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

[Angel73]

what are you using to polish it with after u strip off the clear coat?

Originally Posted by Ferroequine

Well, since it is finally somewhat nice outside , I thought I'd try out a test section of stripping the trailer. Over the next few weeks & months, I'll be stripping and then polishing our 1975 Safari. I'll keep updating this thread also.

It is a continuation of this thread, where I struggled with what to do with the exterior. Many thanks to all those people who helped on that thread.

I bought 4 gallons of Napier Removeall 220. It is fairly thick (like paint), and you brush it on. We left it sitting on the door for about 1 1/2 hours, and then we just hosed the paint off with the garden spray nozzle. The nice thing is that it doesn't appear to hurt the grass, since there is no solvent involved, and there was no smell. The water deactivates the catalyst (which I believe is Peroxide based), and all the stripped clearcoat ends up dripping onto the ground with the water.

Another nice surprise was that we 'painted' the Removeall 220 right over the pinstriping, and it didn't affect it at all!

[53flyingcloud]

Ferroequine,
All I can say is..."Fantastic~"
I also had problems with the letters, smaller area, etc. Some of those were solved by hand. The results "blend" in with the overall results quite nicely.
Again, it's an awesome looking rig you have now~!!
ciao
53FC

[PeasCarrots]

I was really impressed with the pics of the stripping results but what about old fashioned polishing& buffing. My finish is in tact but I might enjyoy a more shiny finish. Peas&Carrots in Atlanta. 34ft. Excello of 88vintage.

[CharlieE]

After reading all these threads about polishing I decided to take the plunge. Over the last month I purchased all the tools and supplies including Hydrostrip 502 sold by ICI paints here in Portland Maine. It's made by Napier the makers of Removeall 220 and is supposed to be the same product produced for ICI. I started stripping today. The PO took this trailer to Port-O-Call in Florida every winter so the clear coat was burned above the windows. He had it painted "professionally" (with Wal Mart grey paint) in Melborne. Now the grey is flaking off because the flaking clearcoat was not removed first. Now I have to correct the problem. I discovered when washing the stripper off with a garden hose that the 6" wide beltline decal started disintegrating by peeling and flaking. Guess we will no longer have a beltline decal on this trailer. It was going to be a problem brushing stripper close to the decal but not on it. Also would have been a nightmare polishing without touching it. Reason, 1990's have only one aluminum trim strip with blue vinyl insert on top of decal. Anyone know how to remove balance of decal that garden hose didn't lift? By this weekend I hope to try out the polishing tips I've learned here and on Perfect Polish website. Hope my project ends up at least half as good as I have seen here. Charlie Eglise

[uwe]

Originally Posted by PeasCarrots

I was really impressed with the pics of the stripping results but what about old fashioned polishing& buffing. My finish is in tact but I might enjyoy a more shiny finish. Peas&Carrots in Atlanta. 34ft. Excello of 88vintage.

You can wash and wax your trailer much like you would a car. Use Walbernize as a wax on your clear coated Airstream.

[Ferroequine]

Hi Charlie, and welcome!

Weird thing about the belt-line decal. Our trailer has a pinstriping decal on it in two lines, and the Remove-All didn't touch it at all.

If you're wanting to remove the rest of the decal, maybe try brushing some more stripper to the sides of it to get it to creep underneath. I found when we stripped our trailer that a pressure washer was a great help also, it peeled things off way faster than just using a hose.

A polished up 34 footer will look very impressive -- good luck with your polishing, and post some pictures if you can!

Cheers!

[53flyingcloud]

Originally Posted by CharlieE

After reading all these threads about polishing I decided to take the plunge. Over the last month I purchased all the tools and supplies including Hydrostrip 502 sold by ICI paints here in Portland Maine. It's made by Napier the makers of Removeall 220 and is supposed to be the same product produced for ICI. I started stripping today. The PO took this trailer to Port-O-Call in Florida every winter so the clear coat was burned above the windows. He had it painted "professionally" (with Wal Mart grey paint) in Melborne. Now the grey is flaking off because the flaking clearcoat was not removed first. Now I have to correct the problem. I discovered when washing the stripper off with a garden hose that the 6" wide beltline decal started disintegrating by peeling and flaking. Guess we will no longer have a beltline decal on this trailer. It was going to be a problem brushing stripper close to the decal but not on it. Also would have been a nightmare polishing without touching it. Reason, 1990's have only one aluminum trim strip with blue vinyl insert on top of decal. Anyone know how to remove balance of decal that garden hose didn't lift? By this weekend I hope to try out the polishing tips I've learned here and on Perfect Polish website. Hope my project ends up at least half as good as I have seen here. Charlie Eglise

