Please Advise... Cleaning Waketower.....

[dmoss8928]

Hey guys

I have yet another questions for you experince boaters. I just bought a 08 tahoe and it as a wakeboard tower on it along with waketower speakers. I am wanting to clean the tower and speakers to make them shine / as new as possiable. They both have old dried baked on bugs from the transporting. I bought some speack soxs to go on them but I am wanting to clean them up real good first.

Any advice on what I can do / use to get clean and make the chrome shine again?

Thanks for the help guys.....

David

 

[smclear]

Re: Please Advise... Cleaning Waketower.....

Maybe try chrome polish.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Please Advise... Cleaning Waketower.....

A you sure it's chrome?
EPA regulations have priced chrome off of the maket for the most part. Cleaning some of the alternative coatings with "chrome" cleaner could prove disasterous

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Please Advise... Cleaning Waketower.....

If the chrome is pitted with rust spots. A new, wet SOS pad and some elbow grease works wonders.

A little kerosene/Paint thinner on a rag will rehydrate the bugs.
Just wipe some on and wait 10-20 minutes.
Another wipe will remove most of them.
Repeat as needed.

 

[bajaunderground]

Re: Please Advise... Cleaning Waketower.....

most newer towers are aluminum and any good aluminum wheel cleaner/polish and elbow grease should get the job done?!

 

[lkbum]

Re: Please Advise... Cleaning Waketower.....

As pointed in out in previous post, it is probably not chrome. Most likely a coated aluminum (anthing form powder coated to anodized) which you need to be really careful with (as far as the type of cleaner goes). I'd start with warm water, a little soap and a soft rag.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: Please Advise... Cleaning Waketower.....

Once it's clean, put on a coating of "Shark Skin". It will keep the metal looking beautiful for a long time.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Please Advise... Cleaning Waketower.....

Once it's clean, put on a coating of "Shark Skin". It will keep the metal looking beautiful for a long time.

I have never heard of the stuff. Are you sure you’re not talking about sharkhide?

I use Woodie Wax cleaner and metl protector on my hardtop with good result

 

[204 Escape]

Re: Please Advise... Cleaning Waketower.....

Go to Wal-Mart, (one place to buy it), and buy you some "Barkeepers Friend". It's less than $3.00. It comes in a spray, and a squeeze tube. I'd suggest the squeeze tube. It works real well on all kinds of stainless, chrome. I will possibly even remove the rust you mention. It's found in the cleaning supply section.

If you use it post back and let me know how it works.

 

[dmoss8928]

Re: Please Advise... Cleaning Waketower.....

Once it's clean, put on a coating of "Shark Skin". It will keep the metal looking beautiful for a long time.

Where can I get this Shark Skin?

 

[dmoss8928]

Re: Please Advise... Cleaning Waketower.....

I will have to try this... I have never heard of it... Do all walmarts carry it?

 

[dmoss8928]

Re: Please Advise... Cleaning Waketower.....

I don't hve any rust so I will the Bar Keepers friend still be good to use on the tower?

 

[204 Escape]

Re: Please Advise... Cleaning Waketower.....

BKF worked on my buddies slightly rusted wheels, and really worked on the lug-nuts. Yeah, I think that most WM have it.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: Please Advise... Cleaning Waketower.....

I have never heard of the stuff. Are you sure you’re not talking about sharkhide?

I use Woodie Wax cleaner and metl protector on my hardtop with good result

Where can I get this Shark Skin?

My mistake...I meant Shark Hide.

 

[dmoss8928]

Re: Please Advise... Cleaning Waketower.....

I used Bar Keeps Friend today and it work great on black marks along the trim of the boat. I tried it on my speakers on the waketower and it kinda scratched the finish so I didn't use it no more on the aluminum. But in all BKF is real good stuff esp. on stuff around the house..

 

[oops!]

Re: Please Advise... Cleaning Waketower.....

I repair towers from this all the time...

It really depends on the amount of damage.....getting the bugs off is easy.....warm water....wait.....wipe.....repete.

as far as scratches.....use rouge polish....and a drill buffer....shines like a mirror in minits.

this is a pic of an aluminium window frame from 1969 that had never been re finished....the upper oxidised is un touched.,...the shiny part is just finished.....kinda like before and after

the tools

 

[dmoss8928]

Re: Please Advise... Cleaning Waketower.....

opps,

That frame looks brand new!.. Is that frame the same thing my tower is made out of u think? What brand of polish do you use? You think it would be okay to use polish and a drill buffer with the baked on bugs?

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Please Advise... Cleaning Waketower.....

clean first THEN polish.... his polish is the red bar in the pic.... any brand will work about the same tho they come in various grades. Some will cut faster to remove heavy damage and others give a better finish...

I would suspect that your tower and speaks are clear coated.... You really need someone who knows what they are looking at to examine it in person before you try ANYTHING to polish it.... start with cleaning.... soap and water

 

[oops!]

Re: Please Advise... Cleaning Waketower.....

thanks smoke......you are correct about clean then polish. and about the stick....

the stick is a metal polish called rouge.

it comes for just about every type of metal.

if you wash..with standard soap and water....or even windex.....wet the bugs first....then wait till the water softens them...then just wipe them off.

then ....after the rack is clean......


take the polish ...apply it to the buffing wheel....and start a buffin.... !!!.

because your tower is allready shining...it will only take a few minits to do an area.... it will come up great.

 

[dmoss8928]

Re: Please Advise... Cleaning Waketower.....

I wish it was as easy getting the bugs off as ya'll make it out to be haha... where can i get that bar of polish?