Oxidation Removal Complete - My 1990 Astro QuickFire

[plastics]

Bassmeister ... this post is for you baby!

I've already spouted off to the board here all the truly useful information I have to offer about removing oxidation, so quite frankly, I'm just posting this b/c I'm so damn proud of how my project came out. This is without a doubt the coolest restoration project I've ever taken on and completed.

Here's a "before" shot that shows how heavy the oxidation WAS:



Another "before" shot here ... as you can see, you couldn't even tell what color it actually was:



And here's how it all came out after a LOT of hard work. It damn near looks brand new:











Here I am looking stoked after seeing the finished product in the daylight for the first time:



Special thanks to Bassmeister for selling me this lovely boat and to SoCalBassman for his advice and insight into the oxidation removal process.

Now I just have to install the carpet and I'm ready to go fishing.

Thanks for looking!

-Dax

[Rooster]

I owned a detail shop for years and i gotta tell ya, You did a hell of a job. Looks awesome Props
Thx for posting the before and after

[Socal Bassman]

That looks sweet bro! Awesome job for sure.

[plastics]

I put so much time and effort into it, I just want to show it off to everyone who can appreciate what it takes to make that happen, so thanks a million for the props guys!

[rcman51]

Being in the detail biz, I'll tell you that tackling a gel coat restoration is a pain but when done right the results are great. You did the job right pal, congrats and look forward to seeing ya on the water.

[primo55]

hell of a job!!got the same situation with mine,what do you recomend??

[Astrolux]

How did you do you that??? My dad has an old bass boat that has the same oxidation problem going on.

[plastics]

What's up guys! Thanks for the comments. Here's what I did (that actually worked for me) from start to finish:

1. Wet Sanding with 1500 grit paper: I used a sanding block that seemed like it was el cheapo b/c it's the one that is a hollow plastic box that separates into two pieces. I would recommend this one for use vs the heavy (expensive) rubber sanding blocks b/c it's light weight and the hollow box will fill up with water while you work to help keep plenty of water on the surface. To me, this was just like washing the boat ... filled a bucket up with soapy water, dipped the sanding block in constantly and worked it over the surface. This was actually the coolest part to me b/c you can see and feel the oxidation melting away. It will start to milk up and then the block will begin to slide smoothly over the surface. That's when you know you're good to go.

2. Wet Sanding with 2000 grit paper: Same process as above. This leaves you with much finer scratches in the gel coat when you're done.

3. Buffing with 3M Rubbing Compound (liquid form): If you are like me and have no experience buffing, I would recommend spending the money on the "Mothers Power Ball." It seems expensive, but it's machine washable/re-usable and you almost can't screw up with it. Hook it to a power drill and go to work. The 3M compound will begin to dry as you work it in and then will start to come off ... I was taking it all the way off with the power ball. Wipe off the excess with a micro fiber towel (btw: go to Costco and buy the big bag of Micro fiber towels, you will need them ALL). After this step, you'll have a clean, nice looking surface again, and you can probably skip down to step 5.

4. If you want to get crazy, go get a finer grain scratch removal product. I used Meguiars "Scratch X" for this step. Wash your power ball and/or get a clean buffing pad and work this stuff on and off much like the rubbing compound. I actually ended up applying most of this stuff by hand b/c I only used it on the black paint since the fine scratches really show up on the black.

5. Clay bar: I clay bar'd the whole thing at this point. Some of the pros who have commented above can probably give you real guidance on clay baring ... I sort of didn't know what I was doing but I think what I did worked out. I treated the process almost like wet sanding only with a little less water. To me, the effective result of that step was to clean off all the residue from all the rubbing compound. Left the paint surface squeaky clean.

6. Wax on/Wax off. I used the 3M marine paste wax. Might not ever use paste wax again b/c my god it was hard work. I think I actually injured my wrist doing this step and it was by far the hardest individual process. Took me hours and hours. But as mentioned above in this thread, it will be extra important to keep the surface heavily waxed all the time now b/c you will have reduced the thickness of the gel coat when this is over.

I would also recommend working at night. Go get a good LED headlamp and that's all the light you will need. That LED light will show you every single scratch and blurry spot in the paint. It will make you crazy to see all the flaws as you work, but when you see the result in normal daylight, it looks perfect. I'm told that florescent lighting gives the same effect.

Another product that truly amazed me was Mothers "Back to Black." This stuff is like magic on all of the vinyl or plastic trim pieces. It knocks the oxidation/sun damage right out of plastic and vinyl. What this stuff did to the console of my boat was just unbelievable to me.

Feel free to hit me up with any specific questions. I learned a lot during the process through trial and error that would have saved me a lot of time, so if I can save you guys some time and effort on your projects, I'm happy to. Thanks guys!

-Dax

[MAVERICK27]

Dude! I only have a little oxidation on my boat and seeing your work makes me want to perfect the boat! Your boat is absolutely beautiful! The colors are sick and the metal flake pops in the sun!!!! Serious kudos to you and your hard work.

[Troutman65]

The boat sure looks nice. Great work. Thanks for sharing.