How do I get cetol off the gelcoat

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bondstreet

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I recently bought a used boat and am trying to brighten her up. Someone in the past thought it would be good to refinish the teak in place and not mask the gelcoat. They weren't very good with the brush! Is there a chemical I can use or do I have to sand and buff it out?
 
I've had good success using Magic Eraser. It is found on the cleaning product shelves in grocery stores - in my case Stop & Shop. I use this product to remove all kinds of scuffs & marks, including cetol drips.
Marc
 
Magic Eraser works real well, but you ahve to be careful on smooth gelcoat as to not use it too aggressively...it will dull the gelcoat...at least it did on my boat :-(
 
I tried the Magic Earaser this afternoon. It didn't even dull the cetol. I'm going to try the Interlux product after Christmas.
 
Try some Bon Ami. It might work and will not damage or dull your gelcoat!
 
quote:
Originally posted by Chesapeakebayguy

80 GRIT...GIT-R-DONE

Click to expand...


Please realize that this poster is joking. Do not use 80 grit on gelcoat.
Al
 
I would use a rotary polisher /w a wool pad and use either 3M Finesse-It or a good liquid rubbing compound and go for it. You are probably going to have to take a little gel off to get the stain out. When you're done lay on a couple of coats of wax.
 
Chesapeakebay guy, that's funny! 80 grit will "git rid" of the oxidation too. I think I will try something that won't "rub the old boat the wrong way." My buddy has some excess Interlux 299 so I'll try that first. I'll post the results once I try it.
 
Ok how bout you get a small bucket of water and WET sand it off. Start with 2000 grit, and if that doesn't do it, drop down to 1000 , and then compound and wax afterwords. It is gelcoat correct??? This is done all the time, just watch closely that you do not sand tru the gelcoat.
 
As I recall Acetone will not damage the gelcoat, but will dissolve cetol--Try a small spot first. IF you need a less volatile solvent, you can also try MEK (methyl ethyl ketone).

In both case make sure to use the solvent in a a well vented area.
 
A razor blade may sound drastic and if used recklessly you can gouge the gel. But you may find it will pop off the splatters quicker and with less fuss than chemicals. Wet sanding afterwards will help restore the gloss.
 
Well the weather warmed up enough for the Interlux 299 to work today. It requires the minimum temp to be 60 degrees. This stoff is the bomb. It looks like furniture stripper and is easy to use. I don't recommend using it under a tarped boat though. It has a very strong smell. I used it on my engine box that was off the boat and in the garage. You spread it on the Cetol/varnish/whatever and let it set for 15-30 minutes, then scrape it off with a plastic or wood scraper. Never needed to break out that 60 grit.

Chris
 
The simplest way is to use a single edge razor blade and scrape not cut then rub the area out with a compound then wax
 
I recently went over some Cetol stains that were a few years old with Starbrite Teak Cleaner. The stains came out with very little effort.
 
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