Cold weather polishing?

[rumrunner]

I have a question for all you experienced polishers, Is there a low temp threshold for practical polishing? I have all winter and while it can get pretty cold here the exercise keeps me warm as long as I don't have to clear off snow. I'm sorta thinking that it probably has to be at least above freezing but I am really looking for a definitive answer. Anybody ever tried this?
If nothing else I guess I could call Caswell
tim

[desertair27]

I have always polished when it's 90-100 degrees out and have been miserable in the heat. I keep telling myself to wait till winter to polish but I have read that polishing in at least 80 degrees yield the best results. I'd say give it a shot and see what kind of results you get.

[sunahara]

As long as it's above 32 and metal is a decent temp where it won't freeze the wax, you will be fine. I live in CO and own a car wash and we have no issues.

[rumrunner]

I've tried some polishing the last couple of days in cool-low 40's- temps and everything went well. In fact it was much more comfortable since I wear a painters head cover to keep the compound out of hair and beard and that thing is HOT in the sunshine. So far the practical limit seems to be how cold my hands get when doing a little wet sanding in the badly pitted areas. no problems with the wax base at these temps so far.
tim

[rumrunner]

Well one thing's for sure....

[55AS]

My first trailer was polished during the winter in NM and turned out fine.

[ArtisanAir]

When your polishing you are creating a lot of friction, which in turn creates heat. This will allow you to buff in below freezing temps. As you move along you will be gradually heating the metal. You will see some warping going on due to the expansion and contraction of the aluminum during the temperature differences, all of which is normal. As long as your body is comfortable in this condition, it is OK to polish. I would however scale down your "working zone" to a small fraction being that you don't want the compound to freeze. same amount of compound just smaller batches of work... Make sense?

[tmeyer2177]

Hi,
I would like to polish my Airstream, 1960 22ft Safari.
I have read its ok to polish in the the winter. I live in MN.
But is ok to polish when the shell is off the frame?
I don't want to damage/dent the old girl.
I have the lower skins off on the inside.

Anyone have any experience with this move.

Thanks
Troy

[youngpeck]

Originally Posted by tmeyer2177

Hi,
I would like to polish my Airstream, 1960 22ft Safari.
I have read its ok to polish in the the winter. I live in MN.
But is ok to polish when the shell is off the frame?
I don't want to damage/dent the old girl.
I have the lower skins off on the inside.

Anyone have any experience with this move.

Thanks
Troy

I polished parts of mine when the shell was removed. No problems.

[Peter417]

I hope to never polish in the heat again. Early spring is going to be my touch up polish time. 40's and cloudy would be wonderful.