If your Airstream is from the mid 60’s or later, you have a plasticoat that needs to be removed before polishing. In my case, the plasticoat was peeling off the top and some of the sides.
It is not very difficult to remove, but it is messy. Many people online have suggested using a product called Eldorado paint stripper but its very expensive and needs to be ordered. You can use any paint stripper that is safe for aluminum and it will work just fine. I used this product (below) that I found at Home Depot. Two cans will likely be enough for my 31 foot Land Yacht.
Use a paintbrush, it applies in a clear gel form. Wear rubber gloves as it is obviously very corrosive and you want to avoid skin contact. Apply it liberally and let it sit for about 20 minutes or so. You will see the plasticoat start to bubble up almost immediately. Below is another photo showing the plasticoat corroding from the roof, but it is still completely in tact along the sides. It all has to be removed for a proper polish to take effect.
You can remove the paint stripper with a power washer, or in my case, since we are way out at a workshop in the country with no running water, you can also just scrape it off with a plastic scrapper. This is the messy part.
Below is a photo of one of the large side panels. You can see the aluminum in the foreground and the clear outline of where plasticoat remains. It is a very noticeable difference and will bring up a slight shine to your Airstream before you even begin the multi-stage polishing process.
Once your plasticoat is removed, you are ready to start polishing but you will need several things first.
- A variable speed polisher. Both the Dewalt DWP849X and the Makita 9227 are good choices. I went with the Dewalt. Use it on a low speed.
A polishing pad. You will need to get all wool, I found them at Napa Auto Parts for $20.00 They can be washed in the washing machine, but likely you will still need a couple of them.
A polishing spur, helps clean and maintain the life of your pad.
Nuvite Aluminum polish. It is widely regarded as the best on the market. There are quite a few grades to select from depending on the condition of your aluminum. Grade F9 is very coarse and is the first stage to be applied if your aluminum needs major repair. In my case, I will follow it up with grade C (medium) and then finally grade S (very fine) will give it the mirror shine. Grade S needs to be applied with an orbital polisher and not the variable speed that was mentioned before. There is an orbital polisher on the market called the Cyclo that supposedly does a great job but it is ridiculously priced..somewhere around $400 dollars, so any cheap $25.00 dollar Canadian Tire special with an old cotton sheet or t-shirt around the buffer will work just as well but may take longer.
Vintage Trailer Supply has a really good selection of polishing tools and the Nuvite polish. Here is a link:
If the aluminum has heavy pitting or scratches, it may be necessary to use 600 grit sandpaper before polishing. If you do not sand out the damage, it will appear even darker and more obvious once the polish is applied. It is possible to polish it out with many many passes, however the polish is expensive and sanding is faster.
Below you can see the swirled areas are where I have used the sandpaper. Once you apply the Nuvite F9 polish, it immediately makes a huge difference – note the shiny area in the second photo.
This is after just one pass with the F9. It should be very clear which parts are polished.
You may have to touch up some missed spots with the sandpaper after the first pass. It will bring up imperfections that you may not have noticed before.
This is still after just one pass. I think this area will need another one at least, possibly 2.
The upper front of the Airstream was in very poor condition. Removing the clearcoat improves the appearance but even so, this is what I still had to work with on the front centre panel. The second photo shows where I have begun to sand.
This is what it looks like after applying the F9
And finally, after applying the other two polishes - you achieve the mirror like finish!
I recommend doing the entire trailer in one coat at a time before moving on to the finer polishes. This is a very time consuming process and therefore, it is not uncommon for companies to charge over $5,000.00 for polishing services alone on a trailer this size.