OK I know this is prob a worn out subject But Im getting ready to start my polish project on my 170A....I looked on the nuvite site and it has some great info.....I was planning on doing just like the site says....but I was wondering if all of the steps mentioned were nessecary My aircraft skin is not all that bad but it is slightly pitted on the top parts....nothing you can feel it just has alot of black dots all over it...........should I use a buffer with f7 nuvite then the cyclo polisher with f7 then the cyclo polisher with a super fine I guess I should make this post after tomorrow when I go out and give these steps a shot......
I recently finished my first polish job using Nuvite I'm happy with the results. My airplane had not been polished in years and needed a lot of work. I figure that I put in about 80 hours for the first polish, including repolishing it when it came back from the paint shop.
For the most part I had the best luck compounding with G6, polish with G6 and then polish with S. Every skin is a little different, and I would alternate between G6 and F7 depending on the results. You just have to experiment. If your skin feels like smooth glass, you could try going right to polish.
When compounding, use a buffer that that has a low speed. The one Nuvite sells on their site works well and is inexpensive. It's easy to burn the skin and leave permanent marks if you use to much speed on the buffer. The pad also seems to "bite" better at lower speeds. The pads Nuvite sells are cheaper than the ones from perfect polish, but don't last as long. I'm still learning and every time I polish I learn something new. More good information is available at http://www.perfectpolish.com .
Man you got that right.......I worked on a two by tow area for about 3 hours and it still looks the same I used a compound buffer with a wool pad and nuvite f7.....It put a shine on it but didnt seem to do any cutting..........the top of my plane has all of these black dot looking things all over it.....I assume it is some type of surface corrosion.......you cant feel the dots but by god you sure can see them.....and I have not been able to polish them out................. I am going to try and call nuvite and see what they have to say......
tailpilot wrote:Man you got that right.......I worked on a two by tow area for about 3 hours and it still looks the same I used a compound buffer with a wool pad and nuvite f7.....It put a shine on it but didnt seem to do any cutting..........the top of my plane has all of these black dot looking things all over it.....I assume it is some type of surface corrosion.......you cant feel the dots but by god you sure can see them.....and I have not been able to polish them out................. I am going to try and call nuvite and see what they have to say......
Welcome to the wonderful world of polished airplanes!!
The sales rep from Nuvite is very helpful, but there is no way around it, it takes a lot of work. I find that the G6 makes the initial "cut" better than the F7. I have also used the F9, but found that it takes more work to to get out the scratches than it's worth. You don't really get rid of the pitting by compounding, you just round off the edges and polish the inside of the pitts. I have had good luck on area's of heavy pitting and paint removal using a green Scotch Bright pad (rub very lightly by hand), followed by G6.
Happy polishing!
jc
Last edited by jcraver on Thu Sep 02, 2004 4:07 pm, edited 3 times in total.
You can search this forum and find past postings on polishing. I follow the Perfect Polish method and get great results. Be carefull not to get too aggressive. Sounds like the above posts have produced similiar results that I have seen. I use F7, C and S. Those seem to work real well for me. Feel free to email me if you have other polishing questions.
I tried every brand of polish and I like Nuvite the best if you've got a lot of restoration to do. I started with their sampler kit with G6, F7, C, and S. It's gonna be a long time before I need the S!. Every plane is different and even different skins respond differently. My plane accumulated a lot of water corrosion that I'm removing. I use the Perfect Polish method: I use an 18Volt 1/2 chuck cordless Dewalt drill with a wool pad, and the slowest speed. I find C grade is usually the best to remove light corrosion, but occasionally I get an area where F7 works better. Whichever grade is used it's important to use very little, and to frequently clean the pad. After going over a 2' X 2' area about 3 times, it is nearly a mirror. In about an hour I've discharged 3 batteries. Before leaving I apply a coat of carnuba wax to the newly polished area. It removes any remaining polish residue (less messy than flour) and keeps the polish looking good. I like the system - its just that when you are polishing the 170 airframe seems the size of a 747!
HAVING OWNED '93D FOR OVER 30 YEARS AND POLISHID IF FAITHFULLY EVERY YEAR FOR THE FIRST TEN YEARS I FIND THE SHINE HAS WORN OFF POLISHING! PUN INTENDED THE LAST TEN YEARS IT HAS GOTTEN POLISHED TWICE! DUE TO MANY CHANGES IN MY DIRECTIONS I MUCH PREFER TO FLY, FISH F------ * THAN POLISH (*OK GUYS IT STANDS FOR FIDDLE AS IN GIT FIDDLE OR FIDDLE AROUND )
JIM BEYER OF FAYETTEVILLE TENNESEE DASHED MY HOPES OF EVER GETTING THE "BEST ORIGINAL" WHEN I SAW HIS PRISTINE TOTALLY ORIGINAL POLISHED '52 AT GUNTERSVILLE, AL. WE TALKED A GOOD DEAL ABOUT TACTICS AND DIFFERENT STUFF WE BOTH USED. IF YOU CALL HIM HE WILL MOST CERTAINLY HAVE LOTS OF GOOD ADVICE FOR YOU. THAT "COCKEY"* RUSS FARRIS, OVER IN SC, ALSO HAS ONE OF THE NICE SILVER AND RED THINGYS. (* I LOVE HIM THAS WHY I KIN JIVE HIM! )
I ADMIRE THEIR DEDICATION BUT MOST OF ALL I LOVE THE FEEL OF SMOOTH SKIN AFTER IT'S POLISHED. PROBLEM IS SO DO MOST FOLKS WHO WALK UP AND PUT SWEATY PALMS ON WHAT JUST TOOK YOU HOURS OF GRITTY WORK TO GET THAT WAY. OLE GAR SEZ "KEEP A GUN HANDY AND POP THEM SUKERS IFN THEY TOUCH THE BIRD"!
OLE GAR SEZ - 4 Boats, 4 Planes, 4 houses. I've got to quit collecting!
I really find it funny how people want to feel the polished airplanes. Fly into Oshkosh and park next to all those pretty airplanes and people wont touch the amazing red paint on the Howard DGA or Staggerwing but they walk right up and touch the polished parts on my 170!! Because I am an easy going guy I just kindly ask them not to touch then grab a rag to remove the prints and smudges. Do you think it is other 170 owners that are in on some big joke? "Hey... watch this... lets all smudge his polish job and then go hide in the trees so we can see how long it takes for him to polish it up again!"
But Im getting ready to start my polish project on my 170A....I looked on the nuvite site and it has some great info.....I was planning on doing just like the site says....but I was wondering if all of the steps mentioned were nessecary 
My aircraft skin is not all that bad but it is slightly pitted on the top parts....nothing you can feel it just has alot of black dots all over it...........should I use a buffer with f7 nuvite then the cyclo polisher with f7 then the cyclo polisher with a super fine 
I used a compound buffer with a wool pad and nuvite f7.....It put a shine on it but didnt seem to do any cutting..........the top of my plane has all of these black dot looking things all over it.....I assume it is some type of surface corrosion.......you cant feel the dots but by god you sure can see them.....and I have not been able to polish them out................. 
THE LAST TEN YEARS IT HAS GOTTEN POLISHED TWICE! DUE TO MANY CHANGES IN MY DIRECTIONS I MUCH PREFER TO FLY, FISH F------ * THAN POLISH (*OK GUYS IT STANDS FOR FIDDLE AS IN GIT FIDDLE OR FIDDLE AROUND 
)
) 
Do you think it is other 170 owners that are in on some big joke? "Hey... watch this... lets all smudge his polish job and then go hide in the trees so we can see how long it takes for him to polish it up again!" 
