help! my husband stained my pretty deck!

[bob_deb]

hello everyone,

my hubby decided he would work on the foredeck oneday. i don't know what he was thinking. he used a hacksaw to cut a shakle off of the anchor. which produced tiny pieces of metal all over the deck and then it rained. hence i now have a pretty rust spotted deck. i have used soft scub and cleaning wax to no avail. anyone out there have a solution to my problem. my hubby thinks we should leave metal shavings all over the boat to make it all match. i don't think so! help!!!!

Deb

[svHyLyte]

Pick up some "Wink" rust stain remover at Ace Hardware or perhaps even in the soap/cleaning supplies department of you local grocery store. Cover the stained areas with a little toilet paper and give the TP a good squirt of the Wink. The TP will hold the material in place while it eats the rust.

s/v HyLyte

[Boracay]

There are commercial rust stain removers available from auto stores and chandlers.

They seem to involve phosphoric acid.

Do (of course) read the instructions first and try it on a tiny area.

I have just used a Tannic Acid preparation (for rust conversion/stabilisation) and it left purple stains down Boracay's side that will have to be polished off.

[Pblais]

Toilet bowl cleaner will remove rust too.

[roverhi]

Oxalic acid is an FRP boater's best friend. Bought a 50# bag at a commercial chemical supplier. Diluted it with water and it took most of the stains off the deck and on topsides from external chain plates.

Also a good wood bleach.

aloha
Peter O.

[Pblais]

Oxalic acid

Barkeepers Friend at any grocery store costs about $1.50. Great for stanless too. Toilet bowl cleaner for rust on gelcoat is almost instantly gone.

[Tnflakbait]

Naval Gelly works too.

[jrd22]

West Marine sells a fiberglas rust stain remover, spray it on, wait a couple of minutes and hose it off. Has worked well for me (several times, don't be too hard on your hubby). Sorry I can't remember the name brand.

John

[Wotname]

I am just surprised that YOU are cleaning it off!!!!

[David M]

Easy with the acids...they are the best thing for dissolving rust but they can also damage the color pigment in the gelcoat. Start out with acids that are just below a pH of 7 and then work your way down to a lower pH (more acidic).

Vinegar is a good place to start. Let it sit for an hour or so. Just don't start with the strongest acids first.

pH of Common Acids

[mudnut]

Originally Posted by Tnflakbait

Naval Gelly works too.

Why would ya put gelly on ya Navel,"is that kinky?"Mudnut.

[GordMay]

I agree with Paul that Barkeepers Friend is one of the best (and CHEAPEST) all-purpose cleansers.
Barkeepers Friend (regular powder) & “FSR” Fiberglass Stain Remover both contain Oxalic Acid,
whereas
Barkeepers Friend “Lime & Rust Remover” contains Sulfamic Acid, and Hydroxyacetic & Citric Acids.

Fibreglass has “excellent” resistance to all the above acids.

Caution: Fibreglass has a “poor” to “limited” resistance to Phosphoric Acid (includes "Naval Jelly"), which is not really a rust “remover”, so much as a great rust “converter” (iron oxide to iron phosphate).

[bob_deb]

Thanks for all the input, this doesn't sound to be as bad as I thought.
I'll try Barkeepers Friend first since it is the easiest to get.
And my Hubby WILL be helping me with this.

Thanks again - Deb