[Rhodes22-list] Penetrol - random notes from 2004 on, various sources

[Robert Skinner]

Potter List 2004
When you are done with the penetrol rags
just set fire to them in burn barrel or BBQ grill.  So
they don't catch fire on their own. /Madross

Rhodes List 2004
I have used Pettit Ultra-V-Gold urethane reinforced varnish for the last
decade or so with very good results. Its not too horrendously expensive,
$23/qt in West catalog. Has that nice deep gold color and high gloss of a
good traditional varnish but seems to retain its flexibility and toughness
longer. I thin it just a little with Marine Penetrol for better brushing and
flow. Generally do 9 coats on bare wood and a refresher coat once a year.
Slow process. It works best if you let it dry for at least 24 hours between
coats. The penetrol, which is mostly linseed oil slows the drying process
but unlike solvent thinners doesn't reduce the coating thickness. I do a
fine wet sand between coats with 220 grit wet or dry papers and a little
dish washer detergent in the water. Then wipe with Pettit brushing thinner a
few minutes before the next coat.  The Penetrol instructions say you can
skip the sanding and just wipe down with penetrol before the next coat but I
have had this soften the underlying coat enough to cause problems.
For me this is all a very pleasant meditative process. I much prefer this
activity to cleaning buffing and waxing fiberglass. Goes great with beer or
rumncoke.  /Razz

Sanibel List 2006
     Keep in mind it is possible to brush on paint and make it look good
but it means you have to use very, very good brushes and roller covers.
Also keep a can of Penetrol handy just in case it is hot and the paint
wants to ball up.  /          ~ Fred Gilbert "Peorian" ~

Sanibel 2007
was looking over my spring boat prep notes and found a deck cleaning
tip that i thought i would share.  i think this came from the trailer
sailor site, but i'm not sure.  the suggestion is for cleaning a
gunked-up deck, and starts with a heavy scrubbing using a scotchbrite
green pad and the softscrub with bleach formula paste/liquid.  after
everything is rinsed clean and dried, use a foam brush or sponge to
saturate the deck with penetrol, then after a few hours of soak time,
wipe off the excess with clean rags.  my note says the result is a
soft, clean sheen that beads water well but without making the deck
slick for foot traffic.  sounds pretty good if true...anyone tired
this or have any experience with using penetrol?  /ozarknjrat

Same
My boat is a MacGregor 26 D.  After 20 years (1987) the gelcoat was pretty
riddled with small holes and it was starting to chalk.  The blue boot
stripe was pretty faded, despite lots of waxing and polishing.  (I'd
polish, and within a couple of weeks, it would be chalky once more.)

Then I used penetrol.  Used it two years ago.  It worked well at sealing
the gel coat and restoring the color and removing the oxidation.  What I
did two years ago still looks pretty good.  The boot stripe is still bright
blue. The gel coat still shines after two years.  It was a very successful
experiment for me.

However, there are a couple of things to note when using penetrol.

1. Make sure that your boat is clean, Clean, CLEAN. Otherwise, you're just
sealing in the dirt and you'll be able to see it looking back at you for a
very Very VERY long time.

2. Penetrol reflects out a yellowish pallor.  It doesn't turn yellow, but
it seems to refract out a kind of yellow spectrum. It's not very
noticeable, but it is present. It doesn't show at all on anything that's
not white.  Do the whole boat, and it won't be noticeable to you at all.

3. Don't wait for "hours" before wiping off the excess.  In the California
sun, it dries pretty fast.  One half hour would be the max I would leave it
on before wiping off the excess.  And plan for two coats.

4. This product was NOT made for fiberglass restoration, but as a paint
extender.  So, don't expect miracles and you'll be amazed at the result.

5. It seals the gel coat, and cleans up pretty easily.  But use a foam
brush and then throw it away.

6. Also works well on faded car paint, if the car is stripped of wax.

Tom Stockwell

Same
The following quotation is from

http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/006146.html

--------------------------------------------------------
Lego,
Start with the Mequiars #44 and see if that works if it
does then start there. If the boat is only lightly
oxidized that should work fine.

For me Meguiars didn't work so I ended up starting with
3M heavy duty rubbing cpd, followed by the Mequiars #44
then the finesse-it II, then wax. My hull is almost back
to desert tan, ony slightly whiter than it should be.
When I started I had a white boat.

