Re: [VAC] Re: polishing

[wescott50@webtv.net (Bill Scott)]

Scott, you must be getting a deal.  There are 3 steps to make your coach
look new. (1) Remove the old flaking dead plasticote. (we have kicked
that poor old horse to death)  (2) Polish, or just prepare for re-coat,
and  (3) Re-coat.

Spraying the plasticote is a very special undertaking.  Some pro's won't
do it.  The only one's that will do it, as I understand now, is the
factory.  It is very expensive, and probably at least $100 per foot.
The special formulated plasticote is about $80 per gallon.   Here's the
story.  The plasticote has to have a special ingredient that keeps it
soft and pliable, so it can expand and contract with the heating and
cooling of the metal.  It also has to resist the extremely powerful UV
Rays of the Southwest.  Bud Cooper recently had his 48 Liner sprayed
with plasticote at the factory and,  I think,  he is still happy with
it.   When you polish your coach then prepare it for plasticote, you
have to wipe it clean with lacquer thinner, then mask all the windows
and accessories, then spray it in a climate controlled booth.  Not an
easy thing to do.  Most of the very shiney coaches that I have seen, are
not sprayed with Plasticote (clear coat).  The AP 300 does dry with a
hard coating and it does seem to help the finish retain it's mirror
sheen for about one year.  There has been a lot of talk (blah blah)
about a special finish, or wax that you can put on your mirror finish to
help it maintain its lustre. So  far, I have not seen any positive
results, just ...... blah blah.  If someone has a final finish that will
maintain the mirror and delay further oxidation, I would dearly love to
see the results after a year.  Not just more ..................... blah
blah . So, Scott, if you got your coach, Stripped, Polished, and
Re-coated for $100 a foot, man ,............you scored big time, and who
ever did the work, lost well over $1000 bucks.  Are you happy with the
results, and is it still shiney?

Bill Scott
61 Bambi
WBCCI #3221