Dewax Solvent

[Finallybuyingaboat]

I am frequently coming across references to using Dewaxing Solvent. Well, what exactly is this stuff? I check the websites of my local marine stores in Canada and nothing comes up. I check West Marine and they have it as a thinner/dewaxer.

Can I just use my regular thinner or is dewaxer some magical product?

I need to use it for 2 reasons:

1) I am removing a through hull and will be glassing over it. I need to dewax the area around the through hull beforeI grind it down.

2) I am painting the entire boat, and the hull above the waterline has a few spots where I had to sand right back downto the glass (no gel coat left at all). The surface is definitely going to have to be dewaxed prior to it holding primer.


Thanks for any inputs.

[sailingdog]

I'd highly recommend using Interlux's Fiberglass Prep Wash 202... It really works better than a lot of the other stuff you could possibly use and not all that expensive....

Don't forget to use a two-rag system with it... wipe it on...and then wipe it off before it can dry or it will just re-deposit the wax it has lifted off the surface.

[jimq26]

Readily available locally.
Here's a link - Poliglow Boat Polish Not a Boat Wax - Welcome to Poliglow Products - The Manufacturer for Over 15 Years!

[tommays]

PPG also sells a good line of PPG DX Cleaners BUT if you compare it in price in gallons it will not be much different

[Capnblu]

If you are doing generic things, go to your local Lordco, or most any paint store, and get wax and grease remover. If you are using a specific system, of paint etc. Use their recommended wax and grease remover. In many generic situations, I use acetone. But it is not a do all solvent. Use caution, that goes for the other removers as well.

[hellosailor]

Pretty much any "mineral spirit" will dissolve wax to some extent, but different ones work better/faster. And these days "wax" or "polish" is often not wax but a silicone or other synthetic that the cheap spirits won't really lift, which is why it pays to use a more expensive "prep wash" from 3M or any of the other big brands, if you want to make sure that any contamination is gone, and you don't know what the contaminants might really have been.

If you mix your own, using the same solvents, odds are it will cost just as much. "Thinner" is damned expensive these days!

[MtHopeBay]

If you're doing a wide area, like preparing the hull for paint, then starting with a wash of Dawn dishwashing detergent will get most wax off. Then use the dewax solvent and you'll be more efficient with it.

Dawn is actually very good at degreasing and dewaxing I use it for cleaning engines and to remove oil stains from my driveway after oil change.
Mike

[sailingdog]

I'd use TSP instead...

Originally Posted by MtHopeBay

If you're doing a wide area, like preparing the hull for paint, then starting with a wash of Dawn dishwashing detergent will get most wax off. Then use the dewax solvent and you'll be more efficient with it.

Dawn is actually very good at degreasing and dewaxing I use it for cleaning engines and to remove oil stains from my driveway after oil change.
Mike

[jgeissinger]

What Sailingdog said in his first post. Interlux Fiberglass Solvent Wash 202. It smells awful, but nothing else works as well for removing wax and mold release, which can remain on your boat for many years.

[Finallybuyingaboat]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

I'd highly recommend using Interlux's Fiberglass Prep Wash 202... It really works better than a lot of the other stuff you could possibly use and not all that expensive....

Don't forget to use a two-rag system with it... wipe it on...and then wipe it off before it can dry or it will just re-deposit the wax it has lifted off the surface.

I would love to use interlux 202, but the stores in Canada (Montreal) do not carry it. My frustration is that I do not have access to a lot of the products that are talked about on this forum. Sure I can order them, but the shipping/customs adds up fast. We all know when you are rebuilding a boat you are unable to predict what you will need next. If I have to make multiple internet orders, the costs become silly>