Strip 'n Polish Project Thread ( lots of great tips and links)

[balrgn]

Originally Posted by Ferroequine

The stripper is Peroxide based, and not a solvent. Boeing approves the product as well for all of their planes. Tom @ Perfect polish said to leave it for a couple of hours, although I have found an hour to be enough. Some guys with airplanes apparantly leave it on for up to 4 hours.

It didn't etch any of the side panels as far as I can tell.

That's good to hear. You have enough work ahead of ya!

[3Ms75Argosy]

I left my ICI Hydrostrip (same stuff as the Napier) overnight once when I ran out of time and had to run and get my children from school (trailer's 1.5 hrs from home). Aluminum was fine. Now, citri strip would be another story (it ate away the brush and container I was using when I experimented with it when I ran out of the Hydrostrip). I did find I had to apply another coat though if it dried on the metal to get it off. Depending on the heat, about 1 hours was enough for me (although the metal galvinized caps on the Argosy are still giving me fits).
Marc

[Ferroequine]

I finished the stripping this weekend, and started on the polish. I figured I would start from the top down. We rented some scaffolding, and ran some planks across so that we could access the top. It was also much easier to stand on the top of the scaffold and do the top curve.

[Ferroequine]

At this point, I've got the top done, the side done down to the middle blue strip, and the entire door. Compounded twice with F7, and then Cyclo'd with C and then S. I think we're getting somewhere!

[Buttercup]

Nice looking setup you have there. Thanks for posting the pictures. I'm taking notes from your experience for when we get to the polishing stage of our rennovation.

Kimber

[Safari Tim]

Great Job. You're to be comended for starting at the top down.

Most of us try and skip the top and hide it

But it backfired for me since I live in a two story house

You got a great start there. Better get the sunscreen out!

[balrgn]

Originally Posted by Ferroequine

At this point, I've got the top done, the side done down to the middle blue strip, and the entire door. Compounded twice with F7, and then Cyclo'd with C and then S. I think we're getting somewhere!

Very nice! Just finished ours for the seasons camping. Now you can shave outside!

[Ferroequine]

I've also found that using Nitrile gloves while polishing greatly diminishes how dirty your hands get. That, and you're not gettng any of the Nuvite on your skin -- since the label on the side of the jar warns against it. These are the same gloves that mechanics wear these days.

[LuminumTraila]

Ferroequine -- thanks for documenting your progress. Your Safari is only one year older, and one axle less than ours so it's great seeing what it looks like as you go. It's looking really nice! Can't wait 'til we get around to doing ours.

[Ferroequine]

I've still got spots left on the end caps after stripping with Removeall 220. I've tried compounding the heck out of them with F7, without much luck. Do I need to finish stripping them with a solvent such as Por15? What could they be?

BTW, on a side note, I discovered that the street front quarter panels have been replaced / apart at some point. There is a nice neat line of Olympic(?) rivets on all the seams, including the window. PO never mentioned this.

[Safari Tim]

Looks to me like filform corrosion. That is corrosion that starts when the original clearcoat starts failing. Oxygen gets in and the corrosion starts behind the clearcoat.

I had a lot of this on my trailer. The only way to get it off was repeated compounding with F7. It took between 10 - 12 passes over the same area very very slowly. Like one inch per second to get rid of it.

Check out these two posts from our polsihing thread.

http://www.airforums.com/forum...&postcount=171

http://www.airforums.com/forum...&postcount=173

[balrgn]

Originally Posted by Ferroequine

I've still got spots left on the end caps after stripping with Removeall 220. I've tried compounding the heck out of them with F7, without much luck. Do I need to finish stripping them with a solvent such as Por15? What could they be?

BTW, on a side note, I discovered that the street front quarter panels have been replaced / apart at some point. There is a nice neat line of Olympic(?) rivets on all the seams, including the window. PO never mentioned this.

I used Por 15 on mine the upper rear end cap has similar spots on mine. There is only so much you can compound out with out going to fine sanding. Sooooo I figure that is far as I go for this year. I want to see how this weathers before I go further.

On a side (funny not funny) note. Mine is so shiny it was savagely attacked by a bird or birds. Did quite a number scratching the heck out of the back below the tail lights..........

[Ferroequine]

Originally Posted by Safari Tim

Looks to me like filform corrosion. That is corrosion that starts when the original clearcoat starts failing. Oxygen gets in and the corrosion starts behind the clearcoat.

I had a lot of this on my trailer. The only way to get it off was repeated compounding with F7. It took between 10 - 12 passes over the same area very very slowly. Like one inch per second to get rid of it.

Thanks Safari Tim & Balrgn,

At least I'm not going crazy then.

When you say 10-12 passes, you mean applications right? I wonder if it would be worthwhile to get some heavier cutting Nuvite to attach this filform; or would that permanently scratch the aluminum?

[balrgn]

Originally Posted by Ferroequine

Thanks Safari Tim & Balrgn,

At least I'm not going crazy then.

When you say 10-12 passes, you mean applications right? I wonder if it would be worthwhile to get some heavier cutting Nuvite to attach this filform; or would that permanently scratch the aluminum?

I tried an area with some 3000 grit. (yup three thousand) Worked pretty good. Used soapy water to help with the process while hand sanding. It polished out with out a problem with F7, 2 passes. Next go around I'll try that on the back cap.