Waxing---what to use?

[Porkchunker]

My butt is dragging after three days of washing and waxing. The washing is not the problem, but the waxing wore me out.

I used Meguires "All in one" wax, and it did a good job of cleaning, removing the light oxidation, and leaving a shine. However, the final buff was hard...the haze took a lot of rubbing to remove. A power buffer wheel didn't do a good job, and I had to finish by hand with an old terry-cloth towel left over from my Army days.

What do you guys/gals use? Wax, materials, power or manual? How do you remove the wax haze?

Dave

 

[John_Madison CT]

I clean with Collonite Fiberglass Cleaner, then follow with two coats of Collonite paste wax. I do no more than 3' x 3' sections. My arms hurt like yours, but it's worth the effort.

 

[jeffnick]

I'm giving this stuff a try:

http://www.turtlewax.com/main.taf?p=2,1,1,1

I got mine at WalMart, and so far I like it.

 

[Megabyte]

What surface cleaner and wax to use will depend on the condition of your fiberglass.
As in painting, preparation is key, especially if you plan to apply a carnuba wax (or similar) product..

Cleaners to remove oxidation can be had from Woody, Colinite, 3M, Meguiars, and others. Once the surface is absolutely clean and absent of residual oxidized material (that haze and swirls you see in the finish), a paste or liquid carnuba can be applied to seal the finish.

One-step cleaner wax products can be used with good results if the finish is only lightly oxidized. Again, the major producers of these products have formulations suitable to produce good results.

Now then... a good application tool will go far towards giving you better than average results.
Lets face it... if the pain of surface prep, then wax application and removal is severe, you won't be willing to put in the time and effort to acheive the results you are after. That is where good tools come in.

I use a Makita 9227 electronic variable speed buffer with a 7" wool bonnett to do the hard work, but any similar tool by Porter Cable, Craftsman, or others will yield similar results.

Keep multiple wool bonnetts handy and change them frequently as the oxidation is removed. Clean the bonnetts frequently by rinsing them in a bucket of clean water so you're not just smearing the oxidation around. Set the cleaned bonnetts in the sun to dry, so you can continue to rotate them as you work.

If you plan to wax with a pure carnuba, use wool bonnetts specifically dedicated to that purpose. Wax bonnetts can be 'fluffed' and cleaned by using a 'comb' sold specifically for that purpose by finish restoration shops, or (if you are careful), you can 'scrape' a chisel blade screwdriver across the face of the bonnett as it spins to clean and fluff the wool.

If using a combination cleaner/wax product, clean and rotate the bonnetts by rinsing in clean water as you would if just using a straight surface cleaner.

If your finish is heavilly oxidized, it can be brought back with patience, the right product, and the right tools.
If your finish is only lightly oxidized, using the same products, tools, and methods will greatly speed up the process.

Hope this helps!

 

[Porkchunker]

Kevin,

The Diamond is covered all year long, except when in use, so the oxidation wasn't bad at all. I have a Porter Cable variable speed sander/buffer like yours, but I didn't get multiple wool wheels. I'll add those to my kit bag of tricks.

Where do you get your wool wheels....Harbor Freight, Lowes, Home Depot?

Dave

 

[Megabyte]

Where do you get your wool wheels....Harbor Freight, Lowes, Home Depot?

Dave, I've bought the bonnetts online from both Amazon and Harbor Freight in the past.
I probably have a dozen or more in my inventory if you ever need any.

If you'd rather use a one-step cleaner wax, you can sometimes get good results with the foam application pads.
I have some of those too, and they work well if you dampen them first.

Wool or foam for (one-step) wax-on... wool always for wax-off.

 

[dcunniff]

Ditto on the Collinite.

920 cleaner, is a liquid. Apply it and wipe off before it dries. Also takes streaks off the oyster white.

Then 855 paste wax. Same thing, apply and buff off before it dries. Two people move right along, or you do a small area as was mentioned.

Doesn't take the amount of rubbing some other waxes need.

