Poquito
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Post by Poquito on Jan 6, 2018 12:20:45 GMT -8
Hello all, I have been absent from the list because my carpentry skills were not great-I wasted lots of wood and decided it was time to call in a pro. So I packed up the trailer and parts and sent it off. I was relieved because I figured I would get my custom camper done right. We just had a conversation on the design/build and was informed the aluminum that he picked up last spring for my camper is bare aluminum. I will need advice on using this siding. He says it will either have to be waxed or painted. The ceiling aluminum has not been picked up yet. That would be white.
My thoughts: go with it to keep the cost down and have it painted by a local guy - if this is so - don't wax it right away right? Otherwise the wax will have to come off before painting.
Do a fancy stripe and leave the rest bare and wax it?
I don't think this is the shiny aluminum that is a mirror finish in the end. Isn't that a different kind of aluminum not bare right?
Should I just say no to the bare aluminum and insist on painted finish aluminum?
Thanks, Poquito
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Jan 6, 2018 15:01:33 GMT -8
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Poquito
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Post by Poquito on Jan 6, 2018 17:06:20 GMT -8
Ok, great NCCamper. If I want to get it painted don't wax and don't bother to flip the top. I'll have to consider weather to put on the trim to tow it back and remove it again for painting...
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Jan 6, 2018 18:33:36 GMT -8
FYI mill finish  Polished from Hemet Valley  |
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Post by Teachndad on Jan 6, 2018 23:19:44 GMT -8
Hey, that's John Palmer. Was that one of his?
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Jan 7, 2018 5:48:40 GMT -8
Hey, that's John Palmer. Was that one of his? Yes. He used Hemet Valley RV polished skin on the Mallard. I found the photo on another thread created by Larry. The downside of the polished skin is it's thinner than the .03 skin HVRV also sell. But I like the look of the polished. |
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lilwayne
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Post by lilwayne on Feb 1, 2021 17:12:23 GMT -8
Hi- I came across this post because I would like to figure out some siding solutions for my camper. I would like the bare unpolished look and not the shiny aluminum. Is the first picture above the white aluminum that you flipped to the outside to give it the bare look then you painted it? If the aluminum is reversed metal face on the outside is there anything that I need to do as far as coatings? or is there a coating that I would need to strip? I have was able to get an estimate from hemet rv for the polished variety. I am also trying to get prices for aluminum sheets to assemble it myself- but am unsure of what type of aluminum to look for. Especially after reading about anodized aluminum and clear coat options. |
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Feb 1, 2021 18:36:10 GMT -8
Yes, the mill finished side is the back of the white aluminum. The mill finish has an oily substance on it, or at least it felt that way to me. You could clean and wax it. The wax may change the look of the skin a little. I would experiment before I tried it on a large area.
The mill finish has almost a buffed look. If you get skin at Hemet Valley, tell Steve you want the mill finish side showing and he will reverse the brake. I usually get the .03 thickness which costs a little more but holds up much better.
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Post by wisconsinjoe on Feb 13, 2021 9:08:20 GMT -8
I kinda like the look of a clean, slightly polished (buffed with fine steel wool) bare aluminum finish, even if it is oxidized a bit. That's what I'm going for on my scratch build. If I want to paint it later, I always can.
However, I'm a bit worried about the lack of a reflective surface on the roof. Will a bare aluminum roof transfer a significant amount of heat inside, as opposed to a white painted roof? It will have 1.5 inches of solid foam insulation. If it is a problem, I'll paint the roof white. I'll probably also want to paint in a colored side stripe, or some sort of pattern, just to set it off as more than a bare aluminum finish.
It is interesting to think about waxing the bare aluminum when finished. Will that preserve the buffed mill finish I'm going for?
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Post by wisconsinjoe on Feb 13, 2021 9:24:30 GMT -8
I kinda like the look of a clean, slightly polished (buffed with fine steel wool) bare aluminum finish, even if it is oxidized a bit. That's what I'm going for on my scratch build. If I want to paint it later, I always can.
However, I'm a bit worried about the lack of a reflective surface on the roof. Will a bare aluminum roof transfer a significant amount of heat inside, as opposed to a white painted roof? It will have 1.5 inches of solid foam insulation. If it is a problem, I'll paint the roof white. I'll probably also want to paint in a colored side stripe, or some sort of pattern, just to set it off as more than a bare aluminum finish.
It is interesting to think about waxing the bare aluminum when finished. Will that preserve the buffed mill finish I'm going for?
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Feb 13, 2021 10:08:22 GMT -8
I've heard of people waxing the mill finish to avoid instant oxidizing but I'm not sure how long it will last. Mobiltec is having a clear coat sprayed on a camper with bare metal.
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ekimnamniets
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Post by ekimnamniets on Feb 13, 2021 12:47:41 GMT -8
Hey wisconsinjoe, there is a product on the market geared towards the street rod and custom car market. It's called "Zoop Seal". It's formulated for bare, or polished aluminum intake manifolds, wheels and such. I've not used it myself but it's supposed to be a good product. Pretty sure sure it's rubbed in then buffed back out. Supposedly seals out moisture and prevents aluminum from oxidizing. To borrow a quote "just a thought, didn't say it was a good one".
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