Polishing the Metals on boats

Cleaning up the metal parts on your boat is a pain in the backside but is a part of boat care that needs to be done regularly. Keeping them clean from the start is the best thing to do, and the least amount of work over all, but when you have to clean them, here are a few recipes you can try.

First start by washing everything down with good old soap and water; this gets rid of any salt residue, dirt and grime and old cleaners on the metal.

Stainless steel is the most common metal found on the boat. There are different grades of stainless steel, and all stainless steel gets pitting. This appears as black or discolored spots on the metal surface. Keeping the steel clean with soap and water is the best preventative for pitting.

DO NOT USE STEEL WOOL TO REMOVE THE PITTING OR RUST SPOTS. Steel wool on any metal on the boat will cause more rust stains and work then it will clean. It creates stains.

Vinegar is effective in cleaning stainless steel. Follow this with baking soda and water. Mineral oil or wax can be used as a protective coating. Star Britte has a good chrome and stainless polish. An old cotton sock over your hand makes a great polishing rag.

Chrome parts can be cleaned with cider vinegar. The vinegar cleans the dull oxidation haze off and then use baby oil to polish and protect the chrome.

Bronze fittings and cleats and hardware if left untreated will turn green.  Equal amounts of table salt, flour, and vinegar to form a paste make a good bronze cleaner. Apply it to the bronze, let it set, and then rub it off. You may need to do it two or three times.  Once the bronze is clean and bright use a product like Flitz to seal the metal. Worcestershire Sauce will do a nice job cleaning bronze Cleaning bronze is big work. Green bronze can add character to the boat. After polishing the 22 bronze cleats on my schooner one year, I decided the green started to give the schooner more character. *-)

Aluminum can be cleaned with a mix of two tablespoons of creme of tartar in a quart of hot water and then applied to the aluminum.  3M has a good restorer and polish. Many cleaning and polishing products will DAMAGE ALUMINUM. Check the labels of anything you use on aluminum.

Zamac is OK for fresh water but not salt water, and  deteriorates quickly. It looks great when it is new but does not stand up well. Most metal cleaners work fine on zamac and they have to be used on the product often.

A good washing down of the metal parts with a biodegradable soap (we want to be clean and green) will do more for keeping the metal parts looking good than anything else. A few little kids with socks on their hands and the proper polish for the metal also can help. Tell them it is fun. 8-)