man314
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1964 Shasta 16-SC
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Post by man314 on Apr 26, 2018 17:15:52 GMT -8
I’m doing a total reskin on my 64 Shasta SC. Bought my aluminum from Hemet Valley. Guy said it’s an automotive quality polar white finish. Got me wondering if I’m careful to not scratch it up while installing, could a person just polish the z stripe, paint the lower half, leave the top polar white, and just clear coat over the entire thing (vs scuffing white, painting white over white, then clear coating?)
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Post by vikx on Apr 26, 2018 19:30:00 GMT -8
I don't think the clear coat will stick to the polar white. It's pretty slick. We've painted it most of the time, involving scruffing and prepping. My 58 Cardinal stayed white and it was very pretty.
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Apr 27, 2018 4:57:22 GMT -8
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man314
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Post by man314 on Apr 29, 2018 4:09:23 GMT -8
My 58 Cardinal stayed white and it was very pretty. By saying “it stayed white and was pretty” on your Cardinal, do you mean on that trailer you just left it polar white as it was coated from Hemment and it stayed looking good (ie no need to clear coat)? I do do like that shade of white. Any issues with scratching or durability? Did it stay glossy? If so, I might reconsider my paint strategy
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man314
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Post by man314 on Apr 29, 2018 4:29:36 GMT -8
That’s Exactly what I want to do and BTW, AWESOME write Up! Few questions: - How has the durability held up on the polar white “factory coating”? - Did you use any kind of seam sealer before you put J rail on? I got the impression that it was good to do so, but that I’d need paint to cover (ie not clear) Again, awesome work and thanks for taking the time to so clearly document!
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Apr 29, 2018 5:58:06 GMT -8
That’s Exactly what I want to do and BTW, AWESOME write Up! Few questions: - How has the durability held up on the polar white “factory coating”? - Did you use any kind of seam sealer before you put J rail on? I got the impression that it was good to do so, but that I’d need paint to cover (ie not clear) Again, awesome work and thanks for taking the time to so clearly document! The polar white seems to be holding up fine. But the PPG paint seems more durable. How durable does it need to be, that is the question. I did not use the seam sealer but I did use some gutter sealer in key areas that seemed more susceptible to water leaking in and over the staples. The 1 inch wide putty tape did a good job sealing. I use a double layer of putty tape at the vent and the front & back window.
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Post by vikx on Apr 29, 2018 19:26:13 GMT -8
I did the same as NC. The Cardinal looked great and so far the Interstate polar white is still looking good. We normally have to scruff and prep because of the patterns. It's easier to paint the polar white than try to be super exact when going with a pattern.
I also seal the staple divots and any other iffy areas with OSI Gutter seal. (super clear, comes in a small tube at Lowes) Very sparing and smooth with a paint thinner dipped finger. I often do it twice to be sure I didn't miss any flaws. It's so clear it's hard to see.
Once I'm confident with the result, the J rail is installed with putty. Happy so far, no leaks.
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on May 1, 2018 13:17:16 GMT -8
Single stage automotive paint is what should be used if you are going to paint your trailer. The polar white that the metal comes with scratches fairly easy. So you may want to paint over it. The reason for single stage paint with no clear coat is advised is because a clear coat makes it very hard to repair scratches. You can just buff out a scratch with single stage paint.
Something everyone should be made aware of is that for some reason, (probable EPA crap) the manufacturers of the metal skin changed their formula for the clear coat on the back side. Mill finish side. Now, because of the change, if exposed to sunlight, within 6 months it begins to peel. So if you are thinking of a mill finish for your trailer you can't do it anymore. I don't know what the answer is to this problem. I'm thinking that if I want a mill finish trailer I will use RAW aluminum and etch it, then clear coat it. I have no idea how that would work though.
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man314
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Post by man314 on May 1, 2018 15:21:53 GMT -8
Is this true of the aluminum J rails that ship with it? I was thinking of leaving them mill finish. Since I’m doing single stage with no clear coat, am I asking for trouble? Ie Maintenance and cleaning / polishing wise? No worse than window frames?
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on May 1, 2018 16:07:03 GMT -8
Is this true of the aluminum J rails that ship with it? I was thinking of leaving them mill finish. Since I’m doing single stage with no clear coat, am I asking for trouble? Ie Maintenance and cleaning / polishing wise? No worse than window frames? I have no idea. Never occurred to me to ask. But I don't believe that the J Rail has anything on it anyhow. I think it is raw. I have welded J rail with Alumi-Weld and I didn't see any coating. On mill finish you see it when you heat it up. But don't take my word for it. I really don't know for sure and now I want to ask Steve about that. I've never polished the J Rails. I just put them on raw but cleaned with alcohol. That gets all the oxidation off and they look great.
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Post by vikx on May 1, 2018 21:14:14 GMT -8
I have "mill" coated finish on the front of my 54 Bellwood but it hasn't been exposed to bright sun for long periods of time. I believe the build was completed 5 or 6 years ago. Interstate is now selling mill finish aluminum rather than coated mill finish.
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on May 2, 2018 5:17:10 GMT -8
I have "mill" coated finish on the front of my 54 Bellwood but it hasn't been exposed to bright sun for long periods of time. I believe the build was completed 5 or 6 years ago. Interstate is now selling mill finish aluminum rather than coated mill finish. This just happened a year ago Vikx so you are OK. And Steve will sell it to you but you must sign a waiver that he told you about it and you are still going to use it against his advice so you don't sue him later. That's what happened. Someone sued him over it. I saw photos of the trailer that used the mill side. It was horrible looking. I may still have that photo. I'll look and see if I can find it. I think Interstate has always sold raw mill finish haven't they? And what I need to know is how do we keep the oxidation down without some kind of coating???
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Post by vikx on May 2, 2018 20:34:49 GMT -8
Interstate was selling the coated "mill" finish but finally moved on to real mill finish. That was a few years ago. I would think a light coat of wax would protect the raw metal. Aircraft aluminum is so different than what we can get today. Tough stuff...
As said before, I can't deal with Steve because he won't email. I'm not able to hear on the phone.
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Poquito
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Post by Poquito on May 3, 2018 4:31:03 GMT -8
Interstate was selling the coated "mill" finish but finally moved on to real mill finish. That was a few years ago. I would think a light coat of wax would protect the raw metal. Aircraft aluminum is so different than what we can get today. Tough stuff... As said before, I can't deal with Steve because he won't email. I'm not able to hear on the phone. It was suggested to me to wax my new camper aluminum. All the wax products I have found have been for painted surfaces (like a car). So I'm at a loss. I thought, hmm.., wax paint, polish metal? Does anyone have a suggestion for a wax product for mill finish aluminum? Thanks, Poquito
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Post by vikx on May 3, 2018 21:16:15 GMT -8
Vicx polishes his eyebrows to a chrome like shine with buffing compound. Then he uses car wax to protect them. Not sure on mill, but most waxes should work to protect bare metal.
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