aluminum skin question

[art]

I understand the type of aluminum airstream used on 60s and 70s trailers changed in the 80s to a type that does not polish well .can you tell me when that transition took place? thanks art

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by art

I understand the type of aluminum airstream used on 60s and 70s trailers changed in the 80s to a type that does not polish well .can you tell me when that transition took place? thanks art

The old metal used from day one, and the metal Airstream changed to in mid 1982, polish equally well.

Andy

[Cushnoc]

I recently bought a 30' 1984 Sovereign. The exterior was not well taken care of. Parked under trees for a long period, it has brown and green organic stuff on the top. Thinking I can use water with bleach to remove like the house. I can tell the acrylic has peeled under that and further out from under it. Can I mask the large area off, remove the coating, clean and prep the aluminum, then spray paint a new coat of acrylic. I have auto painting equipment available. This will take more than a can of spray coating, obviously. Are there specs available for the acrylic. I don't think Airstream owns a petro-chemical plant, so it must be made for them under brand name. Thanks for any help.

[Greg@AirLA]

Airstream has "rattle cans" of Acrylic Clear available, they also sell a 2 part clear coat, 1 gallon of clear and 1/2 gallon of activator, but the mix is not 2-1 it is based on ambient temperature and humidity, the instruction sheet for it is 10 pages long...
Greg

[catmoore]

Do 1973s have clear coat?

[rollingbubel]

I would bet your 1973 has clear coat. It is probably burned off the top. However the sides, front and rear are surely hanging onto the clear coat.

[art]

I agree

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by art

I understand the type of aluminum airstream used on 60s and 70s trailers changed in the 80s to a type that does not polish well.

The most noticeable difference between the two different kinds of aluminum is that the newer has more of a milled finish and the old is a smooth finish. Yes, they will both polish well - the end results will both be equally shiny. However, the later aluminum will take a bit more work because you have to smooth out the milled finish first. They also have a slightly different color, but unless they are side-by-side and both newly polished, you'll never see the difference.

Shari

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by Cushnoc

Thinking I can use water with bleach to remove like the house.

Don't think you ought to use bleach on aluminum...

Shari