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Old 07-12-2007, 08:47 PM   #181
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Riverhead has had a growth explosion, you wouldn't recognize RT58.

On the other hand Main St is a ghost town.
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Old 07-12-2007, 09:47 PM   #182
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Quote:
My questions to you sages of the polish are these:
  1. How much polish will it take for a 29' trailer? I think I'm going the route of F7, C, & S. Any thoughts on the G6? Would getting a little of the F9 for those tough spots be worthwhile?
2 lbs of G6
1 lb of F7
1 lb of C
1 lb of S

Quote:
Number of wool pads?
Five

Quote:
How do the cast trim pieces clean up? Is it worth taking them off? They are pitted pretty well.
No don't take them off, just compound them like the rest. They'll look ok.

Quote:
How do the hub caps clean up? (I'm going for it all.)
If they are pitted and rusting, they won't. Spray paint them.

Quote:
At what point would the re-caulking be most efficient, and effective? Pre-polish, post-polish, or in between? (I will tape.)
After compounding and cycloing with F7/C but before cycloing with S.

Quote:
And last, but not least, a pox upon me, I'm contemplating putting some sort of paint/coating on the very top of the roof, with the thought that it may keep the trailer somewhat cooler in the sun. Any thoughts on this? (I know the debate on this can be very heated, on the aesthetic front, and somewhat conflicting on whether it has any effect.)
Not worth the hassle. These trailers get hot. It might work OK on the newer trailer that are more square on the top. It hides it better. I can pretty much see the top of my trailer and I don't think the paint would look, work, or hold up well.

Good luck with your polishing!
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Old 07-13-2007, 09:34 AM   #183
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Question

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Originally Posted by sequoiacoast
On the tanks... did you polish them empty? I have to polish mine, but they're both full, and I have not done it, because I don't know if it's safe.??
I polished them up before having them filled. I wasn't too sure neither if it was safe to do so after filling them with propane.
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Old 07-14-2007, 09:12 AM   #184
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Thanks for the info folks, and your detail, Tim. From your list, it looks like you have a fondness for the G6.

Wish I could find Nuvite locally, doesn't seem to be the case though. So I'll put an order in today. With a little luck, maybe I'll have it by the end of the week, and have a nice shiney trailer a week after that. Just do it, I have to tell myself.

T
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Old 07-17-2007, 10:46 AM   #185
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This is a great thread....

One question for you experts. I prefer a matte finish rather than a mirror one. After stripping and a light polishing (if necessary) I want to apply plasticote. How is that done? By brush or spray? Haven't read much on here about that process.
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Old 08-30-2007, 08:13 PM   #186
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Thumbs up Awesome Job!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ferroequine
Well, the polishing is nearly complete. There is still more compounding to do near the top, but that's next year's project. Overall, she looks pretty good.

Mrs. Ferroequine has had more than enough of my polishing, and therefore we're hitting the road for a couple of weeks along with Ferroequine Jr. for some R 'n R.

(But I packed the cyclo in case I get bored... ).
Awesome Job! I'm SOOO excited to find out all this information. We will be taking on this project on our 31' 76' Sovereign we bought a couple of months ago. You are an inspiration.
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Old 08-31-2007, 07:45 PM   #187
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You know you've done a good job, if the birds fly into your trailer......... bounce off.......... and hopefully, don't leave a mark.

T.
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Old 09-01-2007, 08:02 AM   #188
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Hi folks, I starting to do a polish on our safari.

Question, is there a trick to doing the fan/vent caps on top of the AS? Im tempted to just paint them but, If I can get them looking as good as the skin, it might be worth going for it!

TIA.
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Old 09-03-2007, 02:45 PM   #189
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kani4mac@gma
Awesome Job! I'm SOOO excited to find out all this information. We will be taking on this project on our 31' 76' Sovereign we bought a couple of months ago. You are an inspiration.
Thanks for the kind words. Glad to help out, and good luck with your project.

Quote:
Originally Posted by digger bear
Hi folks, I starting to do a polish on our safari.

