Gel cleaner allows aluminum dock manufacturer to shine

Metal Craft Docks has a long history of manufacturing aluminum boat docks, dock gangways, boat and jet ski lifts, and aluminum stair systems that stand the test of time. But in addition to performing well, the products must look good too. When discoloration from being stored outside in their cardboard containers was marring the docks’ appearance, owner Jeff Atchley was concerned that customers would form an unfavorable opinion of his company's products.

Crews would attack the gray-black discoloration mechanically, first with a high-grit sander, like a dual-action sander or palm sander, then with an abrasive to blend it. The discolored portion would be blended with the surrounding material, but it would still be darker than the rest of the aluminum.

Then Atchley heard about TreadBrite Edge Gel from a friend who was using it to clean his aluminum welds. Intrigued, he reached out to Madison Chemical, which sent samples. Atchley applied the product to some severely stained boat lift frames and "it took the staining completely off. You couldn't tell it had been stained at all."

The hazy, red, viscous gel contains a balanced blend of surfactants and acids, with a pH of 1.5 to 2.0. It is applied at full strength at room temperature by pump, spray, manual wiping, or brushing. Contact time varies with each application, but 30 seconds to 10 minutes is a good starting point.

Typically, operators at Metal Craft apply the product to the surface, allow a dwell time of 15 to 20 minutes, and then work it in with an abrasive pad using small circular motions. For deeply discolored areas, two treatments are sometimes required.

"One night I put [the gel] onto one of the frames and forgot about it. When I came in the next morning, the frame was completely clean. We just rinsed it down, power-washed it. It looked amazing," said Atchley. That is the preferred method of use now, if time allows.

Metal Craft Docks is saving a lot of time with the new cleaning procedures. "An area which might have taken an hour before to achieve not-great results, takes maybe 20 minutes now to achieve the results you were aiming for," Atchley said.

In addition to cleaning new aluminum that has been discolored by its cardboard containers, team members also use the gel to clean used boat lifts and docks before they are rebuilt and sold. Cleaning everything before a rebuild evaluation makes it easier to determine what components need replacement, and the cleaned, refurbished boat lifts are easier to sell than if they were displayed as received.

The gel works not only on the aluminum, but on visible welds. The Metal Craft team previously used a wire brush for the job, with mediocre results, but the gel eliminates the dark weld burn and weld tint, giving dock structures a uniform look and more aesthetic appeal.