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Thu Jul 12, 2012 5:37 am

madspaniard wrote: can you apply Penetrol over the Westfalia decals?

dobryan wrote: Another recommendation for Penetrol! Just used it on my '90 Westy top. I cleaned the top with the back of my kitchen sponge and lightly soaped water to remove any loose dirt and oxidation, taped the seals, and applied by wiping with a rag per the directions. No buffing needed and by using several light coats I never had any drying/sticky problems. Unbelievable... amazing results. :D :D :D

I did. No problem at all.

Thu Jul 12, 2012 5:17 pm

madspaniard wrote: can you apply Penetrol over the Westfalia decals?

madspaniard are you using Penetrol in the metal or plastic container? Oil based Penetrol is NLA in Calif.

Has any one used water based Penetrol?

Thu Jul 12, 2012 7:21 pm

Water based Penetrol?
Or do you mean "Floetrol"?

I have not used it, myself.. but like Penetrol it is intended as an additive to paint to help with flow and adhesion properties. In the case of Floetrol it is for use in water-based paints. These products are making it into use in the marine end of things as the VOC police begin to clamp down on oil-based products for non-professional use.

I doubt Floetrol has the same side benefits that people seem to like about Penetrol. But I guess someone could give it a try to find out.

Penetrol has become the silver duct tape of the finishing world it seems.. Rub it on metal, Flood it into fibreglass... :lol:

There ARE other non-solvent based products out there.. Poliglow is one that has decent reviews for bringing back some luster to gelcoat surfaces. It is not cheap.. But application is easier and cleaning prep is arguably easier and more thorough than what can be done in prep for Penetrol (without damaging surfaces even more)..

I have also used/tried liquid waxes available from West Marine. The results are similar if not better than Penetrol without the downside of accumulated oil-based solids left in the open pores of the aging gelcoat...

Acryilcs seem to hold up longer, in my experience. And some of the acrylics products have UV inhibiters keeping yellowing in check.. something Penetrol definitely does not have.
...but thats just my experience. Admittedly, I am not part of this Penetrol cult. :D

Practical Sailor has done a series of tests on these products and while Penetrol gives immediate satisfaction.. especially in terms of immediate bang for buck.. It does not hold up to other products in the longer term.

FWIW Practical Sailor does not accept advertising and its tests are pretty objective.

Fri Jul 13, 2012 12:13 am

j_dirge wrote: Water based Penetrol?

Yes in Calif all if the oil based Penetrol(in metal cans) was taken off the market and shipped back. This happened at the beginning of this year. There is no "old stock" around.

Water based Penetrol comes in a plastic bottle. I never saw this bottle. So they renamed it?
I really thought that the water based stuff would be useless for our application.

Fri Jul 13, 2012 8:58 am

http://www.floodco.com/paint-additive-solutions/index.do

Under the Floetrol, it doesn't make mention of "Restores color to fiberglass" like it does under the Penetrol.

Bummer...maybe you can order it and have it delivered?

Fri Jul 13, 2012 9:07 am

Do not confuse the water based Latex Paint Flowage Betterment with oil based Penetrol.
It isn't the same product at all, and will not produce the same results.

Mail order the Penetrol if you can't get it where your at.
Simple solution.

Fri Jul 13, 2012 9:54 am

is this the same stuff you guys are using? and how well does it work on white tops?

http://www.homedepot.com/Paint/h_d1/N-25ecodZ5yc1v...reId=10051

Fri Jul 13, 2012 9:58 am

spydee wrote: FRICKIN AMAZING PRODUCT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
. . . read about someone using penetrol on their fiberglass top to enhance the paint color, and does it ever . . . highly recommended . . . THOUGHT I WOULD PASS THIS ON TO ALL THE NEWBIES LIKE ME.

Praise dee Lawd Baby Jesus!!! They've been to the mountain top!

We ALL owe a DEEP debt of gratitude to the inimitable, the One and Only, the Primus Inter Peres, TERRY-FRICKIN'-KAY for coming up with this gem. Terence has been spreading the gospel about Penetrol for more than 20 years that I know of. I first heard him recommend it years ago on the old Gerry list.

So, Terry, my father thanks you, my mother thanks you, my dog thanks you and I thank you.

A wise old Sicilian (I think it was Fr. Guido Sarducci) once said,"Never judge a man by his last act."

Richie

Fri Jul 13, 2012 10:11 am

& Joey Bagadonuts thanks you Richard for remembering this marvelous preporation to easy fiberglass renual that I brought to Vanagonland's attention over at the Old Gerry forum.

And I think your right--it was at least 20 some years ago--

Where has the time gone?