Question, is there a trick to doing the fan/vent caps on top of the AS? Im tempted to just paint them but, If I can get them looking as good as the skin, it might be worth going for it!
I don't think the vent caps are the same grade aluminum, so they won't polish as nice. I'm not too concerned about ours, you can barely see them.

I think the vent caps (like the ones for the black tank and fridge) can be done, but take a lot of elbow grease. I know ours could use more work...
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Old 01-21-2008, 08:36 PM   #190
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Do those of you who maintain a mirror polish use a wax or sealant in between the annual repolish jobs? If so, is there any particular brand/type that works better over a mirror polish?
TIA,
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Old 02-11-2008, 10:02 PM   #191
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OK...I am taking the plunge on the exterior refinishing of my 67 Overlander. After talking with several folks at the Texas rally in Conroe this past weekend I have decided on the following action plan and want to get input/recommendations from you more experienced folks.

The vertical surface of my AS has a pretty good original clearcoat remaining from the bottom to about a foot below the awning height. There are numerous scratches here and there and at panel joints and around scratches you can see filiform corrosion evident. On the top part of the sides and ends and the roof, the clearcoat is obviously cooked away and very dull splotchy looking. I call it AS dandruff you can rub off with your finger. My plan is to use the Napier Removeall to strip the clear coat from the trailer, rinse it down with a power washer and reseal all the seams....and that's pretty much it. I will add a coat of wax to it and let it oxidize as it may. I can always decide go the cyclo routine at a future time. I might even just remove the clear coat on the tops of the ends and roof of the AS if I can figure out how to tape off and protect the portion of the trailer where the clear coat still looks good.

Does anyone think this is a totally bonehead idea? I am not really taking a shortcut. I am just not doing the whole refinishing job. I think I would be happy with a uniform semi-shiny finish on the roof and sides as opposed to the chrome-like finish overall many prefer.
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Old 02-12-2008, 08:04 AM   #192
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sounds good...except ..

I'd reconsider the use of a power washer. It won't be needed and could create some unwanted problems.
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Old 02-27-2008, 09:42 AM   #193
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With our interior now completed, we’re working on our exterior and have succumbed to this whole polishing sickness. We used Removall from Vintage Trailer Supply followed by a pressure washer. We think Vinny our ’84 Sovereign looks 100% better without the battered clearcoat. As stated elsewhere in the Forum the Removall did not damage our decals or any sealant. We left it on overnight and it worked GREAT. We rolled it on using a foam “weenie roller”.



But…it did not strip the coating from the aluminum trim strips. These are the aluminum strips that received the blue plastic “rub rail” strip along the sides. (The blue plastic has been removed in the photo.) We have two in the center and a larger one all the way around the bottom.

I tried compounding a rear corner section the other night with some G6, mostly to see if our deep filiform corrosion would fade. It does fade with a few passes, but when I rubbed some G6 along the trim strips and they look horrible. I would say they come out patchy. Are they anodized? If so, we’re hosed.

(If this issue has been addressed elsewhere I couldn’t’ find it using the search feature.)
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Old 03-03-2008, 08:55 AM   #194
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 84Sovereign
But…it did not strip the coating from the aluminum trim strips. These are the aluminum strips that received the blue plastic “rub rail” strip along the sides. (The blue plastic has been removed in the photo.) We have two in the center and a larger one all the way around the bottom.

I tried compounding a rear corner section the other night with some G6, mostly to see if our deep filiform corrosion would fade. It does fade with a few passes, but when I rubbed some G6 along the trim strips and they look horrible. I would say they come out patchy. Are they anodized? If so, we’re hosed.

(If this issue has been addressed elsewhere I couldn’t’ find it using the search feature.)
Will oven cleaner work on the trim pieces?
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Old 03-30-2008, 08:13 PM   #195
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 84Sovereign
Will oven cleaner work on the trim pieces?
I sure wouldn't try oven cleaner on the outside of my trailer. Try going over it very slowly with your cyclo (if you have one). I found that when I stripped my '76, they looked dull until I did them with the cyclo.

