Who's peddling SS these days?

[bake315]

Ready to give Southern Shine a test whirl, and wondering who is selling it these days. Anyone know?

[balrgn]

Originally Posted by coriolis1

Ready to give Southern Shine a test whirl, and wondering who is selling it these days. Anyone know?

Try http://www.southernshine.net/
Let us know what ya think of the results, never heard of it before...

[bake315]

Originally Posted by balrgn

Try http://www.southernshine.net/
Let us know what ya think of the results, never heard of it before...

Thanks for this - I tried Gord's and liked it well enough to consider it again in the future, but this time I wanted to try something with a bit more body to it.

[flyfshr]

I have used SS and found it to work in some of the areas that Nuvite didn't work as well. Its not the end all of polishing but works quite well with compounding. It is really messy. That is an understatement.

FF

[Bob Thompson]

Also try: http://www.steeda.com/store/-catalog/polish.htm

[TravelCloud]

Another high priced polish? What color? Maybe if it works as well as flyfisher says then it also can be duplicated from rouge- white? green? red?...

I saw some stuff called White Diamond polish- not anywhere near as expensive, and the guy using it was getting great results on a tank truck where my mechanic works on mine. Buffed out nicely but definitely made from white rouge, and he could have saved himself a lot by making it in a blender. I showed him the recipe and some pix and he was saying he was happy with this stuff, but at $10 a bottle and he was using 5- 12 ounce bottles, he'd have more with a stick of rouge and a gallon of mineral spirits.
Rouge- less than $10
Mineral spirits- $10
Old plastic bottles- $0
Beating the stranglehold of marketed products controlling minds of unsuspecting Airstream owners and freeing their time for more camping...
PRICELESS!!!

No joke- see if you can't make the same stuff yourself- check this SS color and compare it to a rouge bar and try it!

[markdoane]

Here's another aluminum polish. There is an '81 Excella at the bottom of the page. Gord is (or was) a forum member.
http://gordsaluminumpolish.com/index.html
http://www.airforums.com/forum...ad.php?t=11776

According to Gord, it does a good job of removing alclad. ????

[Bob Thompson]

TraveCloud, at first I thought you were bashing SS which is a product I use and really like, but then I realized where you were heading! You're absolutely right! I like the way you think! Just a question..... where do you buy a rouge bar?

[Bob Thompson]

I found an answer in just a few minutes with Google: http://www.americanjewelrysupply.com.../compound.html

[markdoane]

Bob,

Those are a little pricy. Try this:http://www.tarheelparts.com/cgi-bin/...d=7032127.8104

[TravelCloud]

www.sattexcorp.com and had to dig through their dumpster to find it...

I'm not bashing anything, I don't see paying all that money for what can be made for 20-30 bucks. Thats what you need to make a gallon. If you like a particular polish and only need a bottle here or there- go ahead. If you need some to polish a Harley- go ahead. When we need a LOT to do a 20'+ trailer and someone sells me something that they want $50 for a tiny little tub and says I have to spend more time using it- sorry. Especially when it takes 8 tubs of it to do the same job. You're talking $400 in just polish alone, and all made from the same bars of rouge that Sattex and tarheelparts.com sell for less than $10? Come on, guys! This is not what I call acceptable- you do it if you want, but WHEN I start, it won't be that way. And stop trying to convince people that there is only one way- its not true at all- I'm simply suggesting that there are MANY ways- of which rouge and a drum polisher would yield the best result and in the least amount of time.

Disclaimer- I HAVE NOT DONE THIS MYSELF, HAVE ONLY SEEN IT DONE THIS WAY ON 2 DIFFERENT TRAILERS AND 3 AIRCRAFT. I HAVE ALSO RECEIVED PM'S THAT SAY OTHERS HAVE DONE THE SAME BUT ARE AFRAID TO MENTION IT HERE.

Its almost like there is a consortium of people who own stock in these cottage companies and are protecting their investment. Shouldn't most people WANT to explore a faster and less expensive alternative- I certainly do!

I hope someone else has the opportunity to check out these options on their own trailer, as I'm still a ways from being able to start. The wet sand/green rouge/white rouge program seemed to be incredibly effective on a very dull trailer- when combined with proper pads on a high speed buffer.

[ALANSD]

There are a lot of truckers who use the mineral spirits/roiuge method. I tried it on a bumper on my AS it worked ok, but not as good as the Blue Magic and Mothers aluminum polish I used. I also use the Liqiod Glass polymer sealant on my plasticoated areas, which polishes only mildly, but then it seals the area so that further polishing is not needed for a long time. On unsealed panels it has held up over a year after i stripped them and polished, although not to a mirror finish.
The chemical companies researching polish and wax and stake their future sales on the fact that you will buy them more than once, which means they have to work.
Which one you prefer is up to you. How much you want to spend is also up to you.
As for me I enjoy trying new products and I am happy to report my results.

[Hit'nMiss]

Originally Posted by TravelCloud

I HAVE ALSO RECEIVED PM'S THAT SAY OTHERS HAVE DONE THE SAME BUT ARE AFRAID TO MENTION IT HERE.

Originally Posted by TravelCloud

Its almost like there is a consortium of people who own stock in these cottage companies and are protecting their investment. Shouldn't most people WANT to explore a faster and less expensive alternative- I certainly do!

