anybody would want to wax polish a canal boat is beyond comprehension . . .

 

Its almost as daft as putting baby oil on your boat - that's the sort of trick Arthur Daily would have tried to sell a used car!

ERR..... to protect expensive paint against the elements and pollution , to aid the swift running off of rain water and the rubbish it can contain and , in some cases I guess , because it looks good. Mind you I polish the engines on my old cars so there`s no hope really.....

Phil

[Canal Shop Man]

Thanks - not heard of 'Mer' assume available from 'all good chandlers'

Of course its available from all good chandleries - well at least we have it, cos boaters keep asking for it and they seem convinced it's good - none of them seem to have had trouble with a repaint either.

 

Of well - here we go again!

The problem with "certain" modern polishes is that they integrate themselves with the molecular structure of the paint and are impossible to remove . Any one who has been caught out trying to paint over polish will understand why this could be a problem.

Use of polymer based polishes ( well, one in partcular) invalidates the warranty we give with our paint jobs.

Phil

I wish we could understand whether you are criticising Mer or not! If you make it clear it is just your opinion, I'm sure there is no problem in saying which polish you are talking about - otherwise it's a waste of time talking about it.

[Phil Speight]

Of course its available from all good chandleries - well at least we have it, cos boaters keep asking for it and they seem convinced it's good - none of them seem to have had trouble with a repaint either.

I wish we could understand whether you are criticising Mer or not! If you make it clear it is just your opinion, I'm sure there is no problem in saying which polish you are talking about - otherwise it's a waste of time talking about it.

Mer is a modern automotive polish and a very good one . IN MY OPINION old fashioned paint systems are best treated with old fashioned polish for the reaons I`ve stated . I may be wrong , I may not be wrong , but either way we have had difficulties in the past and I am responding to them by saying that we ,as painters and paint suppliers suggest using non-polymer non-sealant polishes on coach enamel. It took us a long time to find someone to make one for us - but there is a wide choice available in places like Halford`s and Motorworld. You can buy your Mer there as well- well no you wouldn`t I guess since you sell it!. USE YOUR LOCAL CHANDLERY - hope that gets me out of that one! However there are a lot of people using Mer ( and Autoglym et al ) who are delighted with the results. So no conclusion here I`m afraid - it`s your choice and people will agree with you from their own experience whatever you decide! Should have kept out of this one I guess....... I`ve been trapped in the office a bit recently and that`s where the computer is!

Hope that`s sufficient - the canal`s a funny world to be a painter and a paint company director in when you`ve been around a long time - it`s far too personal sometimes.I was going to write something about it here - maybe I will soon.

Cheers

Phil

[Mark W]

I'm with Phil on this one. I do wax my boat with a carnuba wax made by Meguiars. I used to use Mer on my cars as well as previous boats but now I think it is too abrasive.

 

My boat is only 8 months old but I hope the colours wont fade and where the rain runs of it is really easy to clean the mess left. I also have a scumbled roof over the B.M.C which our boat builder nearly refused to do but we insisted and that gets waxed as well. Only time will tell if this works but we have cleaned our boat on the outside twice this year with soapy water and all the water beads and she still looks fantastic, she is 62 feet long and it takes the two of us no more than 15 mins each side. I love the look of my boat and want to keep it that way. I dont mind using it and if it gets bashed well thats boating for you but in the mean time I like a shiny one.

 

I know a lot of people who like to polish and wax thier cars too and the only time you would use a polish is to cut the paint then use a wax to get the shine and for protection.

 

I still struggle with the brasses but at least the paint job looks great.

 

Mark

[Tommo]

I have to agree with Mark, why not give the boat a polish; surely anything that will help the paint last longer can only be a good thing.

I can definitely recommend carnauba wax, either Phil’s or the one made by Meguiars. It is very easy to use.

I always give the boat a good coat of it before the winter and again in the spring.

 

Ian

[smileypete]

Avoid anything with silicone in it like the plague!

 

(Polish that is )

 

cheers,

Pete.

[Mark W]

I have to agree with Mark, why not give the boat a polish; surely anything that will help the paint last longer can only be a good thing.

I can definitely recommend carnauba wax, either Phil’s or the one made by Meguiars. It is very easy to use.

I always give the boat a good coat of it before the winter and again in the spring.

 

Ian

 

And if yours is anything to go by Ian then its a good testimony on how to look after it especially the two times I have seen it in the last two years. Still looks like new.

 

Mark