aluminum sealant itself leaving water marks

[jmn120176]

Found nothing on Caswell, Alcoa's site or elsewhere about this problem.

I've polished my truck wheels and tanks using brown/green/white and finally a red bar, and they look beautiful. For the second time, I used Alcoa's aluminum sealant after liquid finishing polish (Hoosier). It works well; instead of having to polish every month I can get away with 4 to 6 months without polishing, and the wheels and tanks still look great.

The first time I used the aluminum sealant, I followed the directions on the bottle: "spray sealant generously on cleaned and polished surface. Let dry for five minutes and rinse thoroughly with water. Use a cloth to wipe excess water from surface."

The problem is that the sealant itself left water run marks in the polished wheel that don't rub off easily with a rag (the water marks appeared before the tanks and wheels had been rinsed of the sealant). The wheels and tanks had been washed and towel-dried, then the truck parked in a heated shop overnight before polishing. Any water that remained certainly would have been gone the next morning, or at least removed during one of the five polishing passes. So remaining water in the hand-holes and etc was not the problem. I thought that perhaps I had over-applied the sealant, despite the bottle's directions to spray generously.

The second time I polished, months later, I was careful not to over-apply the sealant, spraying only a fine mist on wheels and tanks. However, water run marks and droplets still appeared on the bottom of the wheels, and running down the sides of the tanks, despite the wheels and tanks being completely dry. My only conclusion after having experienced this a second time is that the sealant itself is doing the damage.

So the question(s) are this: What can I do to remove the water (or sealant) marks? Would it be safe to mix the sealant and the liquid polish in the same bottle to perhaps avoid the water marking, and if so, in what ratio? Or should I use a different sealant, and which one?

Thanks.

[baz]

Found nothing on Caswell, Alcoa's site or elsewhere about this problem.

I've polished my truck wheels and tanks using brown/green/white and finally a red bar, and they look beautiful. For the second time, I used Alcoa's aluminum sealant after liquid finishing polish (Hoosier). It works well; instead of having to polish every month I can get away with 4 to 6 months without polishing, and the wheels and tanks still look great.

The first time I used the aluminum sealant, I followed the directions on the bottle: "spray sealant generously on cleaned and polished surface. Let dry for five minutes and rinse thoroughly with water. Use a cloth to wipe excess water from surface."

The problem is that the sealant itself left water run marks in the polished wheel that don't rub off easily with a rag (the water marks appeared before the tanks and wheels had been rinsed of the sealant). The wheels and tanks had been washed and towel-dried, then the truck parked in a heated shop overnight before polishing. Any water that remained certainly would have been gone the next morning, or at least removed during one of the five polishing passes. So remaining water in the hand-holes and etc was not the problem. I thought that perhaps I had over-applied the sealant, despite the bottle's directions to spray generously.

The second time I polished, months later, I was careful not to over-apply the sealant, spraying only a fine mist on wheels and tanks. However, water run marks and droplets still appeared on the bottom of the wheels, and running down the sides of the tanks, despite the wheels and tanks being completely dry. My only conclusion after having experienced this a second time is that the sealant itself is doing the damage.

So the question(s) are this: What can I do to remove the water (or sealant) marks? Would it be safe to mix the sealant and the liquid polish in the same bottle to perhaps avoid the water marking, and if so, in what ratio? Or should I use a different sealant, and which one?

Thanks.

i don t think mixing a sealant with a polish would be a good idea . have you tried to contact the company and tell them about your problem they might be your best resource.

[jmn120176]

I couldn't find any contacts on Alcoa's site (alcoawheels.com). I'll do some more searching.

[baz]

I couldn't find any contacts on Alcoa's site (alcoawheels.com). I'll do some more searching.

hummm. are you sure you checked ?
alcoawheels.com then select north america then select contact us .

[jmn120176]

Hmm, it appears as though my internet browsing capabilities need some polishing. I'll start with a tripoli bar, applied directly to my computer screen.

[baz]

Hmm, it appears as though my internet browsing capabilities need some polishing. I'll start with a tripoli bar, applied directly to my computer screen.