Fri Jul 13, 2012 10:14 am

westyvr688 wrote: is this the same stuff you guys are using? and how well does it work on white tops?

http://www.homedepot.com/Paint/h_d1/N-25ecodZ5yc1v...reId=10051

That's what I used. Read through some of the threads on Penetrol and you'll see various opinions on using it on a white top.

Fri Jul 13, 2012 10:18 am

dobryan wrote: westyvr688 wrote: is this the same stuff you guys are using? and how well does it work on white tops?

http://www.homedepot.com/Paint/h_d1/N-25ecodZ5yc1v...reId=10051

That's what I used. Read through some of the threads on Penetrol and you'll see various opinions on using it on a white top.

The stuff has a orangey/ yellow tint to it.
It's gonna do the same to white glass.
It'll toss off the white a bit--but it'll shine.

Wed Aug 29, 2012 1:33 pm

Curious to know if anyone ever added a coat of wax after baptizing w/ penetrol? Completely unnecessary?

Also, I saw that there was a suggestion to put the decals on underneath - is it necessary? Don't have the decals handy, but am in an ideal spot to apply the penetrol, which is not usually the case ...

Thanks for the tip - super excited to try it out!

Cheers,

Rax

Wed Aug 29, 2012 5:13 pm

I tried the water based floetrol as I had some already and it does not work. I drove to Nevada to get the real stuff in the metal can. Great product. My Titan red top almost matches the paint again.

Thu Aug 30, 2012 11:16 am

RaxAdam wrote: Curious to know if anyone ever added a coat of wax after baptizing w/ penetrol? Completely unnecessary

Completely.

Mon Jan 28, 2013 10:08 pm

Any experience out there with white tops?
I have a 1990 Westy in the pastel white color.
I'd love to see or hear about some before/after using it with white fiberglass.
I suppose I could always try some in an inconspicous place to judge the "yellowing." But maybe someone can give me a real report?
D

Mon Jan 28, 2013 10:38 pm

Your going to have to be the judge on how good, or how off it looks.

To each his own opinion on this application.

I will say this;

30 year ago I ran into a 22 ft. yacht for next to nothing with the entire top side chalked out

I Pentroled it, and it shined like a greased slab for an entire summer withoutany further application.

It did have a yellowey cast to it--miniscule in comparison to the worn out, burnt out oil in the fiberglass look.

Like I said--this is all up to your taste buds--the scales of outweighing the good from the bad.

I don't think anybody can figure out how your going to think about the results.

Try it--you might like it--who know's?

Tue Jan 29, 2013 1:23 am

I have been using Penetrol for clear-coating ferrous steel for years. I teach metal fabrication at a University, and it works great for sealing the metal and keeping it from rusting. You can also thin it with paint thinner to reduce the glossiness. Most of my applications are for indoor use, but I've found it actually holds up very well for keeping rust/oxidation at bay.

I hadn't thought of using it for fiberglass, etc though. Has anyone tried it on faded plastic with success? Seems like it is essentially acting like a more permanent wax for these applications and could help.

Evan

Tue Jan 29, 2013 7:55 am

I put some penetrol on my wolfram grey top with mixed results. It looks better than the chalky initial look, but it left streaks you can see in the sunlight. I have been trying to figure out how to get rid of the streaks that followed the cloth strokes. I tried redoing it and I'm not sure it is any better.

I googled it afterwards and saw several posts saying don't use it on fiberglass and that it is difficult to remove. I saw recommendations for 3M fiberglass restorer and am planning to get some and try it.

So unless someone knows how to get the streaks out, I'm not a big fan. It is better, but now it bugs me more than it did when the whole thing was just a bit faded.

Tue Jan 29, 2013 8:43 am

If your top was so beat up by the sun, and that porus to create wipe marks from simply waving the rag with the penetrol on it, you probably needed to refinish the top.

it isn't paint, it's a fiberglass chalked out restorer.

You'll be into a laborius act in trying to get the same thing done with that 3-M stuff.

Especially with the dimpled finish on the fiberglass that is on it.

Could you please forward the informatiion that you read or heard "somewhere" that the Penetrol isn't supposed to be used for restoring fiberglass.

The Flood Co. who manufactures it sez it is, and so do I.

Sounds to me like an application error, or you didn't lay enough onto the top if you have streaks.
Never have run into this type of phenomina--something you did isn't right.

Tue Jan 29, 2013 9:01 am

My top isn't too bad, typical of an 87. The grey/bluish color though may be more prone to showing streaks. These are probably not the same posts I saw before, I didm't save them.
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/17464331/print/true.cfm
http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php?topic=21484.0
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance/53192-removing-penetrol.html
http://forums.woodalls.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/24006128/print/true.cfm
I just googled and found these, I'm sure I could find more.