Touch Up Clear Coat??

[Anniedog]

Okay, today's riddle:

I've always been told (10-years of Airstreaming) that you CANNOT "touch up" a little section of clear coat. I've always assumed it was like walking on water to even try it.
So then.......WHY can you buy clear coat spray cans from ALL the normal Air Stream parts and repair places? Huh? Huh? "Splain that to me.
And if I become so bold I actually TRY it, how would I best go about it?

[StingrayL82]

Annie,

I don't know who told you that but, if you go to Airstream's website, you will find a sheet in the Customer Service area on how to touch up the Plasticoat.

[Anniedog]

It was drummed into me for years and years. Every day I was told "don't run with scissors,don't touch the stove and DON'T even THINK about touching up Airstream clear coat!!"
Thank you. I'll go take a look.

[garryg]

i am also going to touch up my as but not sure what i should us to clean all wax off the surface? i also cannot find the page in airstream's customer service site on how to touch up the plasticoat, if someone could send me the link i would appreciate it. thank you.

[Frank&Mike]

I think this is the link on the Airstream site where the procedure is located:

Airstream, Inc :: Travel Trailer

[PhiDor]

I think any commercial wax remover will work on your trailer. Just don't slobber it all over the place. It might streak.

As far as a new coating, a clear polyurethane spray should work ok. I would mask off and cover any area that does not need touching up. You don't need a professional paint sprayer. A can from the auto supply store or Ace hardware is good. Just follow the directions. PUT ON ONLY A LITTLE AT A TIME! Two or three coats are better than one big blob of sagging poly!

Do this in the shade. Keep your fingers out of it until it dries. Not yet!! Not yet! Next month you can put some wax on it if it needs it.

Disclaimer:

Not responsible for the outcome.

PhiDor

[StingrayL82]

Plasticoat had a special additive to make it flexible, so it wouldn't crack going down the road. Respectfully, PhiDor, I wouldn't paint it with an automotive clearcoat....it would really suck to go through all that work, just to see it go to pot after a trip. Again, I believe Airstream can direct you to what you need to re-plasticoat your rig.

on edit: Here's the .pdf from Airstream on the subject:

[PhiDor]

I notice that Airstream sells a spray can of "Clear RV Acrylic" to make "temporary" repairs. I think I'll buy a can of that next time I have the opportunity and see if what's in the can is simply something sold elsewhere under another name. If it's only for Airstreams, a 'regular size spray can" will probably cost about 50 bucks. After all the touch up paint is $17.00 a can so this stuff which sounds more technical and would be less in demand should be more. Well, maybe only $20.00. I'll call Bates tomorrow and find out.

[PhiDor]

I just found clear acrylic spray made by Krylon for about 8 bucks a can. As I have a spot or two that needs touch up, I'll get a can tomorrow and let you know how it works out.

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by PhiDor

I notice that Airstream sells a spray can of "Clear RV Acrylic" to make "temporary" repairs. I think I'll buy a can...

the o.p. apparently has a 20 year old trailer, and yours is mid 90s?

these trailers did not come with clearcoat.

they came with PLASTI COAT and as stingr' is suggesting THAT is a totally different coating than NEW units.

MANY solvents will completely STRIP plasti coat and some QUICKLY.

so 'just any wax remover' is NOT good advice on the older trailers UNLESS ya wanna strip the old coating.

garryg' is your unit the alcoa finish or the older plasticoat? 99 was ~ the change over from older to newer, extending up to 2000?

DAWN detergent will strip most waxes, if mixed with water and used to wash the area on the OLDER finish.

on NEWER finish (alcoa clear coat) alcohol, 3m wax stripper and other mild solvents may be used, but DAWN will work on these too...

the small consumer 'cans' a/s sells are intended primarily for the new units

AND for touching up the INTERIOR WOOD WORK acrylic varnish.

sure it can be sprayed on the outside, one can use nail polish, any generic auto touch up paint too.

will this look good, last very long, NOT eat the surrounding plasti cote ?

go for it and post results.

there are 100s of threads on this issue, the differences in coating, how to touch up or NOT touch up and so on.

certainly it's your trailer and please do whatever you want, or put whatever suits you on it.

BUT it might be useful to do some basic research into the issues first; stingr' advice is solid on this, as is the link.

IF you've got decent PLASTI COAT the solvents in generic spray paints MIGHT melt or damage the original coating.

for NEW streams the alcoa applied clearcoat is MORE durable and LESS sensitive to common solvents.

so generic spray paints shouldn't harm the coating, but might look like crap too...

i got a fluffy roller and some odd cans of leftover paints, wanna try these too?

free 2 u, just pick a color and pay the postage.

cheers
2air'

[garryg]

i have the newer coating and bought a can of airstream's acrylic touch up paint $19 "ouch", i just happened to be going by jc. they told me to use alcochol to clean the surface. i sprayed coating into the cap and used an artist's brush, doesn't look any worse or better than before but hopefully prevents any further damage.

[jm2]

Originally Posted by garryg

i have the newer coating and bought a can of airstream's acrylic touch up paint $19 "ouch", i just happened to be going by jc. they told me to use alcochol to clean the surface. i sprayed coating into the cap and used an artist's brush, doesn't look any worse or better than before but hopefully prevents any further damage.

Originally Posted by PhiDor

I just found clear acrylic spray made by Krylon for about 8 bucks a can. As I have a spot or two that needs touch up, I'll get a can tomorrow and let you know how it works out.

so Phil, how did it work out?

we have a spot on our 2002 Safari (the new Alcoa skin that comes from the factory already coated with ??) that apparently was splashed with something that ate through the coating in one small place. that spot was about the size of a dime.

after the recent snow and rain storms here in the Northeast, we noticed that the coating at and below that spot was loosening from the skin, and would break away in little pieces if you rubbed it with your finger.

so now we have an irregular area < 1" wide and about 5" long that I'd like to simply clean and "touch up".

I'm not wanting to strip & refinish the entire trailer.....

JC no longer seems to have anything in a spray can; instead a "1/2 oz Touch-up Pen - Acrylic Clear".

having slugged through many threads in this section, and now knowing little more than when I started about fixing a small spot, I ask these 2 simple questions:

1. any suggestions on what to use to buff out the original dime size spot so the discoloration goes away, or is at least minimized? I thought I'd start with baking soda, and a soft damp cloth, and work my way up to what???

2. what's the right coating product for this small touch up?

thanks in advance....