Greeting Charlie,
I see several things are going on with your project..
The beltline decal is, for all intent and purpose, no longer available. Unless you find a dealer source, the last time I checked with the factory, It just wasn't enough to be had for a decent looking job. U might try Aircraft stripper for the remaing decal. The blue vinyl insert is something that should be replaced once the job is done. Last I bought was abit over 1.50$ a running foot.
You know how to get intouch if you have any question or need help..
ciao
Vern

[Poprivet]

ok my 1990 classic is a peeling the clearcoatbut I don't want to polish it, I want to restore the finish to original. Seems that I could strip the old clearcoat, use a good metal cleaner, and the reapply a fresh clearcoat.

I know this can't be as simple as all that and I have no idea how to neutalize the surface prior to applying the clear coat or even what clearcoat product would work best

Looking for pointers

[Becky B.]

Say it ain't so about the beltline decal! We're polishing our 1976 Excella & the decal is peeling off in some places. I thought it was easy to find a replacement decal. Doesn't someone know a place with the 6 inch blue decal? I don't think I can take anymore bad things happening in this whole process! I already cut my awning while polishing the top rail & my son cracked the airconditioner cover while putting it back on after I repainted it.

Becky

[CharlieE]

Becky
More of my beltline has flown off as the garden hose stream just passed over it while washing off the stripper. We had a 79 polished at P&S in 1992 and they painted a new blue belt line and then added a single silver stripe about an inch from the top of the blue and a double silver stripe about an inch above the bottom of the stripe. The silver stripe was a decal they got somewhere. On a 1976 you have two belt line aluminum mouldings so when you paint you have a straight edge to mask on. My 1990 only has a moulding on top, tough to maintain a straight line applying masking tape. My stripping is going well except on the roof getting that Wal Mart paint off. I noticed that the PO's "Professional" painter used sandpaper to scuff off clear coat in some places under the grey paint. That left scratches. So even though I'm only started stripping I had to try the compounding polisher along with Nuvite G6 and the scratches come right out is two passes.
CharlieE

[CharlieE]

I started this project about two weeks ago. After many rainy days and others stripping. I have removed all the grey paint. I believe it was mobile home "Cool Seal" roof coating. It was put on with a brush or roller in the hot sun because there were many drips that were dried under the finish coat. Had to make up to three applications of stripper to get it all off. I have compounded the front stretch formed curved panels above windows and down the road side above windows. The scratches all pretty much came out on road side. The front panels were a little hard to shine up. I read where the stretch form sections need extra passes to bring up a shine. I haven't polished with the cyclo yet to remove swirl marks. Had to cease work for now. Going traveling to Connecticut and then the Scussett Beach rally in Cape Cod before starting again. It is addictive work, watching the transformation take place as the corrosion dissapears along with the scratches. The PO must have used a chisel to remove a WBCCI decal on front. I may have to use sandpaper to remove some of that. My dark smoked grey plexiglass front window rock guards have a dull film look to them. Washing has not helped. Has anyone tried using the Cylco with S grade polish to buff to a shinny finish?

[housebg]

Hello to all
I have started polishing my 83 Exella and have about a million questions.
1. Will this ever end ?HA
2 Do you take off the clearance lights and how do you polish them?
3 Do you remove the awning brackets?
4 I have notice that the very front of my RV has bad rock pits, I saw one with the sprayon bed -liner for trucks on the very front acting like a rock guard?
5 About the trim at the bottom where the sides and bellypan meet, do you remove and replace?(mine is lose now)
6 About the blue stripe in the middle what have everyone been doing?
7 The PO has put calking everywhere1/2 in wide?
8 And I can tell anyone that sillycone comes off very easy and the other is stuck, I know what I will put back
9 The airstream letters across the front do you remove and if so how?

all help and opinions will be helpful Billy

[uwe]

Originally Posted by housebg

Hello to all
I have started polishing my 83 Exella and have about a million questions.
1. Will this ever end ?HA

You poor sap - couldn't leave well enoug alone now, could you!

