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Ed Starman · 04-16-2005, 11:50 AM

Just wondering if anyone has made the investment into an airmark tool. This compounding/cyclo method is killing me. I have paid close attention to everone on here.. Im using Nuvite compounding with wool pads and cyclo with sweatshirt material...the airline companies polish there planes with the drum polishers. The smaller on is about double the cost of a new cyclo and they say no swirl marks. Could you imagine a commercial airline company with a bunch of guys with drills and cyclos... Would take forever.. anyways my body has about had it but now that ive started there is no turning back. I have a few pics of the progress...

Ed Starman · 04-16-2005, 11:51 AM

Also in those pics I see the oxidation went from the trailer to my face lol

Ed Starman · 04-16-2005, 11:53 AM

I broke down and bought the aluminum propane tanks. Looking forward to polishing those.. will look awesome..

3Ms75Argosy · 04-16-2005, 12:28 PM

I think it's a great idea, but the cost! .... I've tried to figure out a way to adapt my weedwacker with a drum and homemade bonnet, but no luck yet.
Marc

Ken J · 04-16-2005, 12:31 PM

Lookin great! Airmark is great stuff, but it takes a little more to use it - its high speed so its easier to burn the aluminum - I think the reason the compounder/cylo is so popular is because us hobby types can use it and get great results+ its a lot less expensive than Airmark.

53flyingcloud · 04-16-2005, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3Ms75Argosy

I think it's a great idea, but the cost! .... I've tried to figure out a way to adapt my weedwacker with a drum and homemade bonnet, but no luck yet.
Marc

I lov it~!!
Best "original" idea I've heard in months~

ciao
53FC

53flyingcloud · 04-17-2005, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed Starman

Also in those pics I see the oxidation went from the trailer to my face lol

Ed Starman,
You're having 'way too much fun'~!...lol
Seriously tho, do yourself a favor..go buy some latex gloves for your hands...Your wife will love you for it later~lmao
I can't help you with your face...I had the same problem with the stuff being thrown all over mine as well...You might think about wearing a mask for lung protection..

Or...maybe it could be you're using way too much compound..you reckon?
Remember, just four dabs of the stuff (about half the size of an M&M for each)
should spread nicely and, not all over you...lol
Looking great so far..
ciao
53FC

Tarheel · 04-17-2005, 12:43 AM

It looks great and one day soon you will look back and smile at your accomplishment. Then it will be time to touch it up again. There is a price to be paid for having a pretty shine on your trailer, some of us think its worth it.

58BUBBLE · 04-17-2005, 01:23 AM

Keep posting picturese of the progress please, I'll be doing mine soon.

AirHeadRik · 04-17-2005, 08:49 AM

I looked at thier site and they sell stuff like "Green Ox", "Supershine Dash 30", etc. Anyone used any of thus type of stuff with "our" type of polishers?

RichardT · 04-17-2005, 11:30 AM

This may be a stoopid question, but How did you keep your shirt so clean?

All kidding aside, it looks awsome.

ALANSD · 04-17-2005, 02:03 PM

yes it does look great. We had a polishing class at our Forums Rally this past weekend. Three guys and a brand new Cyclo using Nuvite. The Motorhoome had already been polished some years ago and still look great , but the small cloudy spots needed polishing out. they were done by Airmark originally and have held up over these years well. The cyclo'd spots really cam back to a great shine in no time. Starting from scratch though, we were advised to use a 3/4" slow spped drill and bonnet combo to cut down to where you can then cyclo the rest. Seems the trailer on the current edition of Airstream Life on the back cover...was done that way. Looks terrific.

