Al, you wrote:

There are various commercial preparations that soften the silicone caulk after 8-12 hours. They work very well. You can buy them at Marine stores or at Home Depot. About $2.50 for 12 ounces. It goes a long way. I use them to replace the silicone caulking in our bathrooms after the caulking is begins to look ratty. Look it in the paint department. I do not know if they work on caulks other than silicone.

Al

They DON'T make boats out of Aluminum! CAUTION: Test EVERYTHING you purchase. ALWAYS look at labels & stay AWAY from Silicones - PERIOD!! Just some of other things that DO NOT mix - or are No-No's with Aluminum. - Teflon, Ammonia, Salt, Salt Water, Salt Water Spray (if you live anyway near an Ocean, Sea, etc., and have Fog - you have Salt Water exposure! The further South you go, the worse the damage to Aluminum is, with the salt spray and the added heat of the UV Rays, smoke a clearcoat in record time!)

And just HOW do you, "test"? Get yourself some Aluminum. Wash it with, HOT water & Dawn degreaser dish soap and dry thoroughly. Put caulking on Aluminum, put in oven at approx. 90 degrees (or lowest temp., you can set on your oven) for one hour. Put outside, overnight. NOW you can apply chemical to remove it. Once removed, bring aluminum BACK inside and let it come to room temp., then back outside overnight. OK - now put the Aluminum in the DIRECT sun rays for about 30 days. Then look at it with a magnifying glass. Look for pits, line, stars, stain marks. If ANY of these are present - DO NOT use the product on your Airstream!

Also, when using a "scraper" to remove ANY type of caulking from an Airstream - ONLY use a PLASTIC scrapper! And then use it VERY, VERY GENTLY! For EVEN a Plastic scrapper can damage the skin if not used CAREFULLY!

Later,
Jim Weston