Originally Posted by housebg

2 Do you take off the clearance lights and how do you polish them?

Take them off, take everything off that you can. It makes the polish job that much easier and better. You will appreciate every little windfall.

Originally Posted by housebg

3 Do you remove the awning brackets?

Again, if you want a good job, and not smear polish all over your awning hardware, then do take it off completely.

Originally Posted by housebg

4 I have notice that the very front of my RV has bad rock pits, I saw one with the sprayon bed -liner for trucks on the very front acting like a rock guard?

Yuk.

Originally Posted by housebg

5 About the trim at the bottom where the sides and bellypan meet, do you remove and replace?(mine is lose now)

You can mask it and polish right up to it. Use the blue masking tape. It comes off easier after a few weeks.

Originally Posted by housebg

6 About the blue stripe in the middle what have everyone been doing?

Can't help you there. I would take it off and either re-paint it, or take it off and polish the aluminum underneath.

Originally Posted by housebg

7 The PO has put calking everywhere1/2 in wide?

Needs to cleaned up. This will take alot of time and gentle effort.

Originally Posted by housebg

8 And I can tell anyone that sillycone comes off very easy and the other is stuck, I know what I will put back

???

Originally Posted by housebg

9 The airstream letters across the front do you remove and if so how?

Hard to remove, as they are fastened from the inside. Tape them off carefully, and polish around them by hand

Originally Posted by housebg

all help and opinions will be helpful Billy

Good Luck!

[NorCal Bambi]

Uwe, How do you split up a quote so you can comment to individual parts. I think thats really cool. Would you share the secret?
Don

[GreatPumpkin]

Originally Posted by NorCal Bambi

Uwe, How do you split up a quote so you can comment to individual parts. I think thats really cool. Would you share the secret?
Don

There may be an easier way, but when you hit the quote button to reply you can then type your 1st) reply 2nd) copy and paste the quoted part deleting the words other than the pertinent part.

Originally Posted by NorCal Bambi

I think thats really cool.
Don

3rd) type the rest of your reply

Originally Posted by NorCal Bambi

Would you share the secret?
Don

4th) repeat the process

The brackets at the beginning and end of the quoted comments are important

[uwe]

Originally Posted by NorCal Bambi

Uwe, How do you split up a quote so you can comment to individual parts. I think thats really cool. Would you share the secret?
Don

Here is what I do, since you directed the question at me...

I use my mac's copy feature on the upper quote, the one the is very first when you choose "reply".
Then, I separate the questions, insert spaces, and use the copy feature to start these new paragraphs.
Next, I copy the [/QUOTE] at the end of the original quote and paste it to the end of each paragraph.
Now, there's several paragraphs, each with the beginning quote and ending quote, and space between.
My ansers are now written right into the spaces between the completed quote sections. That's how I do it. There might be a much easier way, but that would probably require advanced computer knowledge, which I do not possess. That's what I got a mac for....

[InsideOut]

It's basic HTML code if you want to type it in.

I usually hit the quote button then separate out the sections typing in the HTML. At the beginning of the quoted section type {quote=name} and at the end of the quote type {/quote} replacing the {}with [] brackets. Type your response then{quote=name} and {/quote}

Shari

[uwe]

I received this after an inquiry into the air powered drum polishing system. I am still poking around to find out the exact procedures etc. I even have calls in with American Airlines maintenance ( friends) to see how they do it.
I will post more information as it becomes available.

[3Ms75Argosy]

I was wondering on the cost of the spec machine....(just the cleaner alone is $225?). I'm not sure it's for me (although I like the idea alot!).

I too was wondering about planes... I've got Boeing in my back yard, you'd think we'd all have shiney Airstreams in the NW, huh? I do know that a neighbor of my inlaws gave me a bottle of Met All to try ("it's what we use on the 747's..."). I wasn't too impressed. My 3M and Heavy Metal worked better. I hope in about 2 weeks I'll have some time to try out another round of 3M with Heavy Metal fine using a palm sander for kicks. (Between Bday parties for the kids and transporting them for camp, my time is shot this next week).
Take care!
Marc

[uwe]

Marc,
I believe their pad cleaner is for regular buffing pads as those used during compounding. I agree, $ 225.00 for a pad cleaner is a lot. But at the end, all those things combined make for a very good and lasting polish job. I found out the hard way that if you're not surgically clean, the results are marginal, as compared to changing pads often, and keeping both the surface and the pads/polish as clean as possible.