Which Metal Cleaner?

[Alistairr]

Which metal cleaner would you advise for the stainless steel stanchions and deck fittings on the boat?
Used to use Autosol on my cars, but worried that may harm the GRP if any got on it.

Are there any good metal cleaners that won’t harm the GRP?

Thanks in advance.
Alistairr.

 

[Caladh]

I have always used Autosol with no ill effects to any surrounding area.

 

[RichardS]

Peek is an excellent metal polish .... but it also works beautifully well on GRP.

However for bulk stainless cleaning we use Super Stainless https://superstainless.net/ which just needs a paint brush and only needs re-applying every two or three years.

Richard

 

[duncan99210]

I just use Solvol Autosol or whatever local chrome polish is sitting on th shelf in Greece. Never had an issue with damage/staining to th grp. On the contrary, I've used it to polish out minor scratches and stains from grp.

 

[Yngmar]

+1 Peek - used it with good results on stainless steel, brass, gelcoat and even to polish varnish (turning glossy Le Tonkinois into polished matte - looked superb, although a lot of work).

 

[CCJ]

Which metal cleaner would you advise for the stainless steel stanchions and deck fittings on the boat?
Used to use Autosol on my cars, but worried that may harm the GRP if any got on it.

Are there any good metal cleaners that won’t harm the GRP?

Thanks in advance.
Alistairr.

also good for removing light marks on grp

 

[johnalison]

I don't think it matters much - almost any metal polish or cleaner will do. I happen to have a tube of 3M's polish, but I wouldn't say it was any better than others I have used.

 

[Skylark]

However for bulk stainless cleaning we use Super Stainless https://superstainless.net/ which just needs a paint brush and only needs re-applying every two or three years.

Richard

Just clicked on the link. Product description and customer testimonials sound too good to be true. Heavily rust/stained bottle screw.......brush on......wait.....admire the result!

Is it really that good, Richard? If so, I'll certainly be getting some!

 

[RichardS]

Just clicked on the link. Product description and customer testimonials sound too good to be true. Heavily rust/stained bottle screw.......brush on......wait.....admire the result!

Is it really that good, Richard? If so, I'll certainly be getting some!

It will be interesting to see what experience others have but we found that it is so good that I stopped using conventional metal polish and SWMBO now does all the stainless steel work as it's so easy. Light rust staining just comes of by brushing on and leaving for a while before wiping off with soapy water. Heavier staining might need a bit of rubbing with a cloth or toothbrush but it's still much easier than metal polish.

It also seems to last longer than conventional polish once it's shiny. I bought a litre of it but we've hardly used any as it lasts so long. If you can get half a litre or less I'd go for that.

Richard

 

[KINGFISHER 9]

I bought 3 bottles of Spotless Stainless about 4 years ago but it looks the same as the one RichardS is recommending so maybe they changed the rather awkward sounding name! Paint it on with a 1" or 2" brush, leave it for a bit and hose it off ... actually I find it easier to use a bucket of water and a rag - lots of water - and it does do what they promise. It lasts as well because I think it leaves the stainless with a protective coat on .... anyway, recommended ... :encouragement:

 

[Marine Reflections]

I bought 3 bottles of Spotless Stainless about 4 years ago but it looks the same as the one RichardS is recommending so maybe they changed the rather awkward sounding name! Paint it on with a 1" or 2" brush, leave it for a bit and hose it off ... actually I find it easier to use a bucket of water and a rag - lots of water - and it does do what they promise. It lasts as well because I think it leaves the stainless with a protective coat on .... anyway, recommended ... :encouragement:

Thinking that Spotless Stainless and Super Stainless are indeed one of the same, if not the same company they are very similar products with very good results.

Sometimes you do need a polish, another vote for Peek.

 

[Momac]

Bar Keepers Friend Power Cream helps remove tarnishing on stainless steel with out need for abrasive action.
Peek polish is good but I generally use it on GRP rather than stainless steel.

 

[ianat182]

If it is just the staining that you wish to remove from Stainless, without polishing, try a small bottle of pure lemon juice apply generously and then wash off after 15mins; I use this regularly at home for cleaning burned stainless saucepans; they are left with a very fine satin finish and it brings them up as new. For something like stanchions and handrails etc it would do a good job. I have used it on the lifelines to clean them up too. No hard rubbing of the item is necessary.
A polish afterwards may well get them to a satisfactory gloss finish.

ianat182

 

[ashtead]

Thanks for info on super stainless which based on endorsements seems worth a try. In the past where there have been stains on Ss where it adjoins deck I have found the use of a green jelly like boot liner cleaner has worked well on stoborn stains presumably as it contains oxalic acid . It also takes the stains off the grp which was primary intention and it tends to stay in place easily around the fitting . Just put on with your toothbrush leave for a while and wash off with fresh hose water and polish etc with maguiars or autoglym etc

 

[kacecar]

I have found the use of a green jelly like boot liner cleaner has worked well on stoborn stains presumably as it contains oxalic acid.

Googled "boot liner cleaner" and found nothing. If you could find a brand name for that stuff or, even better, a link to a suitable web-page I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

 

[alahol2]

Googled "boot liner cleaner" and found nothing. If you could find a brand name for that stuff or, even better, a link to a suitable web-page I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

Probably Y-10.

 

[macd]

However for bulk stainless cleaning we use Super Stainless https://superstainless.net/ which just needs a paint brush and only needs re-applying every two or three years.

If it is just the staining that you wish to remove from Stainless, without polishing, try a small bottle of pure lemon juice apply generously and then wash off after 15mins

Although both are coy about their constituents, I suspect that Super Stainless/Spotless Stainless contain citric or possibly the more agressive oxalic acid. The Spotless Stainless site does state there's no phosphoric acid, the most common active ingredient in, for instance, automotive rust converter products. Both oxalic and phosphoric leave residues insoluble in water after treatment (actually reluctantly soluble in the case of oxalic).

There's some suggestion (not least from Vyv Cox, IIRC) that oxalic, and probably phosphoric, mildly etch the surface of stainless making it progressively less shiny and perhaps more susceptible to re-rusting over time. Citric may do the same (hence the 'protection' claims), but to a lesser degree. Long-term, the only way to keep stainless looking polished is to...er, polish it. The irony, of course, is that the shininess of stainless ultimately depends on chromium 'rust'.

 

[ashtead]

Correct guess , are there any others?

 

[Sneaky Pete]

Bar Keepers Friend Power Cream helps remove tarnishing on stainless steel with out need for abrasive action.

+1 for Bar Keepers friend can usually be bought in good hardware stores.

 

[Lucky Duck]

I just use Solvol Autosol or whatever local chrome polish is sitting on th shelf in Greece. Never had an issue with damage/staining to th grp. On the contrary, I've used it to polish out minor scratches and stains from grp.

Somewhere I have a tube of autosol with pictures of boats on it rather than (presumably) cars, no doubt there was a price premium for this!