CLR & Aluminum

phipps

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
385
Has anyone ever used CLR to clean the build-up off their toons?
 

pugbro

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Apr 3, 2007
Messages
117
Re: CLR & Aluminum

The best I have found is undiluted muratic acid...just spray it on for a few minutes and wash it off with the water hose...It will not leave a shiny finsh, more like a satin (i guess), but it cleaned 3 yrs of crud off my tubes. If you really have to have that shiny new look...well I guess a lot of alum polish and much much more elbow grease...
 

phipps

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
385
Re: CLR & Aluminum

The best I have found is undiluted muratic acid...just spray it on for a few minutes and wash it off with the water hose...It will not leave a shiny finsh, more like a satin (i guess), but it cleaned 3 yrs of crud off my tubes. If you really have to have that shiny new look...well I guess a lot of alum polish and much much more elbow grease...

Oh, I dont need the polished look. Just wanting to get the hard crud off.
 

VaGent

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 14, 2008
Messages
221
Re: CLR & Aluminum

Oh, I dont need the polished look. Just wanting to get the hard crud off.

Go to any air conditioning supply house & askd for a gallon Klean Brite Coil Cleaner in the PINK bottle. Mix it as described, USE GOOD RUBBER gloves & you will be amazed with the results. Wet the aluminum down first with water, work an area about 4 ft long, spray it on, let it FOAM UP & then wash it off with a water hose. I've used it for over 40 yrs in HVAC work & I just cleaned my 24 ft logs with it & they look great. The boat had been sitting in the water for the past 15 yrs & now they look like new. I am not going to polish them either.
 

Bob_VT

Moderator & Unofficial iBoats Historian
Staff member
Joined
May 19, 2001
Messages
26,019
Re: CLR & Aluminum

The best I have found is undiluted muratic acid...just spray it on for a few minutes and wash it off with the water hose...It will not leave a shiny finsh, more like a satin (i guess), but it cleaned 3 yrs of crud off my tubes. If you really have to have that shiny new look...well I guess a lot of alum polish and much much more elbow grease...

This is a dangerous chemical reaction. The by product is poison gas, a loss of integrity in the aluminum (it is attacked by the chemicals) and is considered unsafe. iboats does NOT endorse this method and warns against it.
 

phipps

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
385
Re: CLR & Aluminum

FWIW, Toon-Brite is sulfuric and hydrochloric acid. I read the warning above and started getting concerned about using The Works toilet cleaner, which is hydrochloric acid, so I looked up the MSDS for Toon-Brite to see what it was.
 

rentprop1

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 30, 2008
Messages
358
Re: CLR & Aluminum

sharkhide aluminum cleaner, I think the company owner is a member here too....I am a believer
sorry I don't have any before pics, but look at the after
.
Boat006.jpg
 

deltaguy

Cadet
Joined
Jul 5, 2008
Messages
22
Re: CLR & Aluminum

cool because i use this type of aluminum brightener that contains sulfuric acid..i just wanted to make shore it was safe to use.. it works great for me just spray on and rinse off usually in one shot i can get it clean.. the stuff i use is very cheap compared to the other stuff on the market 14$ for one gallon that can be diluted to make 4 gallons..but it is not for sale to the general public i buy it from my paint supplier i work in the auto body industry..
 

phipps

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
385
Re: CLR & Aluminum

My biggest problem is that my toons have, what I'm guessing, is 32 years of grime and crud built up on them!! Gonna take a while to get it all off!
 
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