Cheap tip for cleaning yellowing from a Hull

sailorman

sailorman

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met a Dutchman yesterday ( they dont like spending their €s), he had yellowing from being at sea, he used household WC cleaner that duck type stuff. just squirted it on & a light brushing to spread it evenly. Had a coffee & hosed ir down. Job done.
No expensive "Marine" stuff.
 
We've been using a general household cleaner available in France from almost anywhere under different names. Always yellowy-green coloured (like 'Flash') and always cheap as chips - brilliant at cleaning everything we've tried it on.
 
I bought a 5kg tub of powdered oxalic acid after comments and advice on here, about £15 from an eBay shop. I fill a coffee jar up, large size with warm water and then use a table spoon to mix in the powder until the solution is saturated. So far I have used the saturated solution to clean stains of wood with some success but not always. I have plans to use one jar of saturated solution in a 5 litre spray can to clean the hull. I also have plans to dilute the saturated solution 50% and then increase the viscosity with wallpaper paste (a tip form VicS I think) to clean teak and other stains from time to time. Note that 5kg is a massive amount and my tablespoon volume hardly made a dent in the tub contents, so very good value.

To be honest I am not sure if the coffee jar solution was at saturation point, I added about 5 heaped tablespoons and I think on the sixth the crystals did not dissolve much, later on though there were no more crystals in the jar.

YouTube video for mixing Oxalic Acid powder and cleaning yacht hulls http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aMu-asc_KA
 
BlowingOldBoots said:
I bought a 5kg tub of powdered oxalic acid after comments and advice on here, about £15 from an eBay shop. I fill a coffee jar up, large size with warm water and then use a table spoon to mix in the powder until the solution is saturated. So far I have used the saturated solution to clean stains of wood with some success but not always. I have plans to use one jar of saturated solution in a 5 litre spray can to clean the hull. I also have plans to dilute the saturated solution 50% and then increase the viscosity with wallpaper paste (a tip form VicS I think) to clean teak and other stains from time to time. Note that 5kg is a massive amount and my tablespoon volume hardly made a dent in the tub contents, so very good value.

To be honest I am not sure if the coffee jar solution was at saturation point, I added about 5 heaped tablespoons and I think on the sixth the crystals did not dissolve much, later on though there were no more crystals in the jar.

YouTube video for mixing Oxalic Acid powder and cleaning yacht hulls http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aMu-asc_KA
Click to expand...

Mix it the day before in HOT water. It really doesn't dissolve well!
 
If you don't want to be bothered with mixing and dissolving and want a bottle on board I use this....
http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Grout-Film-Remover-1L/p/166088#tab-datasheets
If you look at the data sheet you will see that it is a dilute solution of both Oxalic and Phosphoric acid.
Phosphoric acid is very good at converting rust and eliminates all rust stains in gelcoat or brown staining at waterline.
about £10 for a litre which allows me to clean our hull three times a year.

It also removes red wine stains from gelcoat the morning after spills!
 
LadyInBed said:
Years ago I was told about Harpic toilet cleaner, works a treat, apply, leave for 30mins, wash off - Easy.
Bought from £1store or you might even get it in the 99p store!
Click to expand...

+1 been using it for a few years, Bosun at the yacht club recommended it. Excellent stuff.
 
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