I can't tell you if using the finese-it II makes a
difference, I can tell you that 3M clearly states on the
bottle of rubbing cpd to use it before you apply wax.

btw my hull looks great. Wish the inside looked as good
as the outside.

As for the polisher speeds, look on the applicator pad
package. Most of the pads will give you an RPM range,
I stuck to that.

BabySitter 	 posted 05-14-2004 04:37 PM ET (US)

I am also just before beginning the Finesse / Collinite
wax process ... planning to use my Bosch random orbital
sander. Foam and fleece bonnets are available - which
one would you guys use ? 	

lpullon 	 posted 05-14-2004 05:03 PM ET (US)

I wrote this article a while back - not specifically for
Whalers but I am sure parts will apply. As it gets older
fiberglass dries out - wax can only penetrate so deep,
then you need to break out the secret weapon. Here is
the article...

After a lot of research I found out you can save old
faded fiberglass hulls. I've learned that even the most
faded rough feeling ugly sun burned hull can nearly
always be saved - as long as the colors are in the glass
and not painted. The same restoration stuff (almost)
that is sold by dealers for a hundred bucks can be
formulated at home for under $20 (including scrub pads
etc).

The Secret "They" Don't want you to know: A paint
additive Penetrol (about $8.00 a pint) is designed to
soak into surfaces and "reliquify" old dried out
subsurfaces to make new paint soak in and adhere
better. It's also nearly the same "rust magic" stuff
we used to pay a fortune for a while back! It soaks
right in starved fiberglass - taking years off right
before your eyes.

First you have to scrub the hull - really scrub not
just wash. You want all the old wax, mildew, stains,
paint rubs, etc, etc, off. Those cheap green pot
scrubbing pads (Scotchbrite)in the kitchenware
department will do the trick. I also used some of
that automotive purple stuff cleaner (really strong)
that runs about $5.00 a gallon in auto stores
(Walmart?) to get the mildew and years of grunge off
the hull. Then scrub again to be sure (you don't want
to seal in stains!) with plain ole Borax moistened
with white vinegar paying close attention to rub
rails, marks, and stains. White surfaces can then be
brightened and cleaned with plain old bleach and
water (3 or 4 tablespoons to a quart of water, wear
gloves, don't wear good clothes). Old numbers and
stickers you don't want can be removed with a heat
gun on low or a hair dryer on high, remove remaining
adhesive with WD-40!

Once she is clean, real clean, eating off clean,
then apply the Penetrol to a cloth and wipe it on.
Let the the first coat soak in like you would
Armour-All on tires (don't wipe it off. She might
take two or three passes to finally fully saturate
dry fiberglass if she is an oldie, be patient you
are fixing years of abuse.

Once that is done you have to scrub again. You
don't want the Penetrol on the outside to remain
as a dirt magnet, you are only interested in
keeping the Penetrol that has actually soaked
into the fiberglass! Once the excess Penetrol
has been removed, it's time to put on a couple
of coats of high quality marine wax - a buffer
will really save your back and shoulders for
fishing.

Now, if you were doing a high dollar bassboat
or other expensive boat with exposed metal flake
on the top surfaces you would sand it smooth
with super fine grit (400-1000)sand paper then
rub it out with waxless rubbing compound and
apply the Penetrol like above. Once she is clean
again finish up topside with an Emron clear coat
(sprayed on) and after it is fully cured, wax.

I cringe at the fine boats I have not bought for
peanuts because I did not know this. Even with
Emron you are looking at less than $250 to bring
back a worthy boat. So there you have it, the
secret is out!

Same
I've used Epoxy paint over penetrol.  No problems with the epoxy adhering.

Yes, I used Penetrol on topside and deck.  I don't know what the deck on
the Sanibel is like, but on my Macgregor the deck ribbing is molded is part
of the molding.  That's the hardest part to clean, as the dirt seems to
stick to the ribbing.  I used a power washer first, then went over with a
scrubber, then the power rinse. The important thing is to get the wax I
previously used off the gelcoat.

Penetrol doesn't act like a wax coating.  It really is absorbed into the
gel coat.  After it dries, even on the deck, it's not slick like wax.

