Bronze Port Lights

[Russell S. Rau]

Sorry for a few basic questions, but I am a recent purchaser of a CD 30 on Galveston Bay. Has anyone polished up the bronze port lights? Would like to know how much trouble it is to keep them polished. Have you done the same for winches, etc.? - Russell Rau



rrau@att.net

[Russell]

If you polish them, they acquire a golden sheen that just doesn't seem appropriate on a boat. It takes at least a week before their green color starts to return, and then they will appear mottled until they fully develop their proper appearance in few months.

The fortunate thing is that once they have acquired their proper appearance, it doesn't require any work to keep them that way. I guess if your boat is in Bristol shape, and you want to show all your dockmates that you are bored, looking for maintenance that needs doing, you could polish your portholes and watch them turn, to signal them in the hope that they will respond by offering you tasks on their boats.

[mike]

I'm not sure if you can "polish" them anyway in the manner you likely are envisoning. Portholes come in 2 general grades. One is polished. Not sure what the other is called, but it's rougher and isn't intended to be made shiny. Mike

> for a few basic questions, but I am a recent purchaser of a CD 30 on Galveston Bay. Has anyone polished up the bronze port lights? Would like to know how much trouble it is to keep them polished. Have you done the same for winches, etc.? - Russell Rau

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michaelconniesmith@home.com

[Bob Luby]

If you are truly a masochist. Get some rubber gloves, bronze wool and Lysol toilet bowl cleaner. Apply the cleaner and rub it off. The port will now look like conventional bronze, but mottled. The portions that are not mottled will begin to develop a green patina **while you wait**. You can see it.

At that point you may, as I did, conclude that you have better things to do than continually polish bronze ports.

On possibility may be to coat the metal with titanium nitride. Of course, if that coating got scratched off, the scratches would turn green, as the underlying bronze would then be in contact with salt air.

There now, doesn't the green patina look more salty? Doesn't it show the attitude of a true SAILOR?

I thought so.



Rluby@aol.com

[Neil Gordon]

>>Would like to know how much trouble it is to keep them polished.<<

You can either sail or you can polish bronze. There's not time for both.


Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167



neil@nrgordon.com

[Lou Ostendorff]

You can either sail or you can polish bronze. There's not time for both.

Hi Neil;

What a great response ! And so true...

Lou Ostendorff
s/v KARMA
CD25D



louosten@ipass.net

[Ken Coit]

And, if you don't think Lysol toilet bowl cleaner is toxic enough, you can use battery acid and not have to scrub at all. One of the chemists amongst us can tell us the long term effects of mixing sulpuric acid and bronze; however, I can tell you that the green patina disappears quickly with no scrubbing, and then returns.

Bottom line, patina looks better every day.

Ken Coit
S/V Parfait
Raleigh, NC




parfait@nc.rr.com

[Bill on Mintaka]

I heard all the arguments against cleaning the bronze, and listened to them for two seasons. The boat sails fine but I still don't like the green color. Last week at the Annapolis Boat Show I came across a boat with beautiful bronze ports, and a product which promised preservation of the bronze color for three months. So I bought a bit and am experimenting with some small parts. In a couple of months I'll post my results.

Sorry for a few basic questions, but I am a recent purchaser of a CD 30 on Galveston Bay. Has anyone polished up the bronze port lights? Would like to know how much trouble it is to keep them polished. Have you done the same for winches, etc.? - Russell Rau

wmichne@dellmail.com