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My T-top has some crusty white oxidation. What is the best product to use to get it off easily. I thought of using 1:2 On-Off with water, using gloves and a sponge. Then WoodyWax or flitz afterwards to reglaze and protect the aluminum.
Yep...I did a search and got very different opinions on this. http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-...n-protect.html I need to remove/clean the oxidation with something other then Woodywax cleaner (not strong enough) - my oxidation is not severe, but heavy. I read that a bronze wool pad was too strong and would remove the anodized finish, so I 'm confused and this is why I'm posting.
I need to remove/clean the oxidation with something other then Woodywax cleaner (not strong enough) - my oxidation is not severe, but heavy. I read that a bronze wool pad was too strong and would remove the anodized finish
The white oxidation sounds like bare aluminum.
Are you sure it is anodized?
If it is bare aluminum, then it can be polished to several grades, including a chrome-like mirror finish.
Once polished, any metal polish may be used to maintain the finish. The downside to metal polish on aluminum in this application is that it will remove all the fresh oxidation as black crud that will stain the line and the canvas, unless removed first.
I personally use Never Dull. A wool type wading that does very well. As said by others it will leave a black residue that will wipe off easily if you dont let it dry. It does leave a mirror like finish that I top off with a premium sealer or wax. This process is very time consuming but will look new when done, so get a few cold ones and go at it!
Are you sure it is anodized? Actually I'm not--parts of the tubing is shiny and of course closer to the top its not.
If it is bare aluminum, then it can be polished to several grades, including a chrome-like mirror finish. How do you polish it? I'm OK with the black crud -I'll use cardboard to cover the top. THANKS FOR THE HELP!
Once polished, any metal polish may be used to maintain the finish. The downside to metal polish on aluminum in this application is that it will remove all the fresh oxidation as black crud that will stain the line and the canvas, unless removed first.
I personally use Never Dull. A wool type wading that does very well. As said by others it will leave a black residue that will wipe off easily if you dont let it dry. It does leave a mirror like finish that I top off with a premium sealer or wax. This process is very time consuming but will look new when done, so get a few cold ones and go at it!
interesting. Does this stuff work on heavily oxidized/ stained annodized t-tops. I ask because I tried a bunch of stuff on my T-top and only found one thing that worked. But it's very hard to do and makes a big mess. Nowhere is my annodizing in bad shape, more really of hard water stains or something like that. I tried salt away, and various other stuff with little to no results. Finally resorted to a buffer with aqua buff 2000. That works wonders but I quit because of the mess and was just experimenting and doing the easy spots. See pics below. Think Never Dull would work on this? Ypu can see where I "buffed" it and where I didn't.
I mostly use the 3" diameter discs, but I also have / use the 1" discs. All mine have the plastic 3M Roloc fastener.
My experience has been favorable on aluminum, steel, stainless steel, cast iron and bronze.
For the exterior of an aluminum tube I would use the surface-conditioning discs in Very Fine (Blue) or in Medium (Maroon). I use the aluminum oxide for difficult metals like cast iron and stainless steel.
The thicker Finishing and Polishing Discs for Contoured and Flat Surfaces are fine, but they wear very very fast and I only use those for interior bowl shapes.
With this tool it is easy to attain a mirror finish.
My arsenal also includes "cylindrical" bits of many shapes and sizes and an Ingersoll Rand 3108 straight die grinder. That tool doesn't look required for this project.
Here is a cast iron project at the start, showing the tool and some discs and another at a later stage.
Here is a merged image showing the progression on a brake caliper.
Here is an image showing before and after on a bronze part.
interesting. Does this stuff work on heavily oxidized/ stained annodized t-tops. I ask because I tried a bunch of stuff on my T-top and only found one thing that worked. But it's very hard to do and makes a big mess. Nowhere is my annodizing in bad shape, more really of hard water stains or something like that. I tried salt away, and various other stuff with little to no results. Finally resorted to a buffer with aqua buff 2000. That works wonders but I quit because of the mess and was just experimenting and doing the easy spots. See pics below. Think Never Dull would work on this? Ypu can see where I "buffed" it and where I didn't.
