Chronology of Painting My Excella 25

[Aerowood]

Sorry that it took some time to get back to you people but here is what our company uses. All of these products are available at www.aviall.com

Surface Preparation
1) Awl-Prep surface cleaner (T0008)
2) Etch and deoxidize with Alumiprep 33 (73001)
3) Chrome conversion coating: Alodine 1201 (73003)

Primer
1) Alumigard filiform corroision resistant primer (U9003 mixed 2:1 by volumn with U3002, reduced with 1 part T0086)

Topcoat
1) Alumigrip polyester urethane topcoat (mixed 1:1 by volumn with G3010, reduced with 20-25% T0003 or T0002 or T001

Alumigrip paints have several systems and I have only listed system #1 which we use here at work. We also use Awlgrip 545 Epoxy primer with D3001 converter,mixed 1:1.
I use this if no topcoat is going to be used.

Kip

[LBC Safari]

I'm still laughing at Andy's #9 post on the beers to ladder ratio. Unfortunately I didn't find the answer to my current problem. Kris

[Bob Thompson]

Can you say "attempted hijacking"! It's no wonder I get emails almost daily asking me to go over the details again because it is so tedious to follow the project due to the multiple hijacking attempts. If a vendor wants to redirect focus and commerce to his doorstep, he should write his own Chronology!

[Happycampers]

Originally Posted by Aerowood

I paint aircraft components and do paint touchups all the time. First thing is, sanding is a big NO NO. Scratches in the skin can cause cracks in the skin, do to fatigue buildup. To get started we clean the parts or exposed skin with a acid wash and then rinse. An Alodine conversion coating is applied next then rinsed with water and then dried using compressed air. Now it is time to apply an epoxy primer, Generally no more then 1 or 2 coats. Excissive primer only adds weight. We do not wet sand, no need to if primer applied properly. We finish it off by appling 2 wet coats of poly. If any body is interested I can give you product names and P/N's

Aerowood, Just wondering about sanding aluminum. Andy said he sands trailers with air tools before painting, he says he has been doing this with great success for over 20 years. What is your opinion about this?

[Aerowood]

Sanding Aluminum on your airstream would be alright, although if the skin is Alclad it would remove that surface of pure aluminun that is the skins defence against corrosion. The acid etching does the same thing as sanding does by giving the paint something to grip to, plus cleanimg and removing any surface oxides. One more benifit is a thinner primer coat because you are not trying to fill sanding scratches. It is also very difficult to sand around protuding head rivets. This is the area where most paint jobs start to fail first on improperly preped surfaces. I,m not saying that this is the only way to prep a aluminum surface, but the way it is done in the better aviation shops. Aluminum surface prep and priming and painting are the first line of defence to keep aluminum from corroding. I was very surprised to see that Airstream does not prime all the interior surfaces and mating surfaces of their structure, especailly those surfaces that that are in contact with steel.

[slowmover]

Man, what a great thread, Bob! I was looking over the pictures in your album and wondered what they were about, so I read through this.

How's it lookin' 4-5 years in?

Being new to Corpus Christi (but not Texas) I thought I knew about steady windy days. NOT! Let's just say that those constant 25 -30 mph winds in the spring keep my elderly neighbors at home (the exertion takes too much energy), and surprises me every time I open the door.

Great detail in the thread. It is the reason I enjoy reading this type even if I have no intention of doing the same; an anodized trailer has different requirements.

It DOES help to know that nose-to-the-grindstone is often, still, the best way to tackle a big, big project: I need to work over the panel seams -- and other -- on my trailer, and am wondering what your opinion is about the various sealers you used now that some time has gone by.

Thanks!

[Bob Thompson]

Hi Rednax, thanks for the kind words. After almost 5 years, the paint is still nearly perfect. It has a couple gravel chips in the front but thats about it. I plan to do an update post in June. This week I've been repainting the tongue with epoxy primer and Imron. Since the painting, the Airstream has been incredibly easy to maintain. It looks good even without a lot of waxing.

For the record, I used Alumiprep and haven't had a single rivet loosen or fall out. I did do a good job of rinsing after the application of Alumiprep then I did the Alodine treatment and rinsed again. From my perspective, it puts the myth to rest that if you use Alumiprep your rivets will fall out.

[slowmover]

Boy, nothing like a 30-minute turnaround for reply!

Mine is coming home next week from Weber Creek Storage so I can start on some exterior cleaning/painting and investigation of seams, belts, etc. Sorry I'm not up to the level of work you are doing (Imron, great stuff!), POR-15 would be a step up from the Rustoleum aerosol can I'll be using on the exposed frame members.

So, dental picks and ALCOA gutter seam sealant, that right?

[Bob Thompson]

NO! NO! The Alcoa Gutter Seal turned out to be awful stuff. The Seamermate I referred to around post #71 is the good stuff!! It looks almost as good today as it looked when first installed. It definitely is UV resistant. It is the real hero in this tale! One of the best products I've ever used and it's so readily available.

[Gkiesel]

Andy, in post number 7 you kindly give the steps to painting. We are getting ready to paint our Argosy. Living on the East coast, it is not practicle to us your services. What type of paint do you recomend. Our dealer says that the origonal paint is Dupont Centari. What type of paint do you reccomend? George.

[Bob Thompson]

George you can use the very same materials I used with the utmost confidence. I'm about to do a "5 years later" of my paint job and other improvements and the jist of it will be, except for some problem sealants, it looks almost exactly today as it looked when I finished it 5 years ago, no thanks to me and my dislike of waxing. The paint has held up superbly! All the dire warnings that my rivets would fall out if I used alumaprep turn out to be absolutely and completely without merit. If someone else had problems when they used it, they must have been, shall I say, "dim" as it's really easy to do correctly.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Gkiesel

Andy, in post number 7 you kindly give the steps to painting. We are getting ready to paint our Argosy. Living on the East coast, it is not practicle to us your services. What type of paint do you recomend. Our dealer says that the origonal paint is Dupont Centari. What type of paint do you reccomend? George.

