I'm building up a new aluminium mast.
<br>
<br>The mast is not anodised and after 600 wet and dry and
<br>Autosol metal polish it now has a great chrome like finish.
<br>
<br>The probelm is it marks badly if water is left to dry on it.
<br>The Autosol polishes it great but doesn't seem to leave a protective coating.
<br>Now after all that work I'm looking for a polish that would leave a good hard wearing protective coating.
<br>
<br>Just thought I'd see if anyone else has gone down this path and found a good sollution ?
<br>
<br>Thanks,
<br>Phill<br><br>

Phill-
<br>Haven't gone "down this road" on my boats yet except with Prindle rudder castings and they seemed to hold up fine w/ just waxing but castings are different than extrusions. You might check with automotive buffs as aluminum wheels, etc. are often highly polished on cars- From the "factory" they often cover w/ polyurethane paint as I remember to keep "shiny"-
<br>Hope this helps! Any pictures of the new Taipan yet??
<br>
<br>Kirt<br><br>Kirt Simmons
<br>Taipan #159, "A" cat US 48

Kirt,
<br>Thanks for the tip.
<br>The mast is for the Paper Tiger.
<br>Mag wheels may very well lead me to the answer.
<br>
<br>Still working on the Taipan.
<br>I've taken some pics but not many.
<br>
<br>Had problems with my camera.
<br>Or was it the other way round?
<br>
<br>I found the camera just keeps on shooting...
<br>when you forget to put film in it.
<br>This is very economical, but there is a hitch.....
<br>
<br>I think I'll try the next lot with film.<br><br>

Hello Kirt-
<br>
<br>I saw a SC20 mast that had been painted with Awlgrip. It looked OK. I have a SC20 mast that has some scratches but have been told by several people theres very little that can be done. If you know of something new thats available I would like to know what it is. I don't know how much weight it adds to paint a mast.
<br>
<br>thom
<br>
<br><P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by thom on 11/27/01 04:54 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

Thom-
<br>I have seen multiple painted masts, Mystere I think even had them sort of standard at one time and many monohulls utilize painted masts/booms. Most aluminum fittings/extrusions that are specific to marine applications come with an anodized coating from the maker- Anodizing is simply a chemical process where the metal is actually essentially oxidized in an environment where a uniform coating ends up on the surface of the metal. Common "colors" that result are dull (or whitish- the most common), gold and black depending on the final aluminum oxide produced. I would suspect your SC 20 has the typical anodized coating, scratches in the coating appear more "silver" due to the removal of the coating. A natural oxide layer will develop very quickly over raw aluminum (this is what Phill was referring to in his post as the "discoloration"). Anywhere the anodizing is "lost" the aluminum will begin to "oxidize" on it's own, including corrosion (this is why your boom and mast often corrode only around the rivets, holes, and mast foot and base). If you keep that SC in fresh water shouldn't be an issue, if you get it in a more corrosive environment, especially where there is "movement" etc. (ie. not just a surface blemish but the aforementioned rivet holes, etc. that get "worked" and stay wet, especially if in contact with a dissimilar metal- like stainless steel) you can get severe corrosion and failure of the piece. This is why it's important to try to seal all these areas w/ silicone, anti-sieze/anti-corrosion materials initially and periodically inspect/reseal.
<br>Another reason to stay in Big D ;-)
<br>
<br>Kirt<br><br>Kirt Simmons
<br>Taipan #159, "A" cat US 48