Corroded thru-hill fittings

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watashii

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I have a 2005, 330 Express, and the chromed-over bronze thru-hulls are all corroding as shown. Short of replacing them all, is there an established method of making them look better than this without removing them? Thanks.


Grady thru-hull (Medium).jpg
 
Have you tried Flitz or any type of chrome polish? When I bought my '04, mine looked like that but I didn't even try to polish them, went straight to new ones.

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Those look great!

Unfortunatly, Flitz wouldn't work on mine. They're too far gone. I'd like to replace them, but there are fifteen of them and access is a major problem.
 
or try any of the commercially sold metal cleaners. they will make it somewhat better, but those are a bit too far gone. either replace or live with.
 
You can make them look better with polish but the chrome has peeled so you'll have some shiny bronze/chrome camouflage!
Mine are exactly like yours. Have not had the time or energy to tackle that. I can say that my faucets were nearly as bad and they came out reasonably well with Brasso liquid metal polish.
If I did them I would mask the hull and start with polish and a toothbrush.
I'm certainly not going to replace them any time soon.
 
You can use the Flitz or some other polish on them and it will certainly make them look better. Obviously, the best remedy is maintenance... but at this point, you will have pitting no matter what type of cleaner/polish you use. Polish them up best you can and live with it, or replace.
 
These were mine when I bought the boat. To far gone for my liking, that's why I went with new.

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Chromed over brass really doesn't belong in the marine environment. Once the chrome layer starts to pit there isn't much that you can do to restore them. Straight brass that you can clean up or stainless steel is the way to go. My 11-year-old stainless steel fittings get Flitz once a year and they are still perfect.
 
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If you hit them every year with Borx, Noxon or some other metal cleaner and then wax, they will hold up. They will pit a little but won't look that bad at all. I've been doing this for 13 years and they look great for their age.
 
old thread but I have this same issue. I realize the "right" way is to change them out but way easier said than done. I took them down to the bronze and clear coated them. Just did it a few days ago so the jury still out on whether or not this will hold up. the bronze is soft so it was hard to get them perfectly smooth... the surface of them is a bit wavy... but I still think it looks better than pitted nasty chrome. boat is getting re wrapped this week so I was not careful and nicked the existing wrap a little.

Old :

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“New”. This is before running some bronze wool over them - they look better now than in this image.

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Once the new wrap is done and you are 5’ away, it will be the old “if you squint, it’s mint”
 
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Automated14 said:
“New”. This is before running some bronze wool over them - they look better now than in this image.



Once the new wrap is done and you are 5’ away, it will be the old “if you squint, it’s mint”
Click to expand...
Maybe clear coat them? Or Black paint? Otherwise you will polishing them for the rest of your life.
 
yes like I said, I clear coated them. Curious to see how it holds up. I can’t think of worse environment to test. I got them clean as I could and used 3 coats of EverBrite clear
 
Mine were like that too and almost had them taped off before hull paint but happy with how they came out painted to match.
 

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Automated14 said:
“New”. This is before running some bronze wool over them - they look better now than in this image.

View attachment 39438

Once the new wrap is done and you are 5’ away, it will be the old “if you squint, it’s mint”
Click to expand...
i actually really like that look. this might go on my to-do list

you just scuffed it up with bronze wool? what level of coarse-ness? also, what clear coat did you use?
 
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Inspect the thru hulls for yellow spots or soft spots Bronze as it ages can 'corrodes' but doesn't rot away like other metals. It can change into a different alloy that is fragile. If that happens, it's time for replacement.
 
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