Middle of July 2002 and it's been in the upper 90's all week...

...I think I'll start stripping!

Actually, we're tired of looking at dull milky-splotchy trailer, so I decided to at least have a "shinier" splotchy trailer for our upcoming roadtrips!

We did a bit of research on which stripper we were going to use and had narrowed it down to a couple of different products...

Klean-Strip aerosol Aircraft Stripper,

Bix Stipper or Klean-Strip Liquid Aircraft Remover

click on pictures for webpage links

A couple of weeks ago we did a test strip, Rob tried the aerosol...

Before	Spray On...
After 10 mins., wipe off	After two applications...

We liked the way it works, but thought the aerosol was hard to control when applying, it dried out fast and we thought it was somewhat wasteful with all the airborn particles.

The splotches are still visible, as expected, because they are where the clearcoat failed and the skin has oxidized over the years. Overall though, Maxwell will be shinier than before stripping.

So this last weekend, while Rob trouble-shot the water heater, I decided to try the liquid brush-on form of the same product...

Before	Brush on...
After 1st coat...	After two coats

With both the aerosol spray & the brush-on liquid products, I found that timing was tricky in our dry climate, letting it & sit work versus it drying out too much to remove. If it did dry out, all I had to do is reapply more it softens up again.

For the best results, I used two semi-thick coats, only applied it to a 3' x 3' section at a time, let it sit & work about 5 minutes after applying - only long enough to go get a clean bucket of water & rinse out my rags...and I only worked in the shade in the morning or evening. My maximum work session was about two or three hours at a time...it was pretty laborious, besides, it was too hot or too dark any other time!

After using the Aircraft remover for a couple of sessions, I ran into a really difficult section and I wondered if the Bix would work better...so I decided to give it a try. I brushed it on, just like the Aircraft Remover...sorry, I didn't take any pictures as it was getting too dark.

In my opinion,   the Bix didn't work as well as either of the Klean-Strip products, at least with my clearcoat & conditions.  A couple of reasons...1) it was thinner - so it ran down the vertical surfaces more, 2) it was much stinkier, 3) it dried faster, 4) when I went to wipe it off, it softened the clearcoat fine, but there was a gooey mess that required not only a second coat, but a third coat as well to get it all off...

Bottomline...I'll stick with the liquid Aircraft Remover.

Tip: Be sure to follow all label instructions. Especially about wearing gloves & using eye protection! This stuff really burns your skin on contact, not blister-burns, just uncomfortable hot-spots. The good news is the burning goes away when area is washed with clear-clean water. It might be worse if you have sensitive skin...I don't and it bothered me.

I found the Klean-Strip products at Auto Zone...the liquid Aircraft Remover was $19.99 per gallon and I don't remember how much the aerosol was, I think it was $6.99 for the 18 ounce spray can. And for comparison sake, the Bix can be purchased at Home Depot for $16.99 a gallon.

Update: I'm done stripping, it took about 22 hours...and a bit less than 2 gallons of the Aircraft stripper for our 19-footer.

The only way I know to get rid of the splotchy, discoloration is to buff & polish....which will be next, but not until spring!

Always Practice Safe Stripping!

Okay...so it's been awhile since I've updated this page, so here it is ~ it's March 2005 and we are just waiting for the tempurature to get above 60-degrees to do our annual 'touch-up' so, here's the long overdue update on our polishing!

So, we are not going to win any records for the fastest polish job...but it is being done very methodically using Nuvite products, first with a Milwaukee compounder then with a Cyclo-polisher.  We are basically using the method shown on the Perfect Polish website no sense in re-writing the fabulous information there so, visit the link for details. 

We haven't documented every step...but the following are a couple of snapshots in time throughout the process

Right now, we are happy with the results, it's pretty shiny and each year, it'll get better and better with the touch-ups...after all, it is a process!