De-Waxing solvent

preserved_killick · Post by **preserved_killick** » Tue May 06, 2008 8:05 am

What do you all use for a de-waxing solvent? Are the marine specific dewaxers really any better than just toluene? Any other readily (hardware store) solvents recommended??

-Jeff

hebert01 · Post by **hebert01** » Wed May 21, 2008 2:16 pm

I just came here to ask the same question, so I figured I'd second the curiosity...

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Wed May 21, 2008 2:38 pm

I just learned xylene is just a 'better' version of tolulene. Something about an extra 'ester bond' (or something like that - my eyes were glazing over at that point) in the chemical composition.

I remember reading something on one of the Awl-grip solvent products about xylene being the main (and possibly only) ingredient. On the other hand, compared to how much you really need the brand name doesn't cost all that much more in the big scheme of things? e.g. when you are applying a thousand dollars of primer and topcoat is a $5 savings worth thinking about?

just my 2c

Rachel · Post by **Rachel** » Wed May 21, 2008 5:32 pm

I've used Interlux Solvent Wash 202 with good results. I don't have experience with any others though.

Very important is to have a huge supply of clean rags/towels, and to use a fresh surface constantly. At yards they use a sort of "wiping towel" in a box (can't think of the name right now - Handi-something). It's paper of some sort, I'm pretty sure. (Will check and update.)

Rachel

hebert01 · Post by **hebert01** » Wed May 21, 2008 5:53 pm

Thanks, guys. Britton, my question wasn't really pertaining to Awlgrip or a topsides job...I was just curious about an inexpensive - yet effective - way for dewaxing the bottom, etc.

Rachel · Post by **Rachel** » Wed May 21, 2008 6:24 pm

Update: For pre-painting, some special lint-free terry cloths; if less critical, the disposable "paper towels."

R.

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Wed May 21, 2008 6:50 pm

Yeah, I was just using Awl-grip as an example. Its probably some of the fussy-est stuff out there.

De-waxing the bottom? You must have one of those go-fast boats.

Rachel · Post by **Rachel** » Wed May 21, 2008 7:16 pm

Although, you are supposed to de-wax if you're staring from gelcoat, even if it's ancient. I might also do it if a previous bottom paint job had poor adhesion, and I wasn't sure it had ever been de-waxed properly.

R.

hebert01 · Post by **hebert01** » Wed May 21, 2008 7:27 pm

It'd hardly say that! Maybe Ensigns were fast in 1962, but not so much today. Doesn't mean I can't pamper her, though... ;-)

Actually, I had stripped all the old bottom paint this year with all kinds of different strippers and stuff. So I wanted to clean the bottom thoroughly to insure a good clean substrate for painting.

Truth be told, though,...I just washed it pretty good with mineral spirits this afternoon, threw the first coat of bottom paint on, and called it a day.

Oh, and for anyone keeping score of paint stripper effectiveness...I'd declare good old PeelAway 1 the unanimous winner over both Soy-Strip and Aquastrip. Note that this was NOT PeelAway Marine...just the inexpensive homeowner stuff from HomeDepot. This goes against the results observed in the Practical Sailor evaluation.

It wasn't even a contest, really. In 50-60° weather, PeelAway worked pretty well (90+ percent removal), Aqua-Strip was so-so (50-75%), and Soy-Strip was bottom of the pack (<50%, and the messiest to work with).

Evidently all of these chemicals are less effective in cool weather. In the northeast, we can't be waiting around for 70° weather to do all our grunt work. That's when we *sail* our boats! The companies should consider that when formulating the product. A 40-70° optimized formulation would make good sense.

All required subsequent sanding and scraping, however, so there's no miracle product out there. I really did not enjoy this job at all.

hebert01 · Post by **hebert01** » Wed May 21, 2008 7:30 pm

Rachel - Exactly. That's why I was asking. My old bottom paint was patchy, with pieces randomly chunking off. There was also probably 40+ years on there, so I can't entirely blame it on a waxy bottom. Nevertheless, now that I'm starting from a wonderful new baseline again, I wanted to follow best practices.

preserved_killick · Post by **preserved_killick** » Thu May 22, 2008 6:39 am

To answer my own question, a week later..

I ended up using a product called Prepsol made by DuPont. It is specifically made to remove waxes & other containments before painting. This option appealed to me because 1. It gets very good reviews and is widely known in the auto painting world. 2. Availability, I bought a gallon for $24 at a local auto parts store.

I actually did two wipe downs. First with the Prepsol, then another with denatured alcohol. I was using the new Yacht Primer from System Three and wanted to be sure the prepsol didn't leave any residual oils that weren't compatible with my water based primer.

It seemed to work fine, and didn't smell too bad. I'll report back if all my new paint falls off.

feetup · Post by **feetup** » Thu May 22, 2008 10:13 am

While not an answer to the OP I thought this might be of interest.

Of almost all common solvents out there, only acetone and alcohol do not contain some benzine. Lacquer thinners, toluene, xylene, mineral spirits, and good old paint thinner all contain at least a modicum of benzine.
Benzine is proven to be carcinogenic, through contact with skin. Then there is MEK, but that is another story
I lost a much loved relative to cancer directly caused by skin contact with solvents.
The moral;
It doesn't matter what solvents you use, wear nitrile gloves, and avoid breathing the vapours. We restore these old boats to breath the air we sail through, not to pass them on to someone else in the estate sale.

Tim J

MikeD · Post by **MikeD** » Thu May 22, 2008 12:07 pm

preserved_killick wrote:I'll report back if all my new paint falls off.

Better yet, "report back" with pictures of your paint job!

Summersdawn · Post by **Summersdawn** » Tue May 27, 2008 1:11 pm

Virtually all paint strippers contain wax to slow the evaporation of the solvents used to break down the bonds in the paint you are removing, so anytime you use stripper, it should be wiped with a solvent. The instructions usually call for a wipe with mineral spirits or something similar, so I'm you'll be fine.