hey guys, the aluminum that goes around the bottom of the bus has a lot of hazy areas, oxidation areas, places where stickers used to be. I'm trying to find the best method to restoring all of this. I know there is the option of polishing the whole thing... which I've heard becomes a lot of upkeep? (is this true)? or is there some type of cleaner that will get oxidation off, and get rid of spots where stickers used to be? Thanks!
http://alumaslick.com/ (http://alumaslick.com/)
It worked to remove the oxidation and shine it up a bit. I am going to try some jewelry polish on some of the harder rubber marks and such.
remember alum is porous. anything will sink in. WD 40--or PB blaster is a possibility. Try a small area. Will remove rubber streaks and road dirt/oil residue. Then there is bars of polishing compound you can use with a buffer/polisher. Good luck.
Anything even mildly abrasive will just deteriorate the remaining coating on the aluminum. NeverDull works pretty nice, but is is temporary. Depending on weather, it may only last a month or several. Easy to reapply. Comes in a silver can full of wadding. I've seen it at Walmarts, Amazon, ebay and auto parts stores. Quite impressive results with little effort.
Have any of you heard of "Master Formula"... I've watched a couple youtube videos on it. It's a polish, and then they have the sealer to go along with it that is supposed to keep it longer... here is a link... http://www.amazon.com/Master-Formula-Metal-Gloss-Sealer/dp/B00EHYOVKU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415320866&sr=8-1&keywords=master+formula (http://www.amazon.com/Master-Formula-Metal-Gloss-Sealer/dp/B00EHYOVKU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415320866&sr=8-1&keywords=master+formula)
Never Dull is a good product but I can not imagine doing an entire bus with it, standard vehicle mags are exhausting enough
Trent Aiken
Tooele Utah
1966 PD1407
The problem with only doing some spots is just that ... you end up with some clean and shiny spots. Now you are committed to do the rest to make it look even. An old gag courtesy of Mr. Hull to be played out time after time. He probably still snickers every time.
Even used motor oil will do or used transmission fluid. Nothing will last for very long. These will last just as long as WD-40 or PB Blaster.
Quote from: robertglines1 on November 06, 2014, 03:56:32 PM
remember alum is porous. anything will sink in. WD 40--or PB blaster is a possibility. Try a small area. Will remove rubber streaks and road dirt/oil residue. Then there is bars of polishing compound you can use with a buffer/polisher. Good luck.
PO painted my aluminum. I wish I had something to polish sometimes.
DeepWoods insect repellant will shine it
Neverdull isn't applied like polishing compound and rubbed to shine. You just take a small piece of wadding and wipe an area as you go. Easier and faster than waxing with less work. Probably could do the entire lower area in less than two hours. I was amazed how nice it worked. I tried several different substances with lesser results.
Sheila Shine works well for me. Anything that leaves an oily residue will work just as well-- even Clifford's bug repellent. :D
Always enjoy seeing a nice shiny well painted good looking bus, however my energy has always been in the running area, always felt I the get me home was more important than the shiny one sitting along the road broke.
We all have choices, so I do what makes me happy, passing cars on mountains with the MC7 and non standard engines that have been used.
when you get down to it the finer polish you get on alum the longer it will last. From not done before start with 1000grit sand paper go in steps to 1500 the start with buffer and polishing bar--If you want try brown bar first to see what stage of finish you siding is. When I did my stainless I polished my alum bumpers with the rubbing bars only. They held up real good time wise and were easily refreshed with the white bar. I did paste wax. the little polishing procedure with polish depends on current level of your siding. The oil based Pb blaster & Wd 40 are just handy for foreign matter/tar etc removal. When using a power buffer and bars it left a black residue(build up) which I easily removed with lac thinner--didn't use oil based products because of film left when I intended to polish higher... . If you power buff don't wear good clothes. 2nd thought buy different wheels for each color bar/they come in coarse ratings also. Just what worked for me on three coaches. Ps saw Dave's post while I was typing=agree spit and shine is second. When you get bored== polish.
There not much you can do with anodized aluminum siding you get past the anodizing then you create another problem in upkeep and one needs to be careful using the degrease products it will streak the siding beyond restoration, soap and water with a little vinegar is about the best you can do then I used Turtle Wax chrome polish about once a year on mine JMO
How do you get the Sheila Shine to last any length of time? Easy enough to use, but only lasts several days for me.
??? I saturate a small sponge with Sheila Shine and apply liberally. It lasts a couple weeks to a month depending on the weather.
Bryan- I added this to your other post but it fits here too. You won't believe what I use to wipe down the bus after my Detroit overspray. Of course the soap and water work great for a full wash, but for quick wipes I use (embarrassed to say) Avon Skin so Soft. No- really. I accidentally splashed some paint on the anodized aluminum and was using paint thinner to get it off. My mom was over and said I should try the bath oil, it takes off paint with ease. When she dropped off a bottle to try, it worked just as she said. Then I noticed what it did to the "unshineable" aluminum. Days later it still was beautiful. Now when I whip into a campsite, I pull out the spray bottle and a rag. Cleans the 40w off the aluminum and paint, and shines the aluminum like it's in a car show. (Of course it smells a little perfumy) but the shine is worth it. When I get home, hose it down and scrub, usually no need to even soap it.
please let me know if I need to turn in my man card.
Quote from: sdc53 on November 06, 2014, 09:33:27 PM
PO painted my aluminum. I wish I had something to polish sometimes.
You want my address?
Man card? Where do we pick one of those up?
I used Wipe New on our anodized aluminum to see what would happen. Sonnie Gray told me that he used it on his Eagle and was pleased with the result.
I went to WalMart and picked one bottle kit to try. I first used it on all of the plastic light lenses and was pleased with how they looked, much brighter and newer looking. It left a slick finish with no residue once it dried.
I then applied it to an area that had some ghost lettering, they disappeared. I ended up buying one more kit, total cost for both about 40 bucks. I have about 1/3 of one bottle left after doing the complete coach.
I applied this in August. With some extreme sun and a little rain, it still looks the same as when I applied it. The finish is still slick, water beads right up, dust does not stick to it.
This not polish it, but leaves a protective finish. It brightened it up and made it look very close to new. This is on a 46 year old bus, so something is better than nothing. I've tried brake fluid, WD-40, PB Blaster, looks OK for a while but dust and dirt attract to it.
I'm very pleased with the result.
Quote from: Dreamscape on November 08, 2014, 04:32:49 AM... This not polish it, but leaves a protective finish. It brightened it up and made it look very close to new. This is on a 46 year old bus, so something is better than nothing. I've tried brake fluid, WD-40, PB Blaster, looks OK for a while but dust and dirt attract to it.
I'm very pleased with the result.
Perhaps similarly, I had fought "cloudy headlights" on my VW (03 Jetta TDI) for years - no amount of cleaning or polishing would last more than a few days. Then I bought a $6.95 kit at duh Waw*Mott -- it has a bit of polish to clean the lenses but basically it's a protective finish. When I painted it on, it completely covered the old scratches and hazing instantly and dried so that the lenses look like new (instructions said "Don't get wet for 12 hours" - glad I had a garage).
Six months later, perfect, still.
I don't know if it's the same kind of product (and although a lot of my body structure on the bus is aluminum, it's painted so I don't have aluminum to polish) but this headlight stuff is like magic. If what you used is like that, it's likely to be good and last a long time.
I'm curious if my aluminum sides that were painted by PO can be successfully stripped and polished.
I'm going to ask a silly question... how do I know if I have raw aluminum, polished aluminum, or anodized aluminum?
Your 4107 is anodized.>>>Dan (And extremely hard to remove)