When to change grades of polish

[Boondocker]

I ordered a sampling of grades of nuvite to try out on the Trade Wind and played around some today. I guess this is obvious to everyone else, but not to me: when do you know when it is time to go from a heavier grit to a finer one? Will the heavy grit stop turning black when applied?

Also, I recall reading 400 rpm is the idea speed for the grinder, does anyone know which setting that is on the harbor freight grinder? Thanks

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Gen Disarray

Also, I recall reading 400 rpm is the idea speed for the grinder, does anyone know which setting that is on the harbor freight grinder? Thanks

The cheap single speed ones range from 1200-1700RPM.

[Fyrzowt]

I used a H/F grinder/polisher on mine, I guessed on the speed and kept it low about the II setting. I honestly don't know what the speed was but it seemed to work fine - fast enough to be effective without heating up the skin.

I also changed grades by the seat of my pants. When it seemed like the C grade was no longer doing any good (visually) I went to a fine grade. I don't know that there is a rule of thumb.
As far as the black color, it seems as though as long as you keep moving metal (using polish) you will get black residue.
That was my experience.
Dave

[Boondocker]

Originally Posted by Fyrzowt

I also changed grades by the seat of my pants. When it seemed like the C grade was no longer doing any good (visually)
Dave

Can you describe what sort of visual cues you used in determining that the C grade wasnt doing any good?

[InsideOut]

You kinda gotta just jump in and do it. When it stops making a difference, it's done...time to move on. When you first start polishing you see a major change from the oxidized aluminum starting to take on a shine. After a first pass or two or sometimes three it's cloudy and uneven. At first it's mostly cloudy with just patches of shine, then shine with patches of cloudiness...when all the cloudiness goes away and the shine is even, then you move onto the finer polish to work out the swirls and finalize the process with 'S' & the cyclo.

Depending on the condition & scratches you are trying to get out on your trailer, you may have to go over some areas 8 or 10 times before moving on the to finer grades. After doing it awhile, you get the hang of it...

Shari

[bjond]

Use of the slowest setting on the compounder and minimal polish works best. Too much speed or polish causes slippage and less effective oxidation removal.

I recommend starting with a mid grade (C or F7). If you get bright clean metal with that, then its working. Use the compounder until the grayish/brownish haze is gone. This is best seen in strong light like late afternoon sun. If you don't get bright metal in a few passes drop down to a more agressive grit polish. But the more aggressive grit will make more deeper scratches.

Compounding introduces swirly scratches into the AL. Cyclo polishing a la Shirley removes or smooths the scratchs.

[Boondocker]

Originally Posted by InsideOut

You kinda gotta just jump in and do it. When it stops making a difference, it's done...time to move on. When you first start polishing you see a major change from the oxidized aluminum starting to take on a shine. After a first pass or two or sometimes three it's cloudy and uneven. At first it's mostly cloudy with just patches of shine, then shine with patches of cloudiness...when all the cloudiness goes away and the shine is even, then you move onto the finer polish to work out the swirls and finalize the process with 'S' & the cyclo.

Depending on the condition & scratches you are trying to get out on your trailer, you may have to go over some areas 8 or 10 times before moving on the to finer grades. After doing it awhile, you get the hang of it...

Shari

That is exactly what I needed to know. I figured it was better to ask than to waste alot of time doing it wrong when a simple question would get me on track.

[Fyrzowt]

Shari and Herb describe it pretty well. If you haven't already, take a look at Home. They describe the step by step procedure. There is also a certain amount of "getting the feel of it" in my opinion.
Good luck,
Dave

[r&kweber]

Regarding the Harbor Freight compounder, I used II to spread the polishing compound and III to do the polishing. I noticed that when I switched from F7 to C, I didn't need a full III to get the RPM I wanted. It really is a thing of feel, and I am a total rookie at this.

There were only a few areas where I applied the F7 twice, just experimenting really. Maybe I will approach this with more skill next year, but my goal this time around was to just to remove 20 years of corrosion.

Ryan.

[Boondocker]

Originally Posted by r&kweber

.....my goal this time around was to just to remove 20 years of corrosion.

Ryan.

I am debating between the one pannel at a time approach and the do the entire trailer at one level of polish then start over with finer grit...

[sequoiacoast]

Quick question:

Do you continue with the coarser grade until all worm trails are gone? I'm thinking I have to keep at it with the coarse until it's only mild swirls left... but????????

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by sequoiacoast

Quick question:

Do you continue with the coarser grade until all worm trails are gone? I'm thinking I have to keep at it with the coarse until it's only mild swirls left... but????????

Yep...you need to get those out with the coarser polishes, if not they will still be there, just shiny.

Shari

[Boondocker]

I have been out polishing some, and I have learned that as big of an improvement that any polishing creates, you can never get it shiny enough. .

My question at the moment is, will a fresh application of mid grade compound always result in more black residue, or is it the case that when it is time to change to a finer grit that it will stop producing the residue?

Oh yeah, I am using the lowest setting for the harbor freight grinder, does that sound about right? And how dirty can you let the buffer head get between cleaning? In my dramatic lack of foresight I only ordered one.......

