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Wrapping Polished Aluminum

dfelty

New Member
Hoping someone can help. I have an aluminum hull boat wrap that I'm quoting and the hull has a ton of oxidation right now. The boat owner has decided that he wants acid wash the aluminum and then is going to use rouge bar compound to polish the aluminum to a mirror finish. I know aluminum is a porous metal, so does anyone have experience with wrapping aluminum after the polishing compound is used? My guess would be that the polish would get stuck in the pores of the metal and over time start to degrade the adhesion of the vinyl. Should I suggest that he just acid wash and leave it at that? Thanks in advance for any help.
 

MikePatterson

Head bathroom cleaner.
IMO just acid wash it and wrap it. If he insists on polishing it then wash the hull with dish soap, then a wash with silicone and wax remover ,then use a solvent like lacquer thinner as a final clean. You also want to check the tech specs on what material to use. Some films don't play well with bare metals. Edge tape every edge and seam.

I hate boats they are the biggest pain in the butt right after dirt track car racers. Every boat we have done comes back with user damage that results in failure. When it fails you are the bad guy no matter if they ran into a dock or stumps.
 
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