How to clean sealant off painted aluminum

[jawmaw]

I moved my hull mounted transducer and am wondering the best way to clean off the old sealant on my painted aluminum transom. It appears to be some type of white silicon or the marine adhesive.

Also what is the best sealant for re-sealing the screws on the transom.

Thanks!!

[ceb]

It may come off better if you heat it up with a blow dryer.

[Hoosier Crappie]

My thoughts on re-sealing the transom screws are to loosen them (one at a time) to where you can seal inside and out then tighten, rather than sealing only on the outside of them. Seems to me you'd get a better seal to keep water from leaching through your transom.

[stumpbumpers]

They make a marine sealant that comes in a tube. it is white. Available at your local Wally World. I always epoxy my trans on with fast drying epoxy then drill and screw. It gives me the opportunity to properly align the holes. This is not necessary if you just mark the holes. Use the marine sealant on the threads of the scews. It will seal the holes in the transome. If you are moving the trans to a different location and want to patch the old holes the sealant will work there also. I've seal a lot of holes with this stuff it is very durable won't shrink and last a long time. If you aren't comfortable just sealing the old holes, take a couple of screws and apply the sealant to them and insert them in the holes. They will be easy to remove later if needed. Removing sealant shouldn't be any more than simply peeling or gently scraping it off. I don't know the type of sealant that was used, so other than that I'm of no help.

[painterfish]

good question like ceb said heat is always good theres a lot of goo removers out there paint thinner would be my first try

[jawmaw]

Thanks everybody!!

[paw paw perch]

try a artgum eraser on the white sealant if it is silicone

[Matt Smith]

The stuff is called 3M 5200 sealant. It is recommended for above and below water applications. Usually you can scrape dried sealant off with a razor. For cleanup of uncured sealant, I use rubbing alcohol.

[Paul D.]

Matt is correct. Get the bulk of the sealant off by mechanical methods, scraping, picking, shaving. 3M makes a product called 3M All Purpose Remover that works excelent for this. Put some on a good rag and let it soak into the sealant residue. Rub hard with a dampened rag and it will all come off. If you are careful, a razor scraper makes quick work of it till just film remains, the use the All Purpose Remover. Works great on "wet" sealant too.
For resealing try 3M 5200 (7 day cure) as Matt sugested, better yet, 3m 5200 fast cure (24 hrs) or best 3M 4200 which is removable.

[Matt Smith]

4200 is NOT rated for underwater use.