Centari paints are fine. But they will fade unless you clear coat them.

If you want a long term good paint job, apply 2 to 3 coats of clear, over the color coat.

Andy

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by Bob Thompson

I'm about to do a "5 years later" of my paint job and other improvements and the jist of it will be, except for some problem sealants, it looks almost exactly today as it looked when I finished it 5 years ago, no thanks to me and my dislike of waxing. The paint has held up superbly! .

And Bob may wind up being critical, even then. My wife and I had the opportunity to view this trailer, inside & out, and there is nothing about it that doesn't inspire admiration, as well as respect for the quality of thinking that altered the interior, and parsed out the necessary materials for the exterior.

This is just the trailer folks wish for when they think of restoring or renovating an old Airstream. It has all the qualities of being new, and the character from years on the road. I hope many of you have the chance to see it, and appreciate the subtleties involved.

[Gkiesel]

Bob, Glad to hear that your not short a rivet or two.. As I try to reasearch paint etc. and find someone willing to do the painting, It's amazing the lack of detail these shops are willing to give you about what they plan to do. I say, "what kind of paint do you use?", They say " we can match any color", I ask how they plan to prep the aluminum. They say"The right way" etc. I have a lead on someone who paints trucks that I'm following up on. I would be supplying the materials, so that would give me better control, but also I need to make the right choices. Sometimes I wish I didn't ask so many questions. Drop it off, pick it up, live happily ever after. Even trying to decide what color to paint the old Argosy is hard. White just seems so boring. Let us know about that 5 year update. Thanks again, George.

[Ganaraska]

Originally Posted by Gkiesel

Bob, Glad to hear that your not short a rivet or two.. As I try to reasearch paint etc. and find someone willing to do the painting, It's amazing the lack of detail these shops are willing to give you about what they plan to do. I say, "what kind of paint do you use?", They say " we can match any color", I ask how they plan to prep the aluminum. They say"The right way" etc. I have a lead on someone who paints trucks that I'm following up on. I would be supplying the materials, so that would give me better control, but also I need to make the right choices. Sometimes I wish I didn't ask so many questions. Drop it off, pick it up, live happily ever after. Even trying to decide what color to paint the old Argosy is hard. White just seems so boring. Let us know about that 5 year update. Thanks again, George.

Those are typical answers. You get that way after a few years of watching the customers' eyes glaze over when you try to explain what you do.

Painting an aluminum trailer is not an everyday job. A good painter can do it but may have to look up the details.

But if the original finish is good enough to paint over, then it is the same as painting over any painted vehicle. The only tricky bit would be priming any bare aluminum patches and that simply requires buying the right grade of primer and prep materials.

[arhuranna]

HI Bob,

Just found your post and hope you are still on the forum. I have a 73 Silver Streak that has anodized alluminum and was wondering if the process for painting would be different? I would not have to strip clear coat as it has non. The finish is very faded and I am looking for a way to give it a long term solution. How has your paint held up over the years? Again, thanks for the detailed posts of your project.

Regards,

Mitch

[Bob Thompson]

Hi Mitch, I still frequent Airstream Forums, I just post less. As you would expect, anyone not following the herd is going to take a lot of flack when they go off doing their own thing. I ran into it when I painted my Airstream and again when I was the earliest to switch to 16" wheels and Commercial LT tires. http://www.airforums.com/forums/f438...res-16506.html

I was told Airstream had spent millions perfecting their choice for tires, GYM's, and they were not to be altered or terrible things would happen. Terrible, terrible things! Sometimes it's hard to see with dim bulbs for guidance.

Similar with painting a Airstream. If I were planning to paint a Silver Streak, I would take the same approach as I used on the Airstream with the exception of using the stripper to get clearcoat off. I would sand the anodized finish until the surface looked like mine before the alodine was applied. More precisely, I would sand until I achieved a "sanded aluminum" look, removing any earlier finish including anodizing. Then, just before I planned to do the alodine, I would wet sand it again until no "black" (the oxidized aluminum) washed off. I would let it dry and apply the alumiprep then rinse, let dry and just as soon as dry, I would apply the alodine conversion coat. From there, you need to get the epoxy primer on it within a day or two. Once the epoxy primer is on, you've sealed the aluminum and you can lightly wetsand the primer and apply the finish of your choice. It is not necessary to use the PPG paint I used. Just use a quality basecoat/clearcoat or Imron type finish paint.

My paint job is doing great. I did get the clearcoat a bit thin in two places on the top and have had to touch up about 3 sq. ft. of it, but the rest is doing great. It is still very lusterous and people still have a hard time determining it is not a brushed aluminum finish under clearcoat until they get within a couple feet of it. I would change one thing. Instead of using a GM color, I would stick to my guns and go with the lighter, more metalic silver popular on many Honda's.

I would expect my paint job to last at least another 7-10 years. When needed, I will sand down to the epoxy primer then repaint with a basecoat/clearcoat system.

[arhuranna]

Thanks Bob,

One more question to ask is did you paint the top of your camper also?

Regards,

Mitch

[Bob Thompson]

Didn't need to, it came from the factory already painted white. Eventually I will need to repaint it and I'm not looking forward to it. By then the sealant around the vents and skylights will be in bad shape and will have to all come up before painting.

[leong1]

Bob, a quick question: do you keep your Airstream stored under cover? I would assume that you do....Do you think that the paint would hold up as well as yours has if you were to keep it stored outside in the winter and the blazing TX summer?