Tips need for Polishing a 60-Year Old Tear

[Glennanderson1]

I am sure many of you have done this and have good ideas for me. I am picking up a 47 Ken Skill this weekend and will want to give it a quick facelift. I have some metals polishing experiance, I have fixed and portable buffing equipment, but have never polished a trailer before. My thought was to sand the trailer with 600 Wet & Dry and polish from there.

Maybe a scotch brite pad?

Any advice?

Glenn

[Gaston]

I would use a good foam pad on a 7" buffer and a good auto paint cutting compound. Be ready to get really messy!. after the compound you can clean the black gunk off with a product called glass wax (comes in a pink can)( Iget mine from Ace hardware) then if you want a mirror finish use flitz or neverdull and alot of elbow grease. If you sand it you will remove the alclad finish (or whats left of it) and it will be harder to keep up. never never use scotch brite !! it will leave very sharp scratches that are a bitch to get out.
I've had 2 aircraft I kept polished

[randy chesnutt]

glen, i use nuvite grade c for light to heavy oxidation removal and nuvite grade s final. this product has been around for years. i learned to polish alum at a young age. my dad owned a polish alum. airplane and this is the polish we used and that what i used on the titan. you have to use a oxidation removal first and the the final polish. if you go to nuvitechemical.com you can learn all about this product and how to polish alum. check out the airstrem story while you are there. then if that what you want go to perfectpolish.com to order free shipping. it take time to polish it, but once finish you will be proud of it. good luck

[Normspeed]

Like Randy, I went with the Nuvite products. The web page has lots of good info on materials, grits, polishers, etc. The first time I did my old tear, it took several weekends, working in the early morning hours before the sun got hot and made polishing nearly impossible. Now that it's been done once and all the elephant skin is gone, re-polishing is easier but still not a walk in the park. Sure looks nice when it's done. Check out these pics: http://ncarter819.photosite.com/Teardrop/

[randy chesnutt]

glenn, i ment to tell you if you must sand to use 1500 or 1000 wet or dry. do not sand with your hand use a good sanding block lot of water and sand in a straight line. sanding in circles are hard to get out. use lite pressure when sanding. normspeed old teardrop looks sharp

[madjack]

Randy after seeing your link to prefect polish(good site) I went to their site and then emailed them about aluminum...they responded the next day and said they were working on a special aluminum polish and seal kit to be introduced in the spring...if anything like their other product/kits it ought be a good one...thanks for that link
madjack

[randy chesnutt]

that sealer kit will be great thing for polish alum. with out it finger prints are are a pain in the ------. the swift airplane in the there wib site is my dads old one.

[Normspeed]

Gaston, thanks for the tip on a source for Glass Wax, I've heard it is great for removing the remnants of black aluminum oxide but the company apparently shut down some time back. I've been unable to find it anywhere although it was a common product years ago. I'll try Ace.
Norm

[jgalt]

As Randy says - sand with 1000-1500 for only the WORST oxidation. Then Use Nuvite in several steps. On areas I sanded, I start w/ the very course F, then G6, then grade C, and S for the final polish.

For areas with only light oxidation, G6 followed by S may be enough.

For the initial steps w/ nuvite, I used a variable speed rotary polisher and a wool pad (Harbor Freight pads and polisher) at about 1800-3200 rpm. The polisher was only about $25 on sale.

I also use a Porter Cable 7424 w/ foam pad and sweatshirt material (high pile cotton fleece) with the last 2 steps (C and S) for a mirror finish. This type polisher is needed for the really stunning look - about $120 and useful for many other applications (DA sanding, car paint polishing, wood sanding, etc.).

I brought back my 1946 Tourette to a really nice condition with these methods. I know it sounds like a lot of steps, but it's good low-impact exercise, highly addictive, and at each step when you see you reflection getting clearer and clearer - it's hard to describe the satisfaction and pride in bringing your classic back to it's prime state.

After you get this hard work done, only a quick polish with the porter cable and Nuvite S once a year keeps that mirror finish in pristine condition. If you plan on keeping the tear for a while, polishing with compounds (instead of chemical cleaners), is the best approach without a doubt - plan on spending $150 - $300 for materials to last you a few years.

There are a few PDF's and docs on using Nuvite for aluminum polishing on the web, do a google search on 'nuvite alumium polishing'.

Good luck and have fun!

[Normspeed]

I've seen the polishing guys at truck stops using rouge sticks and sewn cotton wheels. They get great results on aluminum tanks, alloy rims and stuff. I picked up some sticks and wheels at the Pomona swap but haven't tried them for touching up my rig yet.

[randy chesnutt]

jgalt, is right, nuvite is not a cheap product. i got $150.00 to do my teardrop, i have a cyclo buffer so i did not have to buy a buffer. i still have polish left over. i just polishes my alum. wheels on my motorhome. they look great. the results that nuvite gives is worth the price

[Glennanderson1]

Norm, Very impressive! I would have lost that bet that an old trailer could EVER look like that.

Now that we bought Jerome's '46 Kit TD trailer we have newer skin to work with on most of the trailer.

Thanks,

Glenn

[Glennanderson1]

Nuvite Application Guide
Using Nuvite Polish
Use sparingly for best results. Tiny dabs are all that are required, whether you are using the the
compounding polisher or the Cyclo polisher.
If too much polish is used, the polish acts as a lubricant and prevents the cutting/polishing action
from being effective. The cutting/polishing action is most effective in those last moments when the
polish is disappearing.
Be careful when polishing near painted surfaces, decals or plastic trim. The coarser grades of Nuvite
will remove or damage paint. The S grade seems to be safe to apply over good paint.
Check the Application Guide section of the web site for detailed procedures for polishing with the
compounding polisher and Cyclo polisher.
Description of the Different Grades of Nuvite
Nuvite G6, Coarse grade. Nuvite describes this grade as a "smart abrasive" that provides a quick
initial cut and then breaks down into a fine cut. It is used on pitted, chipped or scratched surfaces.
Nuvite F9, Very coarse grade. This grade has large sharp particles that remain sharp and do not
break down during the polishing. It is used on severely corroded finishes or on new aluminum that
has a rough mill finish. Nuvite describes it as a "very heavy cut, for heavy corrosion." For most
applications, use the F7 rather than the F9.
Nuvite F7, Medium-coarse grade. This grade has sharp particles that stay sharp but they are much
smaller than those in the F9. It is used on corroded, chipped or scratched surfaces. Nuvite describes
it as a "heavy cut, for heavy corrosion."
Nuvite C, Medium-fine grade. This grade has softer, more rounded particles. It is used on surfaces
that are in relatively good condition with only moderate corrosion.
Nuvite S, Finish polish. This is used after the surfaces have been brought into good condition with
the other grades of Nuvite. It brings out the mirror finish with great depth of image.
Which Grade of Nuvite to Use
There is no one right answer. Every piece of aluminum is different. Different degrees of corrosion or
damage. Different alloys. Different mill finishes. Some have Alclad coating and some do not.
Because everyone's technique is a little different, some experimentation is required. But here are
some general guidelines.
The term "compounding' below refers to a using a rotary-type polisher called a compounding buffer
or polisher in the auto detailing trade. It puts the most horsepower into the polishing action and is
used to quickly remove corrosion and smooth out chips and scratches. However it produces swirl
marks that must be removed with the Cyclo polisher.
The term "Cyclo" below refers to using the Cyclo polisher, which is a two-head, random orbit
polisher. This type of polisher is used to remove the swirl marks left by the compounding polisher
and do the finish polishing. However it is not very effective on corroded or damages surfaces.
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