Amen brother!
Isn't it a shame that any members here would fear the free exchange of knowledge. But I know it is a fact that some do. IMHO it all is based in the past attacks on posters regarding the polish questions and the scoldings and censorings that have too often taken place in threads regarding various subjects.
However I have never read or even imagined that any of the forum "Bosses" were in the polish business. If they are it would be enlightening, are you aware that any of them are?
Assuming that they are not, it is mind boggling to me why trailer polishing is at all a contencious subject. It's certainly a mystery to me.
I thank you for your revelation and recipe. I for one am in full agreement that a dollar saved is a pleasure earned.
I will burn a copy of your posts in case this thread is removed.
I had never heard of this "rouge" before.
Where can I learn more about the different "colors" of rouge? Does the color simply indicate the grit?

Thanks much

Flicka

[bake315]

Originally Posted by TravelCloud

...and had to dig through their dumpster to find it...

You are a man o' passion aren't ya? Now come on down outta that tree!


Seriously though, in the end we're all going to do what works best for us, either in terms of labor or dollars. I really appreciate all of your digging and research - they can only be of benefit here. I'm interested in trying new products whenever I happen upon them, too. Just yesterday evening I found a product at the HEB (for those folks outside of TX that's a grocery store) called Mr. Metal. I figured for $2.50, what the hey? Anyway, it did OK, I guess. Pretty easy to work with, by hand, non abrasive. Easy to remove, doesn't get all over you. Though I didn't try it, probably not good with a buffer because it dries very quickly. Creamy, strong ammonia smell. Seems like it would be good for use in a spot, touch-up situation on already polished aluminum.

[markdoane]

Originally Posted by HitnMiss

Where can I learn more about the different "colors" of rouge? Does the color simply indicate the grit?

Thanks much

Flicka

I think the color indicates what it's made out of. For example, iron oxide(rust) is the base material for red (French, rouge=red). I think the white is made from aluminum oxide. I don't know about the green, maybe it's made out of algae.

Actually green is chromium oxide. If I remember my spectra correctly, there is a chrome green.

[bake315]

Originally Posted by HitnMiss

I had never heard of this "rouge" before.
Where can I learn more about the different "colors" of rouge? Does the color simply indicate the grit?

Thanks much

Flicka

TravelCloud dug a terrific source for this out of the dumpster www.sattexcorp.com

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by HitnMiss

However I have never read or even imagined that any of the forum "Bosses" were in the polish business. If they are it would be enlightening, are you aware that any of them are?
Assuming that they are not, it is mind boggling to me why trailer polishing is at all a contencious subject. It's certainly a mystery to me.[img]images/smilies/confused.gif[/img]

Trust me we're not "in the polish business", we are just hobbists like most members on this forum.

As far as polishing threads getting contencious...it happens every spring. The only time these posts are editted or deleted is when some members won't allow others to 'agree to disagree' and they resort to personal attacks. Why can't people just 'agree to disagree'? Come to a rally and compare notes...we do several times a year with polishing demos at maintenance rallies & the VAC rallies - side by side.

I've (for the most part) tried to stay out of this discussion...but as a side note, I have been a hobbist jeweler for over 25 years and have used some of my polishing rouges (red & green) on our trailer...no, I didn't crush it up & dilute it with liquid in a blender. But I have used them, the same way I use them with silver & gold, on our window frames & door jambs...my personal opinion is that it has it's places that it makes sense...but for the overall polish job, it's not for me. It's too hard to remove from the aluminum and you can easily scratch the areas just polished in trying to remove it. Basically it's a clay-like material that hardens when it dries out....a mess around rivets! And aluminum is much softer than silver and gold, not to mention the micro-thin alclad layer which is even softer than the base aluminum or the old 40's & 50's aluminum, which was solid.

I have seen trailers polished with rouge and they look just as nice as many of the other products that have been discussed....you just need to decide what works for you & your trailer. We had some very baddly pitted areas on the front that made sense to wet sand and a panel that had been replaced (PO) that reacted very differently to both the stripping & polishing techniques on other panels.

Shari

[Bob Thompson]

Dave, a word of caution when using polishing agents containing ammonia. I used Brasso to polish my clearance light bases before I read somewhere that the ammonia in Brasso was not good for aluminum. Perhaps that's the reason Brasso says "not for use on aluminum" on the can. Anyway, the clearance lite bases corroded almost immediately, but this time much worse than before. After 3 or 4 polishings with SS all the ammonia residue is gone and the aluminum bases are finally acting like the rest of the exposed aluminum on my trailer. This is not to bash the product from HEB, just a word of caution!

[bake315]

Originally Posted by Bob Thompson

Dave, a word of caution when using polishing agents containing ammonia. I used Brasso to polish my clearance light bases before I read somewhere that the ammonia in Brasso was not good for aluminum. Perhaps that's the reason Brasso says "not for use on aluminum" on the can. Anyway, the clearance lite bases corroded almost immediately, but this time much worse than before. After 3 or 4 polishings with SS all the ammonia residue is gone and the aluminum bases are finally acting like the rest of the exposed aluminum on my trailer. This is not to bash the product from HEB, just a word of caution!

Thanks, Bob! That's another one we can strike from the list! Fortunately I have a fair amount of brass around the home that could stand some polishing, so at least the remaining 7.999 ounces will be put to good use (was an 8 oz. bottle).

I do remember Blue Magic smelling a little like Brasso, several months back. Alan, you're using Blue Magic - do you get that impression, too?

[bake315]

Originally Posted by coriolis1

Thanks, Bob! That's another one we can strike from the list! Fortunately I have a fair amount of brass around the home that could stand some polishing, so at least the remaining 7.999 ounces will be put to good use (was an 8 oz. bottle).

I do remember Blue Magic smelling a little like Brasso, several months back. Alan, you're using Blue Magic - do you get that impression, too?

Maybe Blue Magic has ammonia too, and it's why they add silicone to it - to protect the metal after polishing?