Ed Starman · 04-21-2005, 06:56 AM

It does look good in the pictures.. BUT... it looks good from 5 feet away but up close.. not so good...my trailer seems to have alot of big scratches maybe from someone driving through some bushes I dont know. But I spent about 8 hours yesterday polishing and wasnt happy with the results... I will just keep on compounding until it looks good but..ive seen it written here many times... I can barely move and I have aches and pains in places I didnt even knew existed. Im still wondering how much time I would save if I bought an airmark drum polisher. If it would shave the labor time in half I think that would be totaly worth it. My unit is 27' and it seems to get longer when im compounding heheh... anyways im taking 2 days of working on the trailer....im nuts my interior isnt 100% refinished yet.. but close enough....to go camping..

bake315 · 04-21-2005, 01:32 PM

Just looking at their website... I figure their $695 model would probably be enough... but there are also other factors, like, a compressor beefy enough to push it, special bonnets, etc. If it's faster, neater and doesn't leave swirl marks, maybe it'd be worth a closer look. Frankly, I'm curious as to how hard it would be to try and make something from scratch that operates on the same basic principles. Might be a fun project to tackle.

robandzoe · 04-21-2005, 03:01 PM

Starman,

Can you tell me the method with the wool pads? I just ordered some Nuvite today. Are you using the different levels / grades of Nuvite?

Rob

Ed Starman · 04-21-2005, 04:18 PM

HI Rob... im definitly not the expert here... but im using the wool 7" discs on my 1/2" drill for compounding...In regards to the nuvite... i have alot of scratches so im starting with f-9.... then going to g-6 then to c... I figure I will cyclo with f-7 then s...Ive read people arent happy with the f-9 as it leaves deep swirls... I would think if your skin isnt so bad you can start with g-6 or c....im still thinking the investment in an airmark tool would be the hot ticket... I have a drywall texture machine my guys use that has a 40 cfm compressor on it... so I think I would have the air to run it.. just give them a few days off and take my machine to my house and have at it.. better yet have them polish it for me... its definitly not too much fun but I can tell the payoff is going to be worth it in the long run
good luck

TravelCloud · 04-22-2005, 12:09 PM

...and I'm not out to offend, just promote fact.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken J

Lookin great! Airmark is great stuff, but it takes a little more to use it - its high speed so its easier to burn the aluminum - I think the reason the compounder/cylo is so popular is because us hobby types can use it and get great results+ its a lot less expensive than Airmark.

Some of the advice here is cause for concern-

I consider myself blind. I consider myself dumb- I have to ask questions and come to intelligent solutions, and those I ask to as qualified personel as I can find.

I'm searching high and low for an easy way to polish mine- I called airmark and a place in Toronto called Spec. They both sell the same type equipment. Both said they generate no heat on the surface!

I don't know how a cyclo cost less than an airmark. I'm told my 22' trailer will take around 2-3 days and thats going over it twice with a drum polisher. I've seen these guys at the airport down the road put out 2 trailers- aside from planes- and both in less than a week each. They're using buffers and homemade polish from a blender after wet sanding.

You folks are telling everyone about this system that you use, how great it is, and how much less it costs. My 150-200 hours is worth more than the difference- you figure the supplies in at $400 and the cyclo with freight at around $275, and its the same. If I need to rent a compressor for 3 days at $60 a day for the job- its money well spent. Airmark says that the circle compounding alone removes so much aluminum with the nuvite stuff that its caused tremendous damage before you start- then you have to use their other products to remove their damage. His drum system causes no damage- according to him- but who knows? Maybe he's lying?

I'm leaning towards the wet sand, home made blender polish, and buffer job. I'm not ready to do it yet, but who knows what I'll discover when I get there.

My Grandma told me that sometimes people who make mistakes want others to follow them so they don't feel bad about being the only ones who made them- I'd certainly hope that people here have open eyes and minds and avoid the lemming trail that this nuvite and cyclo spell has cast on many- there are multiple- and from what I see- better ways- thats my opinion- and like I said- I'm blind- not trying to lead anyone- just find out info.

Ken J · 04-22-2005, 12:43 PM

Ok......

I've been following this polishing stuff for about 7 years - go back into the archives and do your research.

I stand by what I say - don't know how anyone could say that something rotating on a surface will not cause heat - ever hear of rubbing two sticks to make a fire?

