Bob
I am not nearly as far on as you are and I started
earlier. I have finished the door. and started on the
front curb side . I am using Rolite prepolish to de-ox, and intermed
polish and ap300 to finish. Wool pads of three different grades. I also
found a slight ding in the door . I asked the wife was that here before ?
I hope to be finished in Oct. As a prep I started using a aluminum cleaner
diluted in water, then an aluminum conditioner. (it seemed to remove some of
the grayness). I washed it off with a lot of water. I used a lot of terry
cloth towels to remove the gray stuff with some paint thinner before
starting the second application. kc8kof
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Robert / Susan Harper [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> Sent: Wednesday, June 14, 2000 9:48 AM
> To: vintage discussion group
> Subject: [VAC] Hail Airstream! (Polishing progress)
>
> Just wanted to update you on my polishing progress. Our '62 Globetrotter
> was HEAVILY oxidized. With former owners, it's been overseas (Austria), in
> Wisconsin, at the beach, spent years in the hot Florida sun and humidity,
> and was pretty dull. Last week I started polishing at the rear curbside
> corner, and worked forward. (I'm using Airmark's Green-Ox: www.airmark.com
> <http://www.airmark.com> ). I spent a LOT of time fussing with dents and
> scratches, and kind of bounced from area to area as my enthusiasm would
> wane for a particular task. I got through the coarse polishing everywhere
> except streetside, which I did yesterday.
>
> And that's when I discovered: our little shiny toaster has been hailed
> upon! A hard driving sideways hail. From the panel above the windows down
> to about chest height, there are small dents covering that side of the
> trailer. Small enough that I had never seen them before, although I have
> hand washed the trailer and inspected it closely many times. In great
> detail. The little dings did not show until it was shiny. I would guess
> there are close to 100 of them. The non-original glazing putty on the 2
> streetside windows should have been a clue (they had been broken).
>
> So - I have taken a major step forward in my goal to be less of a
> perfectionist, and decided I really don't care about the dings. It's still
> beautiful, and at a glance they don't look any different from the
> "puckering" around rivets. I got caught outside with my dogs this Spring
> in a golfball-sized hailstorm (with no cover - ouch!), so we're all
> members of an elite club. I've recovered, the Airstream is OK, and the
> dogs are OK ... although they get more worried than they used to when the
> sky threatens.
>
> I'll post some tips re: polishing when I'm done. (I found Roy's very
> helpful, and I've learned some important things about buffing/polishing
> pads in the past week.) The main thing I've learned is that this is a BIG
> job, a FILTHY job, and anyone who tackles it would be wise to have someone
> nearby to shower them with constant praise no matter what, and deliver
> cold drinks regularly. Don't even THINK about going inside to the
> refrigerator while you're in the middle of polishing. I've taken on many
> huge filthy projects, but this .... this is a new level.
>
> Bob Harper (now with a slightly gray cast, especially on the forearms)
> '62 Globetrotter in SC
>
