de laquering brass portholes

[wobbly ollie]

Our portholes look like they've been previously laquered but now look an odd combination of brown and brass. Therefore we'd like to restore them back to shiny brass and then maybe re lacquer. Plenty of advice on here about polishing brass with various abrasive products such as 'shiny sinks' & 'brasso' etc but our problem is getting the existing laquer off without damaging our nice polished paintwork....any suggestions?

Edited April 6, 2017 by wobbly ollie
spelling

[howardang]

19 minutes ago, wobbly ollie said:

Our portholes look like they've been previously laquered but now look an odd combination of brown and brass. Therefore we'd like to restore them back to shiny brass and then maybe re lacquer. Plenty of advice on here about polishing brass with various abrasive products such as 'shiny sinks' & 'brasso' etc but our problem is getting the existing laquer off without damaging our nice polished paintwork....any suggestions?

I have found that nail polish remover works very well in removing laquer. It is also known as acetone.

 

Howard

Edited April 6, 2017 by howardang

[frahkn]

I got the lacquer off my mushrooms using acetone and wet & dry sandpaper.

However I have access to a cheap source of acetone and the paintwork on my roof could be more easily be protected than that under a porthole.

I don't know how practical it would be on a vertical porthole but if you could make a 'poultice' of acetone and cotton wool, you could tape it over the porthole for a few hours to soften the lacquer.

 

Frank.

[Chewbacka]

A reasonably cheap source of acetone is foam gun cleaner, it is about half acetone, I guess the rest is mainly propellant etc.  It is also good as you can spray it onto the item.

If you do use acetone don't do it on and most certainly in the boat as the fumes are very flammable and will make an explosive atmosphere if enough is used.  Best you don't breathe it in as well.

Added - Toolstation sell it http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p30658       Spell checkers make me smile as it wanted to correct Toolstation to Molestation.

Edited April 7, 2017 by Chewbacka

[BruceinSanity]

4 hours ago, Chewbacka said:

Spell checkers make me smile as it wanted to correct Toolstation to Molestation.

Weird, kept reading that as mole-station with accompanying image of our furry friends riding round in Thomas the Tank Engine type trains. 

[Machpoint005]

16 hours ago, wobbly ollie said:

Our portholes look like they've been previously laquered but now look an odd combination of brown and brass. Therefore we'd like to restore them back to shiny brass and then maybe re lacquer. Plenty of advice on here about polishing brass with various abrasive products such as 'shiny sinks' & 'brasso' etc but our problem is getting the existing laquer off without damaging our nice polished paintwork....any suggestions?

Would it be easier in the long run to take them off altogether?

(then replace once polished and lacquered)

[BEngo]

Cellulose thinners will remove lacquer.  It is available from your local vehicle refinish stockist- ask for gunwash thinners.  It will take coach enamel off too, just like acetone, so you really need to take the portholes off.

If you do remove them then either soak in gunwash, rub with very fine wire wool or a 3m maroon pad  and polish with brasso or, better really, have a go at them with a polishing mop and polishing soap.  Toolstation do a flap wheel set with polishing soap for £16- something:  http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Power+Tool+Accessories/d80/Buffing+% 26+Polishing/sd2694/Dronco+5+Pc+Polishing+Set/p18246

This is for a small angle grinder.   If you have a suitable motor Screwfix or Axminster do the calico mops and polish.

The really hard way to do it is to attack the lacquer by hand with a 3M green pad, follow with maroon and grey pads then polish with Amway Metal cleaner  followed by  Brasso or similar.

Once you have them shiny you could get them either gold plated or clear powder coated and forget polishing them,  ever!  Don't bother with lacquer again as it will just do what it has done, even using proper Incralac.

 

N

[BWM]

I removed paint from mine with a scraper, not a particularly sharp one. It should come off fairly easily, just need to take your time. Any light scratches can be rubbed out with wet or dry paper (400g should be sufficient ), important to make sure to rub in one direction only for a better finish.

[b0atman]

It would be best to remove as when you come to re-lacquer you need to get it all over the brass or water will get behind it.

 

[cuthound]

On 07/04/2017 at 16:35, BEngo said:

Once you have them shiny you could get them either gold plated or clear powder coated and forget polishing them,  ever!  Don't bother with lacquer again as it will just do what it has done, even using proper Incralac.

 

N

My boat was specified with powder coating  on all things that should be shiny brass except the tiller bar and headlamp.

When I bought it at 7 years old the powder coating was just beginning to fail. Now at 10 years the powder coating is failing big time.

Powder coating is not the "fit & forget" answer.

[BEngo]

To only get 7-10 years indicates that someone somewhere cut a few corners in the powder coating process. Normal would be 15- 20, without mechanical damage to the coat.

N

[plainsman]

I can see the merit in removing the ports to clean/retreat. How does one ensure a good seal on refitting?  I understand ports should be fitted using a gasket seal rather than a mastic type. Having said that I have not seen any 'gaskets' advertised. Any views on this?

[BEngo]

Either cut gaskets from insertion rubber or neoprene, though that wastes a lot, or use a butyl sealant.  Google Seamseal CV for a tube version or it is available on strip form.

Others will recomend sikaflex but whatever you do avoid a silicone sealant like the plague it will be.

N

 

[BWM]

13 hours ago, BEngo said:

Either cut gaskets from insertion rubber or neoprene, though that wastes a lot, or use a butyl sealant.  Google Seamseal CV for a tube version or it is available on strip form.

Others will recomend sikaflex but whatever you do avoid a silicone sealant like the plague it will be.

N

 

Excellent advice, i've used neoprene and am very happy with it. Silicone is a bad choice as most brass cleaning products dissolve it, and it interferes with any paint that you apply.

[plainsman]

17 hours ago, BEngo said:

Either cut gaskets from insertion rubber or neoprene, though that wastes a lot, or use a butyl sealant.  Google Seamseal CV for a tube version or it is available on strip form.

Others will recomend sikaflex but whatever you do avoid a silicone sealant like the plague it will be.

N

 

That's great. Thanks for the info and I note you comment about silicone - but for this my first call would have been silicone.

[WotEver]

9 minutes ago, plainsman said:

That's great. Thanks for the info and I note you comment about silicone - but for this my first call would have been silicone.

Never silicone. Anything but silicone. Leave it in the bathroom where it belongs.