Restoring Rub Rails

[Whatta Catch]

Is there any Tricks or Chemicals That I can use to restore my Black Rub Rails. I was thinking about giving them a wet sand. Any thoughts.

 

[El Mar]

I have seen some use acetone, but don't take my word. I'm sure others will chime in. I use amour all on mine.

 

[F/V First Team]

Supposedly MEK works well
That is MEK
Not MEKP (the hardener used in fiberglassing with polyester resin)
Wipe on, wipe off. Buffing works, elbow grease (or 1,000 rpm and some heavy cut 3M material)

 

[MDI45]

Whatta catch,Rampage 88 on this site told me he wipes it with acetone..then with another rag....rub it clean....i have not tried it yet ..but mine is real bad also..i will never buy black rails again

 

[tunaorlater]

Acetone works. Then wax them every season helps also.

 

[RAMPAGE88]

What I did was soak a white terry rag with acetone & then grab on to the rail with firm pressure . Hold the rag in one spot for about 15 seconds or so & you'll feel the pvc soften a bit, then move the rag along the rail EXTREMELY slow, it burns,or etches the oxidation off. Once you get it going it continues to burn its way down the rail. Worked great for me. I was shown this technique by a friend with a 28 Harris. Took a couple attempts to get it right, if you move too fast, it will white-out the rail & you have to start over. Hope this helps & I take no responsibility if you don't achieve the same results, good luck...finish with a wipedown of Armorall to protect,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,BTW, this rail was heavily oxidized & almost white. Although not perfect, it cleaned up pretty nicely.

 

[Whatta Catch]

Thanks Guys.. Rampage That rail looks great. I will give it a try.

 

[Whatta Catch]

I tried a wet Sand on the Stern Rub Rail and it came out Pretty Good. I am going to try the Acetone on the sides Tomorrow to see the difference. Here are before and after Pics.

 

[MDI45]

Rampage,That is awesome!!!iam going to get a gal of acetone tonight..Do you go thru a bunch of rags with this method?

 

[Capt Rich]

Acetone
works just like they say,if its hot you need more.
Neopream gloves,beer, half a dozen rags,loos like new!

 

[traditions]

We painted my sons black pvc rails with interlux perfection last year and they look just as good today as they did the day we painted them.

 

[RAMPAGE88]

We painted my sons black pvc rails with interlux perfection last year and they look just as good today as they did the day we painted them.

This treatment I spoke about seems to need to be done about once a year. The armorall helps it hold up or waxing with a high speed wheel really does the trick to make it last....MDI, a few rags will do. What I found tricky with the process is if you stop halfway down the rail to reload with acetone, which I'm sure you'll have to on a 45ft boat, it's hard to get it to kick again. Might be better to have someone add a little acetone as you go.....Good luck. Mine is getting a bit tired now & needs redoing, which I plan to get to if I ever finish my bottom job.....

 

[mudhake]

nothing works long term on black pvc, except sanding and paint. try pvc pipe cleaner!

 

[Whatta Catch]

nothing works long term on black pvc, except sanding and paint. try pvc pipe cleaner!

I tried the PVC pipe cleaner and there was no difference. That's why I tried sanding So far. I am gonna try the acetone in the morning and judge the difference.

 

[hntrss]

MEK works better, simply because it doesn't evaporate as fast.. Besides that I think its the same as acetone.

 

[F/V First Team]

CH3C(OH)CH2CH3 - MEK
(CH3)2CO - Acetone

Yay chemistry!

 

[Whatta Catch]

Tried the Acetone today and it worked better than sanding it. It was very time consuming and tiresome. Only did the port side will do the Starboard side tomorrow. I might look for the MEK.

 

[RAMPAGE88]

glad to hear it's working out

 

[CaptDave]

The past two years and tonight actually we give a fresh coat of the black Interlux Brightside, looks good and goes on easy lastiing the season with no fading.

 

[RAMPAGE88]

You guys that are painting them don't find the paint falling off from normal use like tending lines,fenders,& chaffing on pilings etc ? That's what stopped me from trying the paint.........