I am reluctant to say much more - I'm very familer with Jim Weston (owner of Airmark) and his products - I'm also very aware of Nuvite (and Perfect polishing) and I'm very familer with Rollite - they are all fine products

Best of luck to you

Ken J.

Safari Tim · 04-22-2005, 01:17 PM

I would suggest to anyone who wants to polish a trailer to ask those who have actually done it. Also be wary of those offering advice who have never done it!

Polishing a trailer is a huge investment in time, labor, money, tools, but it's worth it in the end.

Some of the easier ways have proven not to last, or not as deep a polish as others.

If you want your trailer to shine like the one on the back of the Spring 2005 AS Life, why not ask Herb Spies how he did it. The answer may suprise you

TravelCloud · 04-23-2005, 03:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Safari Tim

I would suggest to anyone who wants to polish a trailer to ask those who have actually done it. Also be wary of those offering advice who have never done it!

Polishing a trailer is a huge investment in time, labor, money, tools, but it's worth it in the end.

Some of the easier ways have proven not to last, or not as deep a polish as others.

If you want your trailer to shine like the one on the back of the Spring 2005 AS Life, why not ask Herb Spies how he did it. The answer may suprise you

I get what you're saying Tim- however Herb Spies did it and put it on the back cover of a magazine doesn't tell me anything- it is a magazine, so what?- and no, I'm not buying it just to see a picture of 1 shiny trailer.

You say to ask someone who's done it- I AM asking- an aviation maintenance facility that is FAA approved- not Joes Backyard Polishing Company. And I saw and posted some pics of what they did in much less time than what your huge and forever thread says it takes- don't be offended- its just a fact that you and others selected a process that no one else has told me is the fastest and best way to go- I promise you this- I think its the last system I'd try. I see what the other way is, what the other tools do, and what makes sense. You did it in a way that took 150 to 200 hours- why won't you accept that there are people out there who do this professionally, do it faster, come out with great results in a fraction of the time- and allow the rest of us to explore and choose it instead of following your advice? Are you knocking me for wanting to know how an aircraft is polished by professionals? What insecurities is that bringing out in you? Are you afraid that the trailer world will find out that you chose a system that doesn't work as well as another, and have to cut it down and say "ask someone who's done it" to scare away any who want an alternative? I think admitting that you are in fear of someone saying that you may have wasted most of your free time last summer in choosing that system and spending way too much money on tools and products, would be a great start in getting past it. Denying that there are other viable options will not make you appear honest and it causes people to see you as closed minded and afraid.

Alcoa makes a lot of aluminum- very little of it appears to be polished using nuvite and cyclos. Brian at Airmark said "try and imagine that dinky slow machine and a guy under a 747 trying to shine the belly of that huge aircraft- by the time he got to the back, it would be time to start over again."
It seems it would take 30 people with cyclos a month to polish a 747, and granted- he is selling a tool that competes with it- but its accepted, its the standard in the aircraft industry - and why would you argue that we're not asking those who "have done it"? Just because you have, don't poison those of us who are still searching by cutting down others who have, and making these insane challenges. I personally think you made a mistake. Its my choice to follow that or attempt something else- and unfortunately for you- you do not have the only shiny aluminum object- or the biggest.

I doubt I'll buy one, but the Spec and Airmark are the way to go, IMO, and have a swirl free finish when completed. they do cost some money- but the reults and time savings are probably worth it, plus you could actually re-sell it after and just touch up yearly with a buffer and soft pads- then what the cost be? The Spec has the exhaust through the handle and more power- uses an Atlas Copco that is tops! They both stand by the lack of heat issue, and said to try it and feel it if I had doubts...

Please allow those of us with our own minds to use them, and don't be offended if we don't agree with you. Its quite natural- but try and think past it with an open mind. Possibly the next time you polish, you'll use another system that will be cheap enough that you can ebay your cyclo and use the money to pay for the entire jobs supplies and have it done in 3 days like these other folks are doing...

My apologies to any who feel that standing up for my opinion is offensive...