Stripped clearcoat....I think

[adwriter73]

After reading several posts on "stripping & polishing an Airstream" I decided to give it a try. But so far I haven't gotten the expected results. When I stripped the clearcoat, the aluminum was shiney, not dull and splotchy like a lot of people have reported. Did I not actually take the clearcoat off?

I brushed on Klean Strip Aircraft Paint Stripper. It bubbled up and I just hosed it off.

Also...two other questions...

1. Does this stripper affect the seams of the aluminum?

2. If there are small areas where clearcoat is still adhering to the aluminum, can those areas be removed during the buffing/polishing phase, or do I need to slap on another coat of stripper?

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by adwriter73

After reading several posts on "stripping & polishing an Airstream" I decided to give it a try. But so far I haven't gotten the expected results. When I stripped the clearcoat, the aluminum was shiney, not dull and splotchy like a lot of people have reported. Did I not actually take the clearcoat off?

I brushed on Klean Strip Aircraft Paint Stripper. It bubbled up and I just hosed it off.

Also...two other questions...

1. Does this stripper affect the seams of the aluminum?

2. If there are small areas where clearcoat is still adhering to the aluminum, can those areas be removed during the buffing/polishing phase, or do I need to slap on another coat of stripper?

Sometimes 2 or 3 applications of the stripper are necessary, in some spots.

The stripper could have a effect on the seams.

After polishing, you should reseal all the seams, just to make sure the shell is water tight.

Andy

[zinbar]

Greetings AdWriter 73,
You should never need to apply 3 coats of stripper to your coach. So far it looks as if you have done things right. You can always tell if clear coat is still on the coach, when you try to polish it, the clear coated spot want polish out. In that case, you can dab a little stripper in that spot or others if needed, not the whole coach. As for the seams, you can go over them slightly and I mean slightly easy with a wire brush just enough to clean any residue stripper left behind after the rinse. You only need to apply sealer if the edges are lifted. As for the shine you got after stripping that is because the clear coat was intact by your trailer being a 1978, you probably had quite a bit left on it. Hope everything works out or you.