Metal Polish on a boat: Using Flitz on our Dodger (& a pomegranate martini recipe)

Rust eating the dodger, and removing it with metal polish

As a kid, I used to wander in my grandfather's tool shed in rural Connecticut, and marvel at the aged, rust brown patina on all of his wrenches, hammers, files and pliers. I thought it was all cool and wise and old, like my grampa,  until I saw a neighbor's rear bumper fall off in the gravel driveway from rust corrosion. That's when I realized rust eats stuff. :(

Now, I live in the desert north of Los Angeles, where corrosion isn't so common, but an hour west, at the Pacific, where we keep our sail boat, I've waged a war on rust. After we put a new dodger and bimini on our boat (more on that in a later post), it took about 3 weeks for tiny rust spots to bloom on the 1.25" stainless tubing. We had rust on the old dodger tubing, but watching it propagate on brand new, shiny parts caused a shudder and a wince.  I ordered a tube of Flitz metal polish, poste haste.

before and after using Flitz on the bimini

I hadn't used Flitz before, but the application was pretty straight forward. Put a dab (a little goes a long way) on a terry towel, apply to affected area, and buff it off. The rust was completely removed, and the paste leaves a wax finish to help slow the growth of new rust. I've "de-rusted" the steel tubing around the cockpit twice in 18 months, and I'm pretty happy with the product. You can also use it on fiberglass, oxidized acrylic, corian and formica (but *not* on metal plated surfaces).  So, in the interest of a good "find", I'm sharing it here. What's your go-to rust remover?

No more rust

Shiny & Cozy; an afternoon in the cockpit on s/v Florian

The happy Captain, taking the dinghy to meet some friends

Fresh Pomegranate Martini

It's pomegranate season, and I'm a new convert to loving the ruby orbs of goodness. Here's a cocktail recipe that rides the line between sweet and sour. You can adjust ratios in one direction or the other with the lime juice (more sour) and triple sec (sweeter).

This makes two drinks:

(Put your martini glasses in the freezer)

3 shots of your favorite vodka

1.5 shots of fresh pomegranate juice

1 shot of fresh squeezed lime juice

1 shot of triple sec

Ice

Remove the seeds of one medium pomegranate. (If you don't have access to the fresh stuff, bottled is good too, but it's a very different flavor.) Suspend a sieve over a measuring cup, and use a muddler to press the juice from the seeds. In a cocktail shaker, add some ice, and pour the vodka, pomegranate, lime juice and triple sec over the ice. Cap & shake heartily. Pour equal parts into your frosted martini glasses, garnish with a sliver of lime and enjoy!