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Comment by Jerry Latimer on April 3, 2011 at 7:53pm

Thanks for the

comments.

I've spent around 400 hours polishing the aircraft. Probably 100 of the hours have been experimenting with different techniques or materials. What I believe is the best way now is:
1. Use Nuvite F9 with a wool bonnet and a variable speed polisher to remove the heavy oxidation. This is the most difficult and dirtiest part of the procedure. Depending on the condition of the bare aluminum you will use 4 to 9 passes with F9.
2. Next use Nuvite C grade with a wool bonnet and variable speed polisher. This step goes much faster. This step removes the scratches/swirl marks caused by the F9.
3. Next use Nuvite C grade but this time with a random orbital polisher and either a really soft flannel or cut up an old sweatshirt and use it for polishing. I went through all the flannel at a local fabric store and selected the softest that I could find. I think that the sweatshirt material works best, but it is close.
4. Next use Nuvite S grade with the random orbital polisher and either flannel or sweatshirt material. This step goes really fast.
5. Now what I learned at Copperstate. Use Magic MIx Metal Polish. I purchased it from http://www.topoftheline.com/magmixalpol.html . Use a random orbital polisher and flannel/sweatshirt material. Unlike Nuvite you allow the Magic Mix to dry on the surface of the aluminum. If you allow the Nuvite dry it is really difficult to remove. The drier the Magic Mix becomes the easier it is to remove.

The paint I used was a rattle can bought in Home Depot Aviation Department.  It was Rustoleum metallic titanium.  The paint I liked the best (I tried 8 different types) was the one in the can that can be sprayed from any angle.  I also used a Rustoleum clear coat that had UV protection additives to cover the color coat.

The elevator stops were just some scrap .125 aluminum that I had.  I drilled 2  quarter inch holes and put some stiff quarter inch ID tubing through them.  I don't remember the dimensions that I used but it isn't critical.  I had some scraps of tubing laying around and just found some that was stiff but soft enough to harm the aluminum. 

The same design can be used for the ailerons.  For the aileron stop, I just hook my seat belt shoulder harness over the center Y-stick.  That seems to hold the ailerons centered pretty well.

Hope that helps anyone who is interested.
Jerry

Comment by Mack P. Kreizenbeck on April 3, 2011 at 12:45pm

Jerry,

Beautiful bird!

Thanks for sharing the pix -- the B-17 is a great contrast.

Nothing prettier than a polished plane!

Three questions:

What type of polish and how long did it take?

What brand of paint and color code to get the silver match? the best match that I have seen!

Elevator gust stops -- would you be willing to share the design?

Also, do you have special designed aileron gust stop?

Mack