Bar Keepers Friend

I used it on the whole exterior of our boat...found it at Lowes...powder form like Comet. Worked great in combination with a Scotchbrite scrub pad.
 
In my neck of the woods I get it in any supermarket. It is near the comet and other cleansers. A note of caution on the Scotchbrite pads-some of them are very coarse and aggressive and easily remove gelcoat if used with much pressure.
 
The principle ingrediate in Bar Keeper's friend is oxylic acid, along with some milld abrasives. I would really be careful using a scotch pad with BKF--on shiney Gel coat. I use it on the deck and floors, then use woody wax or traction wax on the deck.

For the hull, I like one of the very mild rubbing compound with soft cloths, and even the color stripe will come back very well with these. It it is really bad, then 3M Finesse it is a good compound to use, with a power buffer. Then a good boat wax--such as Colinite Fleet wax.

Zud is very similar to BKF. I agree that most grocery stores have BKF--may have to look around a bit. Our Win Dixi, Ralphs, Food World, Albertsons and Wal Mart all carry it.
 
All this time I was looking for it to be in a tin can like auto paste wax. Just as Snal said it's right next to the comet cleanser at Lowes.

Thanks for the additional info, Bob. It's a job I always put off but it needs doing.
 
It comes both as a powder (like Comet) and as a liquid in a bottle like a dish soap. The BEST for stainlees steel pots and pans. Have used it for more than 10 years. It's very inexpensive, I just get it by the case. An overnite soak is stronger than anything my wife can burn. :roll:
 
I can't believe that BKF would be good for any gel coat or painted finish. I would think it would make oxidation worse and permanently damage the finish. I believe it has bleach in it.
 
Not to hijack this thread but someone said that BKF works on stainless. My "Stainless" on the cockpit rails (1 1/4") on CAPTAIN'S CAT have little "rust" marks on them and particularly the bolt heads that hold them to the gunnel.

Any ideas on these things? Apparently stainless aint. Have read other threads about the chinese version....Maybe they have lead paint in them? :roll:

Thanks!
 
I wet the boat, soaked the scotchbrite pad, sprinkled the BKF on the pad, and this pretty much removed any oxidation, scum line, black marks, and actually gave the gelcoat more of a shine than it had in most places....but mine was badly oxidized. It did a great job of bringing back even shades of color.
 
Captain's Cat":1v0km5h4 said:
Not to hijack this thread but someone said that BKF works on stainless. My "Stainless" on the cockpit rails (1 1/4") on CAPTAIN'S CAT have little "rust" marks on them and particularly the bolt heads that hold them to the gunnel.

Any ideas on these things? Apparently stainless aint. Have read other threads about the chinese version....Maybe they have lead paint in them? :roll:

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I use a metal corriosion block on my stainless stuff that want's to rust. http://www.boatersworld.com/product/179110044.htm It's good stuff. Also woody wax is good for metal and fiberglass. The corrosion block is more of a sprayable oil type substance.
 
flapbreaker":3ja7sma7 said:
I use a metal corriosion block on my stainless stuff that want's to rust. http://www.boatersworld.com/product/179110044.htm It's good stuff. Also woody wax is good for metal and fiberglass. The corrosion block is more of a sprayable oil type substance.
Click to expand...

I was told to use a product for stainless passivation (can't find the thread now). It doesn't work so I guess I will try this stuff. Maybe someone can explain to me what passivation is and when should I use a product for it.

Does this stuff do the same thing as Boeshield?

Warren
 
I use the 4oz pump version of corrosion block. I don't use it on all bright work. Just screws, bolts, grounding blocks ect. However after reading their website I might try wiping some on my radar arch ect...

Here's a link to their site explaining why they think it's great.
http://www.corrosion-control.com/corrblock.html



img-3.jpg
 
I have used BKF on all my boats. It really works well on all the metal parts. It is really neat to use on SS steel sinks makes them look like new.

I will try it on the dark blue color stripe on my 22. It has a lot of hard water spots from this summer on the Erie Canal. I will just use a some sponge-I would think the Scotch Brite may be too harsh.

Fred, Pat, and Mr. Grey (the Cat)
 
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