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Old 10-30-2010, 08:27 AM   #1
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A Great Option to have your Airstream Polished at a Bargain Rate

Another option for those who are still working full time and don't have the time to polish their Airstreams. This option? Truck Polishers! I'm sure you've seen the shiny fuel and milk aluminum trailers pulled by the big 18-Wheelers. Somebody is polishing them and it isn't the drivers. These businesses have been around for years but I haven't seen them mentioned here on the forums, at least not that I remember.

I recently took my Sovereign to one of these truck polishing shops and they polished my entire 31' Sovereign for $1500!!! They used red and white rouge sticks to achieve a mirror shine. My Sovereign still needs the final stage of polishing with a Cyclo and Nuvite-S to remove the polishing marks, but the cost is worth it because the first two cuts take the longest and they are the messiest.
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Old 10-30-2010, 08:50 AM   #2
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Mello Mike... That is an excellent tip. And that price - WoW!

Now to spend the next few hours trying to find a place on or close to Long island..
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Old 10-30-2010, 08:53 AM   #3
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SUPER idea.......why didn't I think of that! We have many shiny milk haulers in our area, some company has to shine them.
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Old 10-30-2010, 09:31 AM   #4
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Mike,

Were you happy with the details around the lights and fittings? How about getting the black out of the small joints around the windows, belt trim, and door?

Zep
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Old 10-30-2010, 09:53 AM   #5
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Your trailer sure looks great Mike. Great suggestion.
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Old 10-30-2010, 10:05 AM   #6
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A lot of truck polishers use a heavy acid which is ok on non riveted tank trailers - so you need to be careful and make sure they are just using the rouge..

Looks like the guys you took it to did a very nice job

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Old 10-30-2010, 12:26 PM   #7
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Mike,

Were you happy with the details around the lights and fittings? How about getting the black out of the small joints around the windows, belt trim, and door?

Zep
Good question, Roger. The work around most of the lights is pretty good but some still need a little touch up. I'm willing to do the touch ups since I still saved a lot of time and money on the job. Yes, some of the oxidation dust needed to be cleaned off, but again, not a big deal.

For my Overlander, I'm going to do some prep work to tape off windows and some fittings. This will speed up the cleaning after the polishing is done.
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Old 10-30-2010, 12:33 PM   #8
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I should have tried that. You really have a nice job there..
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Old 10-30-2010, 01:01 PM   #9
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Art Gonzalez Polishing Corning, CA

$120 per foot..actual body length
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Old 11-02-2010, 07:12 AM   #10
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My Dad owned a trucking company for over 50 years. I was involved for almost 30 years. The tankers that we hauled milk in were stainless steel and had a mirror finish and never needed anything but a good washing with a soft brush. Stainless doesn't oxidize. or need polishing, turn white, or corrode as aluminum does. There is a difference in the finish of the AS trailers.
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Old 11-02-2010, 08:02 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mello mike View Post
Another option for those who are still working full time and don't have the time to polish their Airstreams. This option? Truck Polishers! I'm sure you've seen the shiny fuel and milk aluminum trailers pulled by the big 18-Wheelers. Somebody is polishing them and it isn't the drivers. These businesses have been around for years but I haven't seen them mentioned here on the forums, at least not that I remember.

I recently took my Sovereign to one of these truck polishing shops and they polished my entire 31' Sovereign for $1500!!! They used red and white rouge sticks to achieve a mirror shine. My Sovereign still needs the final stage of polishing with a Cyclo and Nuvite-S to remove the polishing marks, but the cost is worth it because the first two cuts take the longest and they are the messiest.
Hey Mike, It looks great!! Did you take it to one of the shops we discussed down in Eloy? Nicely done!
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Old 11-02-2010, 10:10 AM   #12
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It's a great idea Mike, and if done carefully could probably do 90% of the hard work for us. I can't find any places like that around here in Chicago, but there must be something in the midwest, I'd think.
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Old 11-02-2010, 10:32 AM   #13
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Interesting idea --- had to google it to see if one was nearby. Found this mobile service for much of the US: Metals Polishing - ALUMINUM, STAINLESS, CHROME POLISHING HEAVY EQUIPMENT PAINTING

Laura
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Old 11-02-2010, 12:40 PM   #14
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Hey Mike, It looks great!! Did you take it to one of the shops we discussed down in Eloy? Nicely done!
Hi Louis. Yes, I took it to M&M Truck Polishing in Eloy. There's like three truck polishing businesses there in Eloy. They were all willing to polish the Airstream, but M&M offered the lowest estimate, and they stuck to it.
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Old 11-08-2010, 12:58 AM   #15
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How long did you have to leave it with them for the polish job?

Would removing running lights and tail lights and masking window frames help?
Can they do the third step also? Headed to Tucson.
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Old 11-08-2010, 03:35 AM   #16
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How long did you have to leave it with them for the polish job?

Would removing running lights and tail lights and masking window frames help?
Can they do the third step also? Headed to Tucson.
I dropped it off on a Saturday and picked it up Thursday. Not long at all. Yes, I would recommend taping off windows, running lights, and taillights. Anything you don't want to get dirty.
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Old 11-10-2010, 08:49 PM   #17
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Did you get on top yet to see if they did a good job up there? Around all the vents and opening and hardware on top?
Just curious
This is good information for us old coots that don't like to climb on top
Thanks
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Old 11-11-2010, 06:43 AM   #18
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Did you get on top yet to see if they did a good job up there? Around all the vents and opening and hardware on top?
Just curious
This is good information for us old coots that don't like to climb on top
Thanks
I did. They polished the entire roof and even got all of the banana wraps.
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Old 11-11-2010, 08:16 AM   #19
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Mello Mike... That is an excellent tip. And that price - WoW!

Now to spend the next few hours trying to find a place on or close to Long island..
If you find one on Long Island, please shout it out. I'm on Shelter Island and although I'm not ready for polishing yet, I will get there someday.
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Old 11-11-2010, 11:27 AM   #20
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Mello Mike!! After your trailer was polished , what did you do to prevent it from oxidizing.
Can you do something to prevent this!!! Especially in my area with severe weather changes?
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