Strip 'n Polish Project Thread (lots of great tips and links)

[jkaftan]

Does anyone reapply a clear coat after doing this?

[rmkrum]

There is no practical method to re- clear coat an AS. The reason Airstream quit doing it is that the material is very hazardous, emits lots of dangerous vapors, and requires darn near unobtainable permits to even start setting up to do it. That’s why the current Alcoa factory applied clearcoat is used. Allegedly, it lasts longer as well.

Edges and holes need additional treatment, but Airstream has left that exercise to the owners...

[chlee2]

I just had my 1995 Excella 25' stripped and polished in my garage by a fellow in Florida known as Barker Yai, and Chuck The Polisher. He did it all for $100 per foot, which is about 1/3 the cost of most of the big, well known Airstream polishing outfits in Ohio and California. I was extremely impressed by his methods and attention to detail. A true artist at this work. You can find him and his contact information on the Facebook page titled "Airstream and Vintage Trailer Polishing". I have posted a video of him working on my Airstream & the result after he finished. It was really "sunburned" and blotchy all over, with heavy oxidation prior to this polishing job. https://www.facebook.com/barker.goha...50238072/?t=28

[tonydead]

Working on a brand new asphalt RV pad - will any of these chemicals have the potential to damage the asphalt? I'm assuming the stripper might?

[vintagemike]

I have used the same stripper and it was amazing. I stripped a 25 foot 1971 on my front lawn in one day. No scraping, no scrubbing. Just painted on the stripper a section at a time waited a couple hours and blew it all off with my power washer. Didn’t hurt the plastic parts and all that water made my grass grow a pretty Airstream sized oval. It looked like an alien crop circl when the trailer was moved. Love that Removall!! Nothing like it.

[pond]

Here is a log of the “Strip and Polish” routine I went through on my 25’ 1997 Safari. When I first jumped on this post on 9/14/18, yes king procrastinator, there were questions about details. So, for the next guy going down this road, here’s a map. Nothing fancy, just basic.

I wasn’t looking for a mirror finish, just big improvements from clearcoat blotches and minor scratches. This is mostly about stripping clearcoat and ending with shiny finish, not a mirrored one.

Start date of stripping 10/22/2018. Long Island NY, outdoor temperatures 40’s at night and 55 for a high.

Product used to strip: PR-5044 Eldorado 5-gallon jug, used almost 3 gallons.

Painted on with brush and rolled on thick letting sit for 6 hours. On succeeding applications, I left it on overnight and there was no more difficulty in removing 5044. Power washed off blistering 5044 with a 2.5 gpm 2800 psi reconditioned power washer for $200.00 from the local box store.
I kept the 5044 in the house at about 68-70 degrees, not sure if that mattered. Some minor leaks at 2 windows re-appeared due to the power washing I believe. The gaskets on the window and maybe behind the window need replacing, I’ll wait for warmer weather.

Needed to spot treat some areas 3-4 times using 5044.

Apparently, all panels are not clear coated at the same time or place. One entire rear quarter panel needed 3 coats and some extra help with Jaco stripper.

[pond]

continued:
This stripping was done in my ¾” LI north shore beach stone driveway. Some 5044 washed off in 6x8” pieces and most came off in 1/2x1/2” pieces. The bigger pieces were picked up while the smaller ones blended in and fell amongst the rocks, out of site. 5044 is labeled as non-toxic. I washed out some 5044 to clean brushes and buckets on the weeds (lawn). A spot 1 foot in diameter of broadleaf plantain died, a plus.

The decals dulled from the 5044, the wheel fenders and center “molding” strip cleaned up nicely. The decals were to come off, a “300” Hot Gun was used to finish that job. The aluminum did buckle when hot but went back into shape once cooled. Wasn’t a fan of the blue strip around the middle of the trailer but the Safari logo, by the front door, and the AS lettering were beautifully re-installed by a local sign company. Evidently, pin striping is the way to handle replacing the blue strip around, if you want to.
Jaco stripper was used to remove the glue under the blue striped decal surrounding the trailer. The red stripe surrounding had a poxy glue underneath and nothing touched it except some graffiti remover or ether- based product.

21/2 days total time to strip the trailer including the removing decals and glue.

Lag time between stripping and polishing was about a week. The Safari and us went through a nor’ Easter at Hither Hills in Montauk during lag time. The aluminum, of the bottom of AS belly, was ripped off the rivets when the wind changed around to the west. I re-attached with left over hurricane straps. But I digress.

The “cutting” and polishing was done by a local guy, name available upon request, who has been in business detailing autos and boats for 11 years. This was the first experience with Airstreams for both of us. What I learned from this thread and his experience got us through this job with great results. Total time for the polishers was about 66 hours.
I purchased Nuvite F7, G6 and S. The polisher had his own product, we used both. We “cut” out the real bad spots, so it seemed. Until I brought the trailer under the florescent lights in the sign company’s garage! But luckily in the light of day and at 60 mph, who’s gonna know? To finish off the polish he used Carbona. The trailer shines with minor travel wounds and scratches and the wife and I couldn’t be happier with the results. In coming years, we can always keep “cutting”.