BIB, to be honest Im not sure. I have not let mine get that oxidized. Besides mine is a fairly new boat, probably time will tell. The area you buffed looks really good.
You need to be a little careful here. Most of the material that tops are made out of is pre-anodized. The tubing is polished and anodized by the mill and shopped as straight tubing. Once the fabricator gets it, they bend it and weld it. The anodize is hard, so it does not bend, with the result that it fractures at the bend zones and makes a rougher finish. It also exposes bare aluminum and that is often where corrosion starts. Welding also burns off the anodize, so corrosion can begin there as well.
The white powder you see is aluminum oxide, just as the red powder on steel is iron oxide. Once there is a pit in the anodize, the oxide can form. There's no way to remove the pit effectively, since buffing off all the anodize would be a tough job. But I would not use any sort of abrasive pad on for frear of damaging the anodize. I use Mother's Mag and Aluminum polish. It will brighten any exposed aluminum, but does not seem to hurt anodize. Idf you rub it on an are and the rag truns black, you've found bare aluminum. If it stay white, you are rubbing on top of anodize. The Mother's also seems to leave a wax film, though Woody wax works well, too.
I have always had great luck with piping oxidation with woody wax and a MILD scotchbrite pad. Just some gentle scrubbing, waiting and then scrubbing again gets it all gone...I then buff it out with a mothers ball on the end of my drill....
You don't have to guess about woody - get some free - they will send you on their site a foil pack with a sponge impregnated with enuf to do all of your pipes and then some - try it first.......
My T-top pipes were probably 10 years and maybe 15 years old when I got the boat, and heavily pitted. Not shiny-bright or pretty at all.
One day, I had a mishap while working on the SeaStar helm unit, where the steering fluid shot up and got all over everything. Got a thick towel and started wiping up (down) the dripping mess, and what's this - the pipes are shedding the white oxidation and the pits are dissolving. After about ten minutes of work, the pipes looked like those on a two-year-old top.
I have subsequently used steering fluid to clean and polish the pipes, and while there's no way to totally remediate the damaged pits, the pipes are shiny and bright, and seem to be well protected against further oxidation. Pits are the size of pin-heads rather than pencil erasers. Slightly slippery to the touch after wiping all excess, but that slickness seems to shed water. I use probably a tablespoon of that steering fluid in a thick rag about twice a year to touch up the metal work. No wax, no polish. Looks pretty good, especially considering the age.
My T-top pipes were probably 10 years and maybe 15 years old when I got the boat, and heavily pitted. Not shiny-bright or pretty at all.
One day, I had a mishap while working on the SeaStar helm unit, where the steering fluid shot up and got all over everything. Got a thick towel and started wiping up (down) the dripping mess, and what's this - the pipes are shedding the white oxidation and the pits are dissolving. After about ten minutes of work, the pipes looked like those on a two-year-old top.
I have subsequently used steering fluid to clean and polish the pipes, and while there's no way to totally remediate the damaged pits, the pipes are shiny and bright, and seem to be well protected against further oxidation. Pits are the size of pin-heads rather than pencil erasers. Slightly slippery to the touch after wiping all excess, but that slickness seems to shed water. I use probably a tablespoon of that steering fluid in a thick rag about twice a year to touch up the metal work. No wax, no polish. Looks pretty good, especially considering the age.
After taking off my t-top fabric off my neglected t-top frame for replacement I got Mother's Mag and power steering fluid. The Mother's didn't work very well at all. I put some steering fluid on a rag and had it shining in 10 minutes. Works very well. Mine is a 8 year old t-top that had a lot of the white stuff on it. Worked very well on the gold rod holders also which were spotted pretty badly. I know the fluid will not last as long as a wax product but it was too easy to use to even think about waxing it.
How to clean T-top Alum 
I have not let mine get that oxidized. Besides mine is a fairly new boat, probably time will tell. The area you buffed looks really good.