I'm refreshing my memory here, as I'm getting ready to strip my '86. The top is totally missing the clearcoat. I want to clean everything up to an even shine. The endcaps are pretty dull, mid-sections have good clearcoat, so I'm sure they'll look pretty good after stripping. The question is--what grade nuvite do I use to get an even shine? I have some S, but do I need something with some bite to it? After reading this entire thread again, I realize how ocd I was when I had a mirror finished trailer (even though I adore the look), and just want mine to look even and clean!

Thanks!
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Old 03-31-2008, 08:19 AM   #196
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corrosion

Hello. I stripped my trailer last year and am now in the process of removing corrosion. It has all of this gray squiggly stuff all over it. My trailer sat out in the weather in Corpus Christi, Texas for many years. Does anyone have a solution for polishing this out? I so want my trailer to look like a mirror. It is a '76 Caravanner International 25 ft. I love it and want it to look as great as it can get.
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Old 03-31-2008, 10:38 AM   #197
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 84Sovereign

But…it did not strip the coating from the aluminum trim strips. These are the aluminum strips that received the blue plastic “rub rail” strip along the sides. (The blue plastic has been removed in the photo.) We have two in the center and a larger one all the way around the bottom.

Tape off the area above and below the rails with blue tape. Spray or paint on "aircraft remover" from walmart or wherever you get it. The coating on them will come off. They will not mirror shine but will look a whole lot cleaner. I did the fender trim and rails on my 1982 280 Classic, our 78 sovereign and now doing it on our 80 Excella which has a thick coat of blue paint on the rails. It took it off the taillight surrounds also.
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Old 03-31-2008, 06:55 PM   #198
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Diamond brite start

Of course it's been raining all weekend now that I have my clear coat off and am ready to polish
anyway working with a 7" polisher from Harbor freight ( $49) with wool bonnet and Diamond Brite ($12) polish. I am very pleased with the Diamond Brite so far. My plan is to knock off the oxidation and make it somewhat shiny while I wait for my new axles to arrive and then off to start camping season.
Over the summer or fall I will do some more polishing and make it shine.
will update photos tomorrow on my progress
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Old 06-12-2008, 12:44 PM   #199
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Plan to remove clearcoat, then protect

Hello,
I have spent a few weeks reading all the posts on cleaning, stripping, and polishing.
I have decided to strip off the failing clearcoat with Napier removall.
The next two steps, polishing and sealing have me stumped.

Since the as is 31 feet, I will not do the compounding, c7, s and all those numbers, as I have 5 children and other things to take care of. Mt primary concern is to protect my as from further damage, and to make it look pretty-not a complete mirror finish.

In reading what others used for polish on a non clear coated surface, It gets a bit confusing, as there are so many types. Wondering if the type of polish matters as much as the sealant.

As of today, I am leaning towards the sharkhide polish then the shark hide sealant. Or, another product that could seal it up good.

What I do not know, could there be an ingredient in either, or any sealant, that could damage the seals/caulking on the trailer?

Again, since I am not polishing the clearcoat, (it will be removed) should I be looking at different products?

Has anyone done clearcoat removal, then polish (without the complex compounding etc)?, then sealant?

Thanks all, if I have missed anything, please let me know. I hope to start this project next week, ordering the removall today. Just scared to start, as I do not want to make mistakes that will hurt my lovely as.
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Old 06-13-2008, 09:17 AM   #200
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Sharkhide Metal Protectant

Quote:
Originally Posted by magna1111 View Post


What I do not know, could there be an ingredient in either, or any sealant, that could damage the seals/caulking on the trailer?
Hi magna,
First of all, thank you very much for considering Sharkhide Metal Protectant and our metal polish.
To answer your question. I can't speak for any other coatings you may find out there, but Sharkhide is safe to use on these areas. Sharkhide is suspended in two types of solvents, which by themselves, aren't good to use on non solvent safe elastomers. However, once you apply Sharkhide, these solvents evaporate literaly in seconds. Once this happens, the Sharkhide itself is left behind and it's a blend of harmless accrylics.
I hope this helps,
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