Restore Rubrail

[stroutmail]

My GB36 has a metal band on the rub rail..about 1" wide. It is thick metal and seems to have been plated with shiny metal, like polished brass. The "polished" part is mostly now a dull dark brown.

Looks like it one time matched the finish on the stanchions that are still quite shiny.

How do I "renew" this to something that looks finished and not neglected??? Hopefully without removing it.

 

[Comodave]

I use this polish on lots of different types of metal. Works great for me. Got it on Amazon of course...

Blue Magic 400 7Oz Mtl Polish Cream

 

[koliver]

My boat and most GB 42, 36 etc have a bronze strip on the outside edge of the guard. Most owners let it go green.
My guard, though molded FG, like GB, has a teak board outside the FG part and the bronze cover on the outside. All hawse holes and cleats are also bronze. All are allowed to go green and all look right that colour.
Shining up outdoor bronze is like trying to keep the tide from returning. You wont like the amount of work it will take to keep it shiny.

 

[stroutmail]

It is not green like my bronze seacock. It is dark brown where it is not shiny. If it was all uniform I would be fine with that.. It is the splotches section that are shiny brass combined with dull brown on the rest that makes it look neglected.

 

[Frosty]

stroutmail: I think your stanchions and cleats (and maybe thus the rubrail strake) have something unique done to them (so the typical GB answers might not apply). Reason I say this as I was taking at look at your boat -- before it was your boat -- when it was for sale, and that's one of the first things I noticed. Essentially, the stanchions and cleats look like brass. I inquired of the broker because I was curious (the ad actually called them out as brass).

I never got a reply but I would guess they are still the stock bronze, but someone had them polished and then lacquered? Or plated? (I can't believe anyone would have stanchions and cleats actually reproduced in brass.)

Just mentioning this as the typical GB answers might not apply to the current finish.

 

[Jmarsh203]

Hmmm is it brown like when brass tarnishes? If so it is prob just as you think and may actually be brass. If so sand the entire thing with a 600 grit or higher I’d prob wet sand if. , then hit it up with mothers and an orbital buffer if you think you can get it in there if not polish by hand, after that I’d prob put clear nail polish on it or any other suitable clear coat to keep the air from tarnishing it. Either that or sand the whole thing then let it tarnish evenly. What ended up happening is they polished then clear coated it with something. Over time the clear came off in spots(rub rail) and those spots tarnished.

 

[stroutmail]

The clear coating hypothesis may explain the situation. Don't think anyone would make stanchions out of brass and rub rail and stanchions look same, so I will try polishing a section...

 

[Pete Meisinger]

I think you have it backwards. It is probably copper or brass which has been plated. The dull brown is the brass showing through where the zinc or tin or chrome or whatever has been worn off.

Replating is probably the only solution.

pete

 

[OldDan1943]

Let's hope they are bronze instead of brass.
Brass does not hold up well against sea water.

 

[rgano]

It's a GB, so it is not something cheap and stupid like brass. It is bronze.

 

[Frosty]

It's a GB, so it is not something cheap and stupid like brass. It is bronze.

That's exactly it. The original GB cleats, stanchions, (and I would suppose) rub rail strake would have been bronze in 1984.

On this specific boat (it was for sale on YW last winter) the cleats and stanchions were a bright, "polished brass" color. The YW ad called them out as brass specifically. Obviously it would be crazy to remove all the stock GB bronze and replace it with actual brass, so I presume something was done to the bronze. Some people don't like the look of natural bronze patina.

I did ask the broker but he never got back to me so I don't know what the specifics are.

 

[stroutmail]

Today sanded/polished sections of the rub rail and it is definitely bronze. Somebody painted/coated the bronze with a brass colored material. So I will polish and then decide to clear coat it or let it turn natural...at least it will be one color.