The Skipper's Blog

Steve Craig asked:

Can I use sanding strips with your linear buffer as well as polishing pads I’m trying to remove calcification from my pontoons and then polish them?

Answer:

Yes, the Power Point Linear Buffer can be adapted to be used with sandpaper. You need to remove the Velcro Strap and I recommend using wet/dry sandpaper strips with running water. The sandpaper will last longer, cut better and reduce dust pollution.

Depending on how thick the calcified growth is, you may wish to knock off the heavy stuff with a coarse grade of sandpaper but when you get close to the aluminum, you need to switch to about 600 or 800 grit to mimic the mill finish grain, otherwise you will see the scratch marks.

The benefits of using the Power Point Linear Buffer are:

• It’s a heavy-duty machine that will withstand the sanding as well as polishing without breaking down.
• It’s pneumatic so it’s safe to use with water.
• The buffing block is curved to mate with the radius of the pontoons so that all of the surface of the sandpaper or buffing pads are used, not just the 25% or so contact area of a flat surface.
• The buffing plate is stainless steel, not aluminum, so that it does not bend or
  deform when used on irregular surfaces.
• It’s powerful so it gets the job done faster and with less effort or your part.

When you get through with the sanding and fouling removal, you can then apply a new Velcro Strap , available on-line from Aurora Marine and then you can use it with Alumabuff as a buffing machine to restore the original mill finish before protecting them with Alumetron and VS721.

Thanks for your question,

Captain Aurora

Richard Kittar

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