Removing Polysulfide Caulking

[Clay Stalker]

Hi folks:

Can anyone give me some advice on how to remove polysulfide caulking from around the cockpit coaming? It has begun to crack and looks kinda ratty....I suspect that silicone would have been better to use...does anyone know how I could remove this caulking and redo with silicone??? I will be very appreciative of any suggestions...Thanks.

Clay Stalker

[M. R. Bober]

Choose your silicone carefully. Most will mildew.
Mitchell Bober
RESPITE
CD330

[JimL]

I'm not sure what your up against, but here's a trick I used one time in an old camper. The interior window frames had been sealed to the paneling with some really nasty sealer. I removed the frames, but needed a method to scrape off the putty without tearing up the visible areas of paneling. I put a layer of duct tape along the edge of the putty, on the paneling, then used lots (many!) of single edge razor blades as scrapers. Scrape straight away from the duct tape, into the "hidden" area of wood (you'll need to pull of the coamings). Use plenty of fresh blades, held at RIGHT ANGLE to the surface (don't use them like a chisel, they dig in). Boxes of these blades are cheap at hobby shops. I wound up with a small area of wood damage, which showed, but I masked off the straight lines and revarnished it. Nobody ever noticed!

Also, some sealers will come off of fiberglass with the "white" scuff pads available at industrial hardware. These are similar to the green scuff pads at the grocery stores, but the white will NOT scratch plastic or fiberglass (great for cleaning teak that still has good finish). Sometimes this works with paint thinner, sometimes lacquer thinner, sometimes acetone. Be careful with the acetone because it can etch the gel coat with extended contact. These pads will load up with debris, but they're really cheap. I work them back and forth, and the sealer tends to ball up and come loose. Cut the pads into small sections with a pair of scissors, and throw the pieces away as they load up.

[JimL]

Good advice....silicone is not as wonderful as we once thought. In the automotive side we've discovered another problem with silicone sealers. They attack any paint (even polyurethanes) and start corrosion on many kinds of metal. To add insult to injury, the silicones bleed onto surfaces and cause fish-eye problems when trying to paint! Really nasty stuff to clean up.

As the country song says, "I really hate 'em".

[Hal]

I've always used sharp razor blades to remove about anything- "walk" the blade-one side forward then the other to avoid gouging. As far as silicone in this application- don't go there. Polysulfide is more UV resistant, will last longer, not cause periphery problems like Jim pointed out and you will be in the company of knowledgeable shipwrights the world over by using it). Curious- how do you know it Polysulfide that you're removing?

Can anyone give me some advice on how to remove polysulfide caulking from around the cockpit coaming? It has begun to crack and looks kinda ratty....I suspect that silicone would have been better to use...does anyone know how I could remove this caulking and redo with silicone??? I will be very appreciative of any suggestions...Thanks.

Clay Stalker

ficadoor@aol.com

[Clay Stalker]

I've always used sharp razor blades to remove about anything- "walk" the blade-one side forward then the other to avoid gouging. As far as silicone in this application- don't go there. Polysulfide is more UV resistant, will last longer, not cause periphery problems like Jim pointed out and you will be in the company of knowledgeable shipwrights the world over by using it). Curious- how do you know it Polysulfide that you're removing?

Can anyone give me some advice on how to remove polysulfide caulking from around the cockpit coaming? It has begun to crack and looks kinda ratty....I suspect that silicone would have been better to use...does anyone know how I could remove this caulking and redo with silicone??? I will be very appreciative of any suggestions...Thanks.

Clay Stalker

Cause I'm the idiot who put it there....and did a lousy job at that. That's why I am going to try and redo it....Thanks for the tip.

Clay



cstalker@cheshire.net