Can I use clearcoat pen for this?

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Howard L.

I believe I’ve used, and probably posted, the most about "Nyalic" and it’s use with filiform and other CC problems on post Alclad paneled Airstreams.
It looks like the base of your clear coat is still intact, as the surface is still the matching silver look. (If completely gone that area would be grey—barstock aluminum alloy looking).
In either case, using the spray Nyalic on that area will work well. It feathers into the existing clear coat well when sprayed.
Using 800 grit black sandpaper, get rid of those peeling edges. Go lightly. If you sand completely through the clear coat, you will have to look at the grey Alloy Aluminum underneath. You are going to spray the Nyalic lightly over the problem you sanded and feathered out into the adjacent area (you do not tape off anything). The Nyalic will feather spray nicely with almost the exact same sheen as the clear coat.
The Nyalic is thin and will form RUNS very easily. Practice on a vertical piece of sheet metal first. If you know auto spraying, that’s good. If you are not accomplished, you basically will spray a number of very light coats allowing each coat to get tacky prior to the next. Quit when your last light spray coat looks like it will dry slick and shiny. (3 to 4 light coats will usually do it—with Nyalic, less is better than more and very light peppery spray only.)

^^^^^^^^^^
Yes...from the expert.

Howard knows of what he speaks


The before pic?

Bob
🇺🇸

[Howard L.]

For review: here is a Nyalic repair. 1. The clear coat is completely gone. 2. A silver paint that matches extremely well, was sprayed. 3. Nyalic was sprayed to cover the silver paint. The Nyalic does not show where it blends with the AS clear coat.

[Indre Gordon]

Thank you everyone! The responses have been extremely helpful in helping me figure out what to do.

I did some further research and it looks like the damage may be something that actually happened at the factory. This is not something that should be happening to a fairly new AS that is regularly washed and polished (It's sits in my driveway and bird poop doesn't stay on there for longer than a day or two). I saw another post on the forum that looked almost identical both to size and location of where the current defect is. Someone stated that this was actually something they used to see on older models but is rare in newer models. Basically before they put on the coating at the factory something was on the aluminum to prevent it from adhering properly and now this area has eroded away. The post can be found here.

I'm posting this in case someone has the same issue and their AS is still under warranty. Mine is 3 years old and technically no longer under warranty for the exterior however I have contacted AS warranty department to see if anything can be done. I'll post an update once I hear back.

I think I'm going to go the Nyalic way. I'm not too concerned about the mark aesthetically I just want to make sure the aluminum underneath doesn't deteriorate. I'll try to post an update of exactly what I did in case it helps anyone else that's super new to this like me.

Really happy to be part of such a helpful community It's really refreshing so thank you all!

[Indre Gordon]

Originally Posted by B17drvr

One other option:
You could strip the clear coat off the entire airstream and then it would all match.
You could even polish it to a nice shine lol.

Definitely too chicken to try this. I need to work up to just using the clearcoat pen.

[Howard L.]

Originally Posted by Indre Gordon

Definitely too chicken to try this. I need to work up to just using the clearcoat pen.

Indre, you can fix this. Alcoa sends the panels to AS pre colored and clear coated. (Prior to the early 80s, shiny silver ALCLAD aluminum was used but today, it’s an Aluminum alloy—grey in color). So todays finish color is baked on. You seem to have the undercoat of silver color still in place (otherwise the area would look grey as shown in my 2nd post). It’s just that top clear coat that’s missing. Just lightly sand the edges of the peel area smooth (800-1000 grit) and sand out just a little past that point. After practicing, clean and then tack coat spray your area with the several light applications. It will come out nice and you will have to look hard in reflective light to see where your Nyalic spray feathers into the clear coat. If you mess up and get a RUN, quickly dampen a soft rag with acetone and wipe it all off. (Not much acetone, just enough to dampen the cloth and get the Nyalic off then wipe dry). Then, try the spray again. Give it a good 24 hour dry time.

[Life is a Highway]

I would send pictures to Jackson Center there have been warranties issues with bad batch’s of clear coat

[phoenix491]

Wow … I have the same problem in the same spot on my 2015 FC! Very curious indeed. I‘ve been pondering what to do about it … Apologies if I passed over it in the thread, but where can I purchase the spray? Auto store?

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Howard L.

Indre, you can fix this. Alcoa sends the panels to AS pre colored and clear coated. SNIP.

YES...all panels are expertly 'coated' by Alcoa which prevents corrosion on ALL panels that haven't been compromised by cutting...how many rivets on an Airstream?

POI...we had several areas where, for whatever reason, the coating had lifted. I suspect the original problem was a very small 'chip' that expanded after a number of heat/cool and weathering cycles.

Bob
🇺🇸

[Tyler2you]

Originally Posted by phoenix491

Wow … I have the same problem in the same spot on my 2015 FC! Very curious indeed. I‘ve been pondering what to do about it … Apologies if I passed over it in the thread, but where can I purchase the spray? Auto store?

If you're asking about the Nyalic spray, direct from the manufacturer here:

https://www.nyalic.com/Nyalic-12-oz-...an-_p_131.html

[TeddyK]

Following

[Silvr_Bullet]

My Trailer was in winter storage, this developed during those 5 months. I carefully tried removing some of the crud with a plastic scraper, appears I will need to be more aggressive. If I were to use Corrosion X initially after removing the crud, at a later date could Nyalic be applied? What tool would some suggest to remove the crud. Thanks. Photo attached

[augopher]

Just saw this post and interested if the OP got it done, and results? I have a 2015 Bambi with a similar, pinky size area that I need to touch up.

[dznf0g]

So, many have used corrosion-X. It is basically a penetrating oil which does allow for some protection, but needs frequent reapplication. The pen does little to penetrate the area and won't stop the spread under the clear coat.
I have started using captain tolleys creeping crack cure with good results so far. First areas treated are about 2 years old with no further progression.
I use my fingernail or a plastic implement to first remove all loose clear coat.

Sent from my SM-S901U using Airstream Forums mobile app

[augopher]

Has any one used ProtectaClear to touch up? If so, how did it work for you and did you use clear, matte or satin finish?