Sorry did not realise someone had answered thank you very much.Polisghing is going goodhope to put pictures on in a few days.First pas is bad never polish and bad clear coat.Billy
We have a 1977 Argosy that was once light grey - now dull and chalky.
Any ideals how to restore the finish ?
Hi Jim, and welcome!
I would say you should strip & polish it , but I'm not sure if Argosys are good candidates for that. Does anyone know if they are made out of the same aluminum that Airstreams are? I guess stripping and repainting by a bodyshop is another alternative.
__________________
1975 Safari 23'
2004 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer 4x4
The "Removall" stuff is great- the only way to go in my opinion. I used it a couple of years ago to strip our Safari after exhaustively researching all other types of paint strippers. Napier actually sent me a couple of gallons of the brush-on stuff for free, as it wasn't even on the market yet (wasn't named yet, either). They just asked me to describe my experience and take some pictures. All of the other types of paint strippers (with the exception of the citrus-based ones that don't seem to work all that well for large projects) were really very scary. I called all of the info lines, and every one of them said things like "oh, you can't just let the product fall on the ground", or mentioning that contact with bare skin was known to cause "nervous system damage". I didn't want to turn my yard into a Superfund site. Napier said that you don't have to wear gloves, and it won't even hurt your grass. It worked better than any other product of its type I have ever used. And no, I don't work for them...
Is there anywhere in the Mid Atlantic region to have the stip and polish professionally done? I don't have the time nor the expertise. I would appreciate any guidance you could give me.
The "Removall" stuff is great- the only way to go in my opinion. I used it a couple of years ago to strip our Safari after exhaustively researching all other types of paint strippers.
I totally agree, after reading through several of the threads on this forum, I saw the suggestions for it, as well as on the perfect polish site, so thought I'd give it a try. I just picked up my tradewind a few weeks ago and was curious about what it looked like under the clear coat, as it was a bit cloudy & dirty when I got it. I ordered some from vintage trailer supply & tried it out. I painted it on fairly thick & let it set for a few hours (per the directions) and the was able to just wash it off with the hose, I couldn't believe how easy it was, and was happy to see some shine coming through after I took it off..Only problem was I only ordered one gallon so need more, should get here this week to finish it off. A couple of quick before & afters on the sections I worked on attached.
Hello Everyone
Polishing going good but put on hold ,my wife had surgery and then emergency surgery..All right now or at least getting better. I have ran into something polishing ,I seem to be hitting spots of clear coat, the stripper will not remove them .If I buff over clear coat will it sett it on the aluminum can buff the spots off with F9. What do I do ? Billy
I have a question
Yesterday I was taking off the old WBCCI numbers and all the silicone that someone else put on there. I took off my Airstream placard above the rear window and found a lot of corrosion under it.
My question is, when I put this back on do I seal it around the edges or do I leave it open so the water can run behind it and off the trailer ?
Should I coat the affected area with something before I put the placard back on ?
I did some cleaning a found quite a lot of corrosion today. I eventually want to polish my trailer. For now I just want to get this cleaned up.
So far I have gotten the silicone off in the area. That was a bear. Never ever put silicone on the outside of your Airstream ! It is a PITA to get off the aluminum.
I had to use emory cloth to get the rough spots knocked down. It did polish up decent enough. I don't think that it will ever be totally gone unless I replace the panel in the center.
Here is a pic of what I have done so far. You can see near the top there is a line of pitting and the lower section is where the Airstream placard would go. I did finally find a source for the persistent leak that I have had back there too.
I am sort of in the same mode, and I wonder if I should seal the beltline area where there were leaks, before I strip the skin with Removeall.
Will the Removeall loosen the Vulkem or should I wait. I don't want the hosing and all to be leaking in where I should have sealed.
(later);
I guess aftre re-reading above posts, I should use blue masking tape to cover the sealant after I apply when I strip the panels....
__________________
Rallys twice a year..Lots of fun, food, and aluminum.
I saw this stuff on EBAY, Purple Polish and Aluminum Oxidizer combo. Being the skeptic that I am, but also knowing sooner or later someone here would buy and try it. I did.
Well I used it on the worst areas of my trailer. The front and back domes where the clearcoat has totally burned off and the remaining aluminum was totally gray, dull, splotchy. The rest of the trailer after Removall strippping is actually pretty shiny.
The results after ten minutes, with a couple of old towels, not too much sweat, and no electric polisher used, are below. Pretty darn good I would say, and enough to motivate me to keep shining on!
__________________
Rallys twice a year..Lots of fun, food, and aluminum.
Quick Links
1977 Argosy 24' Chalky finish
, but I'm not sure if Argosys are good candidates for that. Does anyone know if they are made out of the same aluminum that Airstreams are? I guess stripping and repainting by a bodyshop is another alternative.
Linear Mode