Observations:

People have written they’ve done this in 1-2 days in warmer temps. But warmer temps mean boogying time.

Not sure where the leaks are coming from. There is the recommended AS gray silicone and other big-name brands, clear and black, used for patch work on the windows and aluminum seams. Could’ve been the combination of stripper and power washer that opened them up again. There were no leaks when I started, it’s a small trickle, but it adds up. A heavy duty “drying fan” works well after a rain.

Mike

[Den the Lap]

Mike,

Without pics it didn’t happened...

Just kidding!

I have a 25’ 1988 safari and I am very curious to see the final result...

I have everything to do the job... but never been able to start...

[pond]

Without pics it didn’t happened...

Just kidding

You can't make that stuff up! Hahaha, here's some pics.

There wasn't any need to tape it. The stripper shined up the trim nice.

The big blotches were removed, there's not a lot of room for a good pic. The lines in on the after pics are reflections of Hollies on one side and deck posts on the other. So we did get some nice shine.

[Den the Lap]

Thank you!

My trailer is a 1998, not a 1988!

Mike, are those pic of the polished trailer?

Denis

[pond]

From top pic to bottom:

B4
B4
After
After
During
After

Pics were taken on a cloudy day, about Dec 10th, carbona was applied Oct. 31st 2018 and hasn't been and won't be washed 'til Spring.

Mike

[wizardglass]

We stripped and polished ours about 5 years ago, so it was time to do it again, this time being a bit more thorough.
First time around everything looks fantastic after living with the original faded finish, but after a while you start scrutinizing your work...!
Came out so much better and no more stripping mess, just a couple weekends off our time.
Enjoy!

[Pacer364]

Originally Posted by silvrtwinkie

Swanny,

I pretty much had to do no scraping at all. There were a couple of spots where I hadn't covered the skin properly, so it didn't strip everything there, but that was more my fault. A bit of a wipe with a rag over the whole door, and she was ready to go. I couldn't believe how easy it was. It makes the $50/gal price worth it.

where did you buy the Napier RemovALL?

[soul journey]

A little background before getting to my question about exterior polishing. I'm newly retired and just starting to learn more about the operation of the 1989 25' Excella I purchased last fall. Made my first trip to a local campground (Grey's Point) which is about 10 miles from home. Wanted to get used to operating everything - especially emptying the holding tanks - before heading out alone on longer trips. After leaving the campground, I felt a bit more confident, but still, have a ways to go before making any solo long trips. As a "mature" woman, the two major challenges I'm facing are the manual hand crank for leveling and installing the anti-sway bars.

Now, my question about exterior refinishing/polishing. Does anyone know someone in the Northern Neck region of Virginia that can refinish the exterior to a shiny finish?

Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks for your time.

[cp1977]

I cant help you re polishing other than to say polishing it yourself is not difficult. Takes time and patience but isn't physically too demanding.
Cranking levellers - those are stabilizers not levellers, you shouldn't be “lifting” the trailer with them. Levelling side to side should be done with planks or leveling blocks and fore/aft leveling with the tongue jack. I use a Dewalt 18v impact driver with a 3/4” socket to run my stabilizers up and down. Works great.
To help with anti sway bars, hook up to hitch, then use tongue jack to lift tongue and tow vehicle a few inches, Then install bars then lower jack. With practice you will see how much to lift needed to set bars correctly.
Happy camping

[soul journey]

Many thanks for taking the time to reply. Your advice is greatly appreciated.

Safe and happy travels!

[Laughingelk]

My friend in the Southern California High desert (near Barstow) needs help stripping and polishing his trailer. Does anyone know of a shop that can or will do it in his area?
Thanks in advance
Laughingelk

[JRF0st3r]

My friend in the Southern California High desert (near Barstow) needs help stripping and polishing his trailer. Does anyone know of a shop that can or will do it in his area?
Thanks in advance
Laughingelk

Area 63 Productions in Lytle Creek, CA may not be close enough to your friend but the owner, Uwe Salwender, is one of the most knowledgeable in the business and his company will do polishing.
Jim

[Laughingelk]

Thank you Jim. That is very helpful. Little Creek is ‘down the hill’, but may be close enough for him. I’ll see if I can find a number for them. It is much appreciated!
Elk

[BillCampbell]

Any suggestions on removing rain water spots? I have polished using all 3 nuvite polishes on one side of 1986 soveriegn and it looked great. Till it rained. Ugh. I tried vinegar and water. Also CLR. It was better but still there. I polished again with the fine #2. Any suggestions?