Keeping the polish....well... POLISHED!

[buchanan]

Okay,

Not trying to hi-jack the thread……….but………I have a kinda polished 170-B [20’ polish job I call it]. It used to be a 10 footer until the airplane changed homes to AK and was put on floats. (Hard to polish while on straight floats).

I’m in the final throes of my Glastar project and I polished all the aluminum with Nuvite. Nothing like polishing the underside of the wing while it is on the bench staring up at you :>) Now that I have everything polished and at least some of them back on the airplane what do you recommend to keep the finish as good as it can be?

Buck, Galena AK………Montana for another couple months

[N2865C]

More polish .......... I tried Georges technique of washing with 2 cups of wd-40 mixed in a 5 gallon bucket of water. http://cessna170.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.p ... d40+polish
It did seem to help the polish last a little longer and I think it would be ideal for a plane on floats. The downside is that it left a slight film that attracts some dirt. Also, a 10 foot polish will last longer than a 20 foot polish. The better the polish job, the longer it lasts.

When not on floats keep it in a dry hanger and keep a box fan running to keep the air circulating. You don't need a strong breeze, just enough to keep the air moving. Some people keep a large dehumidifier in the hanger. And did I mention........ more polish.

[GAHorn]

.... I tried Georges technique of washing with 2 cups of wd-40 mixed in a 5 gallon bucket of water. http://cessna170.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.p ... d40+polish
It did seem to help the polish last a little longer and I think it would be ideal for a plane on floats. The downside is that it left a slight film that attracts some dirt. ...

Did you dry it after the wash with old towels? (In any case, I do not mean to leave the impression it kept a polish-job in perfect condition... only that it greatly retards the inevitable return to natural finish. Never never never use soap or any alkaline cleaner on natural aluminum, if you don't want to destroy the polish.)

Anyone who has seen my airplane recently will appreciate the fact that the last time it was polished was in 1997. Here's a recent pic taken only a couple months ago.... a 10-year old polish job that has not been retouched.... only washed with the WD40 treatment.

[buchanan]

VERY nice looking aircraft George!! My airplane, since it left MT, sits on either the lake or the ramp. Hangars are mostly only for the Feds. where we are, 65N. We use covers in the winter and pre-heat, but hangars since we are 250 miles from the nearest road are more than a luxury.

I’ll try the WD-40 and water both on my 170 and the Glastar. I’ll have a chance to polish the 170 a little in May before I put it on floats.

I’ve said it before…………this forum is awesome.

Buck, Galena AK and MT