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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum Gear Forum Can you decently polish up a Grumman, and is it worth the effort? |
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04/21/2020 09:41AM
I would imagine it is like polishing your car, just add a clear coat, but I wouldn't do it. I have a Grumman that I love and had thoughts like that at first, but there is enough glare on the water as is. I don't want to be even more blinded around it. You would make that canoe that you are proud of into a literal eye sore.
04/22/2020 09:09AM
HowardSprague: "I've seen on some of those DIY Network, GAC etc RV restoration shows where they've polished up an old Airstream trailer and made it look pretty new. Can you do that with a Grumman? If so, how?
"
There are some videos on YouTube that show you how. Here's one.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kxOXSHA--U0
04/22/2020 11:05AM
A1t2o: "I would imagine it is like polishing your car"
As a professional detailer, I'll say that it is only like polishing a car in the simplest of terms. Polishing that much aluminum to a mirror-like finish will require different tools and materials than one would use on a car's paint and will require a tremendous amount of work.
04/28/2020 12:20PM
OldScout48: "Howard, if I were you I would just paint the whole canoe with a black primer and then pretend that its a carbon fiber kevlar canoe. Seems to work on a lot of 1990s cars here in Minnesota."
Hey not a bad idea
“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
04/29/2020 08:17AM
I would guess it’s just like polishing any other type of metal. Polish is just abrasive. You need to make scratches then Use finer abraisives to remove those scratches, then finer, etc...
I would think a RAndom orbital sander would be your go to. Start at 100 or 220 to remove years of wear and tear and work your way up. It’ll be insanely noisy! I’m not sure how high the grit goes on ROS sheets. But once you through that it’s probably hand sanding until your ready for buffing compound... seems like a LOT of work. But could be cool!
Test it on a piece of random scrap aluminum first...
I would think a RAndom orbital sander would be your go to. Start at 100 or 220 to remove years of wear and tear and work your way up. It’ll be insanely noisy! I’m not sure how high the grit goes on ROS sheets. But once you through that it’s probably hand sanding until your ready for buffing compound... seems like a LOT of work. But could be cool!
Test it on a piece of random scrap aluminum first...
04/29/2020 09:40PM
mschi772: "A1t2o: "I would imagine it is like polishing your car"
As a professional detailer, I'll say that it is only like polishing a car in the simplest of terms. Polishing that much aluminum to a mirror-like finish will require different tools and materials than one would use on a car's paint and will require a tremendous amount of work."
Listen to this guy he knows. If you are handy and have the tools and time go for it. Try to talk to an aircraft mechanic / restorer. They know aluminum.
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