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For years I have used Grumman aluminum step vans in another business. They have great truck bodies that are virtually indestructible and never rust. The only problem with them is no matter how clean you keep them they never stay shiny and looking new for long. That’s why when I built my Factory 5 Roadster I knew I would need to do something to the aluminum panels to keep them looking good. Well, back then I didn’t know about Sharkhide Metal Protectant, and I chose to have them powder-coated. The panels look great, and I have no regrets.
Recently one of my customers told me about Sharkhide and how great it was. I looked into it, and what I found is a great option for protecting the aluminum panels. I am not making any claim that Sharkhide is better then powder-coating or anodizing. I think it is a different and good option.
Sharkhide is not an oil or a wax. It is not as hard as powder-coating or anodizing, but it is a clear, tough, flexible coating that protects metals like aluminum from the damaging effects of water, acid rain, road spray, salt, and alkaline. Sharkhide is also UV stable and ozone resistant.
The biggest advantage of Sharkhide is application. Unlike powder-coating or anodizing, you do not have to drill and fit all your panels and then take them back apart to have the finish applied. With Sharkhide you can drill, fit, and finish the panels in place. Sharkhide dries in seconds, and wiping it on with a soft, lint-free cotton cloth is probably the best way to apply it. It can also be applied by other methods like spray, dip, and brush. In my opinion one coat looks and works the best when you are not in a marine environment.
Sharkhide is often used on aluminum boats and lasts a year or two in very wet and sunny environments. In the shaded mostly dry environment of your car it should last almost forever. One of the great things about Sharkhide is that if you ever need to reapply or touch it up there is no need to strip or prep the original coat. You simply wipe a fresh coat over the old one, and the new coat will partially melt and blend right into the first!
Sharkhide film dried on water:
Sharkhide on half of a FFR panel:
Sharkhide can:
Here is the manufacturer’s Product Description:
SHARKHIDE Metal Protectant was originally formulated forty plus years ago by a group of chemical engineers, whose mission was to create a product that would protect aluminum structural and decorative trim pieces (in the building industry) from the damaging effects of masonry mortar as well as the elements. SHARKHIDE was an instant success! But with the advent of new building styles and materials, the SHARKHIDE formula was no longer needed, and set on a back shelf. And that’s where it remained until the mid eighties.
Since then, we here at Flatwater inc. have introduced the remarkable features of this product into such industries as Marine, Automotive, Cycle, Aircraft, Trucking, RV, Architectural, Building Maintenance and many others. Actually the working principals behind SHARKHIDE are very simple. The materials that make up SHARKHIDE Metal Protectant are a proprietary blend of many types of resins. These resins are then suspended in a blend of two different solvents. When applied to a surface, the solvents rapidly evaporate leaving the actual SHARKHIDE Metal Protectant behind. This forms an air tight film over any metal surface, and will protect against just about anything Mother Nature can throw at it.
In the marine industry, SHARKHIDE is used primarily on aluminum hulls such as Pontoon boats, House Boats, and Fishing boats. In most instances, a couple of good coats can last many years. It's not uncommon to see three to five years of protection. On applications like motorcycles, muscle cars, show cars and other things that don't see a lot of exposure to the elements, you may see as many as eight or more years. In severe duty applications such as fire/rescue equipment, over the road trucks, dumps, tanks and the like, you can still enjoy one to three (or more) years of protection. And one of the many great features of SHARKHIDE is when it is time to reapply, there's no need to strip or prep the original coat. Since SHARKHIDE's "self etching", you simply wipe a fresh coat over the old one, and the new coat will partially melt, and blend right into the first!
FFMetal.com |
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