Marc and all,
Having never polished an Airstream, I'm the farthest from knowing what
I'm talking about except for one boat related practice that will certainly
apply in the instance of getting a shine on an Airstream.
As the two-part linear polyurethane product rep recommended to me when
speaking about painting my own 41 foot mast (ugh), he recommended that I
start laying it on from the top of the mast. Why/ Because as you learn how
to do it, the boo-boo's will be at the top where no one can see them. The
same might well hold true for polishing, start on the top or at least test
up there, then work your way down.
Sounded good to me and still does for that matter. Oh, I never did
paint my own mast, I had a pro do it and it shows.
Good luck,
Glyn Judson, 1969 Caravel #508, Santa Monica CA
> Actually after many tries, I have concluded polishing is counter intutive.
>
> RULE 1: SLOWER is better and LESS POLISH is better!
> Too much polish or having the polisher turning too fast will result in
> slippage and will prevent the polish from working effectively. I think
> extra polish acts as a lubricant.
> Try turning your polisher down to 500-100 rpms and use fingerprints of
> polish on 4 in intervals. I bet it will work better. When it works right
> the polisher will almost throw you across the room and you will get
> bright AL in just a few seconds.
>
> Also remember RULE 2: Start with a mid grade polish rather than the
> coarsest, cause you are going to have to remove the scratches later. The
> less you put in now the quicker you will get thru.
>
>
> Herb