Here are a few references on Polishing and polishing products that I have found useful.
Materials List
 | Stripper Citra strip if you have the old lacquer based clear coat may work. Most hardware stores carry this. Other types of clear coat will need a stronger stripper. You might try "Aircraft remover by Klean-Strip" in an aerosol can . It was quick and easy and less messy than the liquid type. Walmart carries this in the Auto section. |
Napier Products
I have not used these and don't know which of Napiers products are best to use but I know people are raving about how easy their products are to use so I included some source. If you use any of these let me know which one works best.
Aircraft Spruce (search on Napier)
Sherwin Williams OR By the Gallon
| Seam Sealers - SEE Sources/More Info on this site Vulkum - some Ace Hardware stores for 116 or AirstreamDreams ParBond - Some RV supply stores Alcoa Gutter Seal - Rocky Mountain Wholesale Inc. - 800-339-9262 Ameri Tex - Home Depo |
| Compounder (450 RPM drill) - DW130 450 RPM Dewalt drill and adapter |
NEW! A limited number of new DeWalt DW130 polishing compounders for sale!
Velcro backing plate & Velcro compounding pad
I like the Porter Cable 54740 backing pad and the Milwaukee 49-36-1500 Compounding pad. http://mytoolstore.com/ (you might have to call them (800) 347-5096).
The Meguiars Cut 'N Shine Wool Pad is also a great pad.
PerfectPolish now carries the backing plate and pad!
http://www.perfectpolish.com/#PerfectPolish
| Cyclo |
Cyclo wool pads and Cyclo Terry Bonnets (for under the cloth) or foam pads (for under the cloth) http://www.perfectpolish.com/#PerfectPolish
You can also make your own foam pads. Find some firm foam and cut it to shape and glue directly on the cyclo heads with rubber cement.
Many companies carry cyclo accessories, microfiber and other polishing accessories - search the web.
| Detailer ( I used an 800 RMP angle drill with floppy cotton polishing buffs.
This did help me detail around the door and windows but it really was not completely
satisfactory. Someone told me they used a
"mouse" sander with a pad and covered with the sweatshirt
cloth. I have not tried it yet but it sounds intriguing.
Please let me know what you have found that works well to detail the areas
you can not get with the cyclo. |
| 100% Cotton Sweatshirt material - http://www.perfectpolish.com/#PerfectPolish |
(I estimate about 1 yard [makes two cloths] per ft of trailer - 19' Globetrotter = 19 yards. This is estimated with washing the cloths 2 times and getting 14 polish spots per cloth. You might buy 1/2 that amount to start with since you may need more of at least one of the polishes anyway. If you get too much you will always use it each year you polish up the trailer again.)
| Three lidded buckets for New, Used (Clean) and dirty polishing cloths. |
| Nuvite Polish - http://www.perfectpolish.com/#PerfectPolish |
Start with 1 lb. Each of C, F7 & S (how much you need depends on the condition of the skin and your technique)
1/4 lb. of G6 just to test and use in really bad places.
| Glass Wax - Remember
that pink can that you made Christmas window stencils with. After 50+ years this product has been discontinued. You may still find some in small hardware stores. Some people have said Glass Plus works OK but not as well. |
| Non Aerosole Pump up Sprayer. These sprayers are
used for spraying cooking oil. You can purchase them at Walmart or Raleys Grocery store (with the kitchen gadgets about $5.00) or
http://www.dri-wash.com/
(Choose their catalog and order additional DWG For Car Empty Applicators; $4.00
ea.) or a kitchen store $10.00 - $20.00(pump up oil sprayer). |
| Microfiber Cloth - Walmart (in the auto section). |
There are many microfiber cloths. You can purchase lower quality ones at Costco and Walmart. These are great for the detailing while you are polishing to remove excess polish and polish around the rivets. From looking at Microfiber websites the recommendation seems to be cloth made in Korea with 90,000 fibers per inch, 70% polyester 30% polyamide (Walmart's meet these specs).
http://www.properautocare.com/micwhatbigde.html explains why these cloths are good.
For dusting and cleaning you may want higher quality ones (I have not used one yet) sold as Miracle Towel at http://www.properautocar.com
Ways to polish - some also sell products
Perfect Polish Tom - An individual who has a wonderfully polished airplane. He now sells the products. His website shows specific techniques used for polishing. If you want to use the Swift Polishing techniques you can get most of the products you need from him, including the Swift instructional video. One stop shopping! He is very nice to work with.
Dial's Airstream Polishing page - He used a Cyclo, Cyclo bonnets and Rolite and is now trying out the sweatshirt material and Nuvite. Great notes on polishing and comparison of the products!
Roy's Airstream Polishing page
Another Airstreamers Polishing page
Don Downin Cherokee 140 polishing project
There are many more sites with lots of info - do some searching with Google.com or your favorite search engine.
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