Dana

 

[CCparker]

While on the waxing topic, has anyone used the woody way on their no-skid? I know they say it does not make it slippery, but I was a little skeptical about their claim. Any opinions?

 

[Megabyte]

While on the waxing topic, has anyone used the woody way on their no-skid? I know they say it does not make it slippery, but I was a little skeptical about their claim. Any opinions?

I use Woodys on my non-skid, and I can tell you that if you follow the directions, it will not be slippery.

Trouble is, most people (me included), tend to use too much the first time they use the product, and it will be slippery if you do not follow the directions to the letter.

They key is to wet down your deck, then lightly spray your applicator and smooth the product on. It doesn't take much to go a loong way. :wink:

After applying the product, rinse the deck with a generous amount of water.
I use a towel to dry the washboards and other exposed surfaces, but I don't bother drying the cockpit deck.

If you follow the directions, it's a great product.

 

[TheOtherLine]

Well, the last time I waxed my boat, I had switched from a 3m product to Collinite fleet wax. I was not happy with the 3m product ( It was a one step product). While the Fleetwax was better than the 3M product, I still was not ecstatic about the result.

I thought perhaps that it was me and my lack of skills / quality tools that may have been the problem so I decided to have the boat professionally detailed this time.

I asked the detailer to use my product (Fleetwax) on part of the boat and his product, adjacent to the same part of the boat he used the Fleetwax on.

He first used a mild compounding product as my boats sits exposed 365. He then applied a 4 x 4 section of Fleetwax adjacent to a 4 x 4 section of Meguires #56 Carnuba Wax.

All I can tell you is that the difference in shine and depth of color was discernibly better on the Meguires swatch as opposed to the Collinite swatch.

I know some of you swear by Collinite and I'm sure it's just fine but, for my money and effort, I really liked the Meguires result. Now what remains to be seen is if it lasts as long as the Collinite product.

Just thought I'd pass along my observations.

 

[Megabyte]

My neighbor owns a yacht management business which includes detailing some very large and expensive boats.
He swears by Meguires products so that is what I used this past spring.

I washed the boat in her slip this past Saturday and the hull still shines and beads water now, like it did back in the spring.

 

[dcunniff]

In independent tests with Collinite in the past the benefit of Collinite was in durability, not initial shine. So report back later on a comparison.

I used to use 3M's boat wax and I wasn't impressed. I don't make a lot of changes in what I use for cleaners, etc. Has been a lot written on what people like.

I also know the Collinite cleaner makes a difference before waxing.
On my dark hull, I have to wax it twice a year.

Dana

 

[cbigma]

Ditto on the Collinite.

Mega Dittos on the Ditto. Same numbers, same process, same results for me. Really brings out the Carolina Flare.....

8) 8)

 

[Bluefish]

I use Woody Wax on the non-skid several times each season. If applied sparingly and allowed to cure for several hours on a hot day or overnight in colder weather it does not get slick. If you put it on thick or fail to rinse thoroughly and allow to cure you will be skating around on your deck.

I think it's a great product and makes cleaning up fish blood and stuff a breeze. Only downside is that it's pricey stuff.

 

[pmeggers]

WoodyWax products are the best, and any dealer will attest to that. It's expensive, but 100% worth it. The soap is sooo much better than anything else out there.

 

[THEGAME]

what other soaps have you used befoe the woodysoap?

 

[TheOtherLine]

Why would one wax non-skid :?

Makes the clean up a lot easier. Fish blood, dirt and other stains come up with a mile soap solution and soft brush.

If applied correctly, you WONT slip and slid. Kinda like Brylcreem......

Probably before your time.....

 

[Megabyte]

"A little dab-l do ya."

 

[voyager1]

I have been using garys wax and the results are great.

 

[Sara F]

Megabyte (Kevin), excellent tutorial on the waxing steps. Very clear and concise. Thanks for posting. BTW, I did not know that Harbor Freight sold the wool bonnets. Will have to check them out. Do you know if the sell the bonnets at their retail locations or just online?