Cleaning Mast

[matt1]

Mast is currently un-stepped after first 10 years use and I'm looking forward to having nice new running rigging in the spring. Advice seems to be to just clean it with a Scotchbrite pad and then apply wax, but that doesn't seem to removing any fading (is it oxidation or water scale?). Obviously I want to avoid anything that would damage the anodizing, but any recommendations as to how I can get it back to looking like new? And then keep it looking like that?

Pic shows the underside of a spreader with what looks like scale. This doesn't wash off with a Scotchbrite pad

 

[pvb]

.. any recommendations as to how I can get it back to looking like new? And then keep it looking like that?

In the past, I've tried all sorts of things, but nothing improved the appearance for long.

 

[kacecar]

I realise what I'm about to say won't help much but, in case someone is thinking of doing what I did when faced with the same problem as the OP . . . .

Do NOT bother trying the Solvo-Autosol product that claims to be for anodised aluminium. I did and was disappointed. It seems the stuff is not generally sold in the UK but is available on E-Bay and comes up when one googles "anodised aluminium cleaner". I suppose it might work adequately well on shiny motorcycles, mountain bikes and the like but it definitely didn't work on my mast - it seems to have made no difference at all.

I've not found anything yet that can do the job. I suppose painting the mast would be an answer ("the" answer?) but I don't want to bother with that so it is going to have to stay dull and weathered.

 

[aussi]

I've accepted that my old mast is never going to look new again, so just use fresh water to clean it occasionally, followed by a lanolin-based product such as LanoProtect to help stop it getting worse. I would also be interested if anyone can recommend a product or method that improves the look without damaging the anodising.

 

[Budgieboy]

I have just had mine down and back up , 15 yr old boat and the rigger got me to rub it down with WD40 and a scotchbrite pad (not too hard with the rubdown ) then wipe away all the residue of the WD40 with old rags ( did this twice ) , few hours work and it is a 22 mtr mast , looks quite good and happy with the result , looks nice and clean .

 

[rob2]

This subject crops out from time to tie and I've never heard anyone claim to really get the mast clean. The last person who was happy with their efforts simply washed with detergent, rinsed and then finished off with baby oil!

Painting is a bit of a no-no - very difficult to get anything to adhere on anodising. A professional finish would require the anodising to be stripped off and the substrate treated with an etching primer to get paint to stick.

Rob.

 

[pvb]

I have just had mine down and back up , 15 yr old boat and the rigger got me to rub it down with WD40 and a scotchbrite pad (not too hard with the rubdown ) then wipe away all the residue of the WD40 with old rags ( did this twice ) , few hours work and it is a 22 mtr mast , looks quite good and happy with the result , looks nice and clean .

It'll look good for a few months only....

Been there, done that.

 

[zoidberg]

I'd suggest you try a specialist sponge product called 'Eggsterminator' from a company called Ecoegg Ltd in Maidstone, Kent ( www.ecoegg.com ). These are used in my household for all sorts of tasks. Warm water makes them 'soft' and cold water makes them 'hard'. They also do a 'Hard Surface Cleaner' paste of clay, soap flakes and mineral oil to use with the sponges. It's very effective on tarnished stainless, and may be worth a try on your mast.

 

[ip485]

The best I have acheived is cleaning with a strong detergent, then cellulose thinners, in each case with a very fine polishing pad, then WD40, then a resin polish. Use just the polish afterwards but apply every three or four months. The additional applications really do help restore the gloss to the finish and the overall results are surprisingly good, and noticeably better than any other combination I have tried.

 

[pvb]

Use just the polish afterwards but apply every three or four months.

Do you have a very small mast? If not, how do you achieve this?

 

[rob2]

That's rather a personal question, don't you think?

 

[pvb]

That's rather a personal question, don't you think?

I can't easily envisage polishing my mast every 3 or 4 months!

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

My first 'boat-with-a-lid' was a Vivacity 20 and its mast was rather tatty and splotchy. I rubbed it down and then gave it a coat of black Hammerite. It seemed to adhere well and stood up well to the weather except for the occasional scratch during the annual rigging and derigging. This was decades ago and I don't know if the modern version of the paint would be as good.

 

[BabaYaga]

Seldén recommends water and mild detergent, followed by a good rinse and then (when dry) either mineral oil/liquid paraffin or yacht polish or wax.
I use the oil and find it gives a nice, even shine that lasts for a while. Scotch brite sounds a bit aggressive to me.

 

[pvb]

I use the oil and find it gives a nice, even shine that lasts for a while.

Sure, it lasts for a while, a few months. The problem is that it's not easy to do on most boats without unstepping the mast.

 

[ip485]

He he - yes polishing the mast is more of an epic. That is probably why my boom and stay sail boom both look much better than the mast! I have done the mast a couple of times since it was cleaned, and the old fashioned way, bosun's chair. It really doesnt take long and quite pleasant really on a nice day.