[quote=UFgator]Last spring I decided to clean up the boom for my H16. It had lots of scratches that came from the previous owner who stored it in the sail box with all the other parts and it bounced around in travel. I did some research and found that Penetrol is an excellent product for restoring black anodized fittings. It will not restore lost color but will make lightly faded or scratched black anodized parts shine like new.
If your parts are seriously faded and have lost their black finish you will want to paint them. My boom was seriously scratched up. The black finish was nice but there were way to many scratches so I opted for paint. Remember that the black anodized finish is intended to help prolong the life of the aluminum. If you remove that finish to paint then be sure to prep the parts well and they'll last.
I removed all the fittings and lightly sanded the boom to removed white oxidization and give the primer a better surface to grip. If you want the painted restoration to last longer I strongly recommend priming the surface with a self etching primer. I picked up a can and the local auto parts store for about $6. Follow the directions on the can for cure time and topcoat recomendations. When the primer was cured I sprayed and nice coat of decent flat black spray paint. When the finish coat finally cured I replaced all the fittings with new rivets and a little Lanocote. Lanocote is a wonderful product that helps prevent corrosion. Since there is a big problem with galvanic corrosion between the stainless rivets and the aluminum parts, using Lanocote can extend the life of the parts.
Good luck and hope your project works out. There are loads of discussions regarding recarpeting the side rails too. If you need help with that send me a message and I'll see if I can help.
Penetrol [url]http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=174[/url]
Lanocote [url]http://www.lanocote.com/[/url][/quote]
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