mineral spirits for dewaxing

In article ,
grot RemoveThis @execpc.com says...
 > I am preparing to paint my sailboat and need to remove waxes and
 > polishes on the surface to get a good bond. All the paint suppliers
 > have their proprietary hull cleaners / dewaxers that are very
 > expensive.
 >
 > Aren't these cleaners just mineral spirits or ??
 >
 > Thanks,
 >
 > Colin
 >
 >
Whether mineral spirits will work to remove the wax or not will depend
on the composition of the wax.

A wax, in the accepted sense, consists of a mixture or bees wax and
carnuba wax and possibly a softener which is usually mineral spirits or
some such petro chemical. It is easily removed with mineral spirits.

However, unless the ingredients of the listed, there is no guarantee
that the above are the only things in the "wax". Some things, silicon
for one, are especially difficult to remove from a surface and a simple
wipe down with mineral spirits will quite likely not remove such
additives.

Unfortunately, not being a food item, terms such as "wax" have no clear
definition. A manufacturer can pretty much formulate something from what
ever they feel is needed to do the job, call it "wax", and not have to
list any or all of the ingredients.

In short, unless you know exactly what is in it, it's a crap shoot as to
whether mineral spirits alone will remove the "wax".





--
Mike G.
Heirloom Woods
mikeg RemoveThis @heirloom-woods.net
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