I think a can of penetrol cost me 10 bucks at Home Depot.  It's in the
paint department.  On my 26 footer, I used 1 can for two coats.  I'll
probably refresh the coating this year though it still looks pretty good
after two years.

Tom Stockwell

Same
Penetrol does work,I have a 2001 very dark green hull that the previous
owner negleted,it was heavy oxidized and I used rubbing compound,800 to
1500 wet sand paper and polished it than waxed it and looked good for 2
weeks than oxidized again,rewaxed it and oxidixed again, well I was
getting to pooped laboring on the waxing and not enough sailing so I
put 2 coats of penetrol on with a old white sock,sponge brush ran to
much.It came out shiny almost like new with little effort.
I washed the hull with acetone to remove all wax,if you have any
plastic stripping go over it very quickly as the acetone will eat up
the stripping if left on to long.
Dave Barnicoat

Same
In other words it looks a bit seasoned and needs to be painted.
Today I tried some of the Penetrol on the hull, it seemed to remove
some of the dullness, but the hull really isn't in that bad of shape.
Other thant nicks and scratches.  Didn't bother any paint that was on
the hull, a few spots of the old anti fouling is still there and the
name is painted on.  I was able to clean off a few black marks from
something rubbing against the hull.  For tomorrow I will begin on the
topside, that is where the real chalking has been all along.  Rubber
gloves are needed along with some clean soft cloths.  Hopefully I can
remove some of the dullness and make it look a bit brighter as I won't
be painting it for at least another year.
       ~ Fred Gilbert "Peorian" ~

Rhodes 2007
Bob,
Concerning an alternate method of making the painted surfaces look good.
There is a product on the market call "Penetrol". I haven't tried it myself, but
many boat professionals swear by this stuff. It penetrates the gel coat and
protects it giving it a "wet" look for many years. If I can find the article,
I  will post it to the list.  /Rummy

Same
I've tried penetrol, and it works on some things. I've had good luck with
putting it on the outside of the hull,really brings out the shine, but you
have to have the gelcoat really clean or you trap the uglys in that shine.I
haven't had any luck putting it on the cockpit or the deck,or gunnels. It's
seems to discolor the gelcoat in spots that get a lot of UV,air
pollution,and suntan oil.I tried it on a 18 year old Rhodes,where I didn't
want to grind away anymore gelcoat with polishing.I don't think I'd try it
on any thing less than 15 years old, and then only do the hull.
/Jerry Lowe

Sanibel 2007
Despite having heard claims of miraculus restoration of the finsih of
some boats the Penetrol failed to make the finish change in any way.
Might be mine was in too bad of shape to be helped, so it is time to
bring out the paint.  One plus for the Penetrol, it cleans up silicone
sealer messes very nicely.  Around the thru the wall campass and the
antenna bracket on the stern I had done a very messy job os sealing
with the silicone sealer and the Penetrol cleaned it up beautifully.
One question I have is are there really that many colors of white?  I
was planning on using just regular white but off white looks like it
might come close to matching the original color and regular white might
be too bright.  All opinions welcome.  /Fred Gilbert "Peorian" ~

Same
i also tested penetrol on my cabin this spring with very limited
results.  i did a small patch on the cabin side with penetrol and
another right beside with a liquid wax.  the penetrol was only ever so
slightly more shiny than the dull gelcoat...the wax was a few steps
better.  i did find that the penetrol did a great job on the plastic
cleats and especially the mast, boom and their cast aluminum fittings.
/ozarknjrat

Same
The
Penetrol removed old silicone.  You know when you use the silicone for
sealing things like a compass or wiring thru cabin connectors above the
water line there always seems to be a bit of the stuff where one
doesn't want it.  No matter how careful one is a bit of smear appears
the next day and is impossible to remove.  You put a bit of the
Penetrol on a rag wipe it over the offending silicone smear and
magically it disappears.  No longer do I have this smeary edge around
the base of my compass and antenna bracket. / ~ Fred Gilbert "Peorian" ~

Same
Penetrol is good stuff.  I also used it to dress up a VERY
oxidized finish on the Hobie I'm selling.  Power wash, penetrol, wet
sand, penetrol, dry completely and wax, and it was able to bring
back the shine to as nice as the old girl has probably ever looked.
/Bob Kyser