[Fyrzowt]

Rodney,
As you polish you'll notice that the pad gets a shiney "Mat" to it. Take an old screwdriver or similar object and with the polisher running, scrape the pad until it fluffs the pad up a bit. Just make sure that you point the screwdriver in the right direction so it drags instead of jabbing the point into the pad. I did my whole trailer one time around without doing a real cleaning on the pad. I ordered an extra, but haven't used it yet.
Dave

[r&kweber]

I noticed that when I used the F7, for the heavy oxidation removal, I had to change the pad four times. The pasty heavy accumulation of oxidation slowed the polishing process. The dirtier the pad was, more compound was left on the trailer. For me, the cleaner the pad the better for me. Dave got really different results than I did, so you may get a completely different result too

I think you will always get black residue. I doubt you will get every bit of corrosion off, and that is what the black stuff is. The residue left on the trailer will come completely off with naptha, I think I will wash the trailer clean with that stuff between grits next year when I do it again. Looking at pictures of people working with the Cyclo, presumably with S grade, their white towels are turning mostly black.

IMO, the lowest setting is too slow. To get the whole area warm, I needed more RPM. Then again, it was a cold Seattle weekend in the shade when I did the polishing. If it's warmer where you are, you may not need as much speed.

I hope this helps. After all the threads and websites I read before polishing
I still felt like I was making it up as I went.

Ryan.

[Boondocker]

Originally Posted by r&kweber

I noticed that when I used the F7, for the heavy oxidation removal, I had to change the pad four times. The pasty heavy accumulation of oxidation slowed the polishing process. The dirtier the pad was, more compound was left on the trailer. For me, the cleaner the pad the better for me. D

I'm getting a lot of accumulation also, the 'scruffing' helps some but I have found its just as well to wash the bonnet about once an hour.

IMO, the lowest setting is too slow. To get the whole area warm, I needed more RPM.
Ryan.

I dont understand something here, why do you want the area to be warm? Isnt this an abrasive process? I thought the idea was to keep the metal from getting to hot. Can someone explain?

On another note, I have decided the best reply to the question about how long it takes to do this: "if you are worried about the time, you dont want to do it". At this point, I suppose I am about 1/3 of the way around with the F7 and C. I have learned to not be reluctant about going for the heavy grit.

[Streamin 65]

Hey Gen,
The metal is just going to get warm as you polish. It's the nature of the beast. The goal is not to let it get hot enough to leave burn marks because they take a bunch more time to polish out. I spent many, many hours polishing and learning what works the best (at least for our coach) last spring. 40 years of oxidation does not remove easily and it took quite a few passes just to get the major stuff off. Last year I did the whole thing with f7 and c and it still didn't look great. There was still some swirl marks,cloudiness, etc that I just let go. I grew tired of doing it and wanted to spend some time enjoying the thing! (And did!)
Today I picked up the polisher and the F7 again. Did almost a whole side in 4 hours- it's clean, bright, and very close to perfect. Swirl marks are there, but I will work those out with the C and S. Anyway, to make a long story short, if your coach is pretty bad, just get done what you can this year. Unless you have plenty of free time and a ton of dedication it may not be possible to get it all polished this year (depending on the condition of your trailer of course) Plus, you'll be doing it again next year anyway, it'll just take less time. What works for my coach may not work the same on yours, but I'll share my "secrets". First, there is some varied opinions on how much polish to use. The answer, of course, is "just enough". I've found that I use a little more F7 when doing the heavy compounding. A wet fingerprint seems to be enough when using S, but I use a little more with the F7 and C. You don't want so much that there is a lot of black residue that takes a few passes to remove, but I've found that if there is a some black residue left after the first pass that cleans off with the second pass I'm using the right amount. I like to keep the speed of my buffer around the number 2 setting and take slower passes. This has produced the best results for me. When the pads get that shiny look, I'd suggest getting a buffing wheel spur to clean them. They are about $5 and work so much better than a screwdriver. Finally, when it seems the pad is getting shiny frequently, it's getting loaded up with compound and due for a cleaning. Get yourself a few pads if you can, having spares will keep you up and running. Finally, Good luck man! It's a labor of love, but the results are worth the work. Post some pics of that shiny rig! And here's one of ours from last year to help keep you inspired--dave

[yukionna]

Originally Posted by Gen Disarray

Also, I recall reading 400 rpm is the idea speed for the grinder, does anyone know which setting that is on the harbor freight grinder? Thanks

For the first cut on our Bambi II, we use a Milwaukee 1/2" variable speed drill and "feathered" the speed, as needed. We also use the spur tool for periodically cleaning. We keep a few extra pads around to keep moving on the polishing without having to stop to clean all the time.

I have a question about overnight or long term cleaning of the pads. What works to thoroughly clean the pads? We have tried to clean them but they never seem to get clean (i.e., there is always a slimy sludge left behind).

Streamin 65: nice job on the polishing! I am inspired! Where are my sunglasses?!

The "polisher" is taking a break in the picture below!

[Streamin 65]

Originally Posted by yukionna

I have a question about overnight or long term cleaning of the pads. What works to thoroughly clean the pads? We have tried to clean them but they never seem to get clean (i.e., there is always a slimy sludge left behind).

Streamin 65: nice job on the polishing! I am inspired! Where are my sunglasses?!

The "polisher" is taking a break in the picture below!

I was once able to put them in the washing machine, but the wife bought a new set and will no longer allow me to put anything I don't wear on my body in it. So what seems to work best now is to spur the wheel and clean off what I can before removing it. I then soak them in a bucket of water for a little while. Finally, I take them into the backyard and hose them off real well. Once thwe wheel dries, spur it again and the black slime will have become a fine dry dust. Make sure you spur away from you cuz there's gonna be some dust flying off the pad in the last step! Good luck and post some pics of the progress everyone! --dave