Prepping trailer fenders for paint

[thatsmrmastercraft]

Originally Posted by Duane D

Some carb & choke cleaner or brake cleaner would work better than straight lacquer thinner. They have "scrubbers" in them that get in and attack contaminants and lift them to the surface so you can cleanly wipe them away.

Most carb cleaners have a small amount of oil in them while brake cleaners have no oil. Just my

[muskingumriverdocks]

I wouldn't use carb, choke or brake clean it is to harsh and may cause the paint that's on them now to lift. Kind of like putting paint stripper on them. You have to watch using lacquer thinner also. That may cause it to lift, especially if they have enamel on them. Your best bet is to use a grease and wax remover such as acryli-clean.

[supturb89]

Originally Posted by muskingumriverdocks

I wouldn't use carb, choke or brake clean it is to harsh and may cause the paint that's on them now to lift. Kind of like putting paint stripper on them. You have to watch using lacquer thinner also. That may cause it to lift, especially if they have enamel on them. Your best bet is to use a grease and wax remover such as acryli-clean.

This is for cleaning a sandblasted trailer prior to priming.

[rjracin240]

Originally Posted by supturb89

This is for cleaning a sandblasted trailer prior to priming.

One important thing I left out above is to clean, clean and clean again before painting. Paint can only stick to what is underneath it so you want to get all the dust cleaned out and any contaminants off the surface before you begin painting with the epoxy primer. You will need a good water-based cleaner (soap and water or dish detergent work fine for this project) and you also need a solvent-based wax and grease remover. If you touch bare steel with your hands/fingers, you will leave oils from your skin behind that only wax and grease remover can get out. Water based cleaner gets the other contaminants off that wax and grease remover won't get.

Quote above addressing next step after blasting and before painting from Duanne D's previous post. (Havent got the hang of multiple quotes yet)

As a additional advise, insure that all water/cleaner is removed before priming/painting, there is nothing worse than the primer/paint blowing out some water trapped behind something on your fresh paint

In the past I have used Acetone as a cleaner to remove wax/oil. Would put it on with a damp cloth, and then immediately wipe dry with a clean lint free cloth and continuously rotate wiping surface and rotate out cloth's insuring cloth is clean and free of any accumulated contaminates. After the wipe down, use a tack cloth to pickup up any lint left behind from the cloth or any other particles of dirt.

Good luck and I am sure the results will be looking good.

[muskingumriverdocks]

Originally Posted by supturb89

This is for cleaning a sandblasted trailer prior to priming.

Ok, I thought you were only working on the fenders. I still wouldn't use any of those brake/ choke cleaners, especially on fiberglass. I still recommend acryli-clean on the fiberglass fenders As far as the trailer frame you should use a metal prep (been awhile don't remember an exact name) before applying any primer. Don't cut corners on the prep work or the paint job won't last. To nice of a boat and trailer to half-a$$ it.

[Barefooter92]

I used turtle wax 'cleaner wax' on mine (1997) and they cleaned up like new, even removed the adheasive from the anti-skid pads. Worth a quick try.

[supturb89]

Originally Posted by Barefooter92

I used turtle wax 'cleaner wax' on mine (1997) and they cleaned up like new, even removed the adheasive from the anti-skid pads. Worth a quick try.

Hopefully I have something in my arsenal of gelcoat restorers that will bring them back to life. BTW Barefoot, I was looking for your boat (color scheme) when I bought mine but couldn't find one anywhere. Nice looking boat!

[supturb89]

Just to update...I got to work on the fenders this weekend. The hardest part was getting all the adhesive off left by the non-slip guards. I used kerosene and elbow grease for this. Gave them a good bath with Dawn and then hit them with the rotary and some 3M Perfect-It. Man was I surprised at the results. I couldn't believe they shined up as well as they did. There is a definite contrast in color from where the slip guards were, but after replacing them you won't notice anything. Gonna follow up with the KAIO, then glaze, and top with some Collinite 845. Should stay looking good for the foreseeable future. Next weekend I paint the trailer. Thanks to all the guys who recommended not painting the fenders. I will try to get some pics ups later today.