Waxing and Abrasives

[Glenn Baglo]

I protect the trailer from the ladder with these foam pads. They are similar to pipe insulation, with a slit down the length so they are easy to attach to the ladder, and remove.
These were actually packing material for a Weber BBQ and are larger than pipe insulation I have seen at my local Rona.

[Francesca Knowles]

Side note per "protectors" pictured above:

I keep a couple of lengths of that foam pipe insulation in my kit and use it a LOT for protecting both trailer and tug from damage. It's real handy for straps, tiedowns, etc...when my awning's deployed, I stick a piece on the arm to protect my door from getting banged up.


A recommended addition to toolboxes, and a buck or two a four-foot stick!

Francesca

[stevebaz]

Yesterday I went through the Barkeepers friend cleaning and Zep floor wax routine. It took me 7 hours to clean the 13 foot scamp and 3 hours to apply 3 coats of wax. the results were really great. I have color sanded and buffed boats and cars before and have all the equipment and supplies to do it and chose the Zep method and this process was much easier and removed far less surface if any. Its tough work but not hard work. Not even close to the amount of work to using a buffer. I did it all by hand. I did not use an abrasive pad and would not use one. I am worn out, tired and sore today but the egg is sure shiny today.

[rabbit]

"I don't always use floor wax but when I do it's ZEP." What's next, Steve? Running a marathon because it's on the way?:

jack

[Francesca Knowles]

It takes ten hours to shine up a trailer????

I don't think it took me that long to hand colorsand my Falcon station wagon after I got done painting it!

The "clean, natural, matte finish" on my Trillium is lookin' better to me all the time...

Thanks, y'all!

Francesca

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

It takes ten hours to shine up a trailer????
I don't think it took me that long to hand colorsand my Falcon station wagon after I got done painting it!

yup no one who has actually done it has ever claimed that the RedMax/Zip floor wax approach was a real *quick* fix

[stevebaz]

Yea I could have done it the old way, probably faster sanding off a whole bunch of gelcoat removing stains and scratches and then sand off even more to get the rough surface smooth again, then color sand up to 1500 grit and then buff the crap out of it or I can open my eyes to a better preserative the floor wax/polymer coating provides and yea maybe 5 years down the road strip it off and put on some more but in the process totally stopping the wear on the gelcoat. Its mine and thats my choice as is your choice to leave your naked gelcoat exposed to the elements so the next owner may open their eyes and mind to new ideas and try to protect their egg for future generations to come. If people kept their minds closed we would all still be in a tent.

[Night Sailor]

Gel coat is thick. You should polish it every year and wax it. I frequently sand get coat to remove stains--taking care to remove the minimum. Wax is used to prevent staining.

[Francesca Knowles]

Don't get me wrong, Steve (and others)-

I'm not saying any of what y'all go through to shine things up is a bad idea- just that I'm too lazy to do it.

Each to his own!

Francesca

[Jared J]

Originally Posted by Night Sailor

Gel coat is thick. You should polish it every year and wax it. I frequently sand get coat to remove stains--taking care to remove the minimum. Wax is used to prevent staining.

Mine sure isn't. I block sanded where my decals were, as that area was very raised up, so it had a lot of wear. After that, a cleaning with bar keepers friend, very very fine meguiars polish (#1?), and then floor waxed it. Even at that, I went through it in two spots. No way I would polish every year.

If you're willing to do that every year to keep an old camper up, why not floor wax every five years?

[honda03842]

Francesca,

Today when we left our site around 5Pm I could see the reflection of the palm trees on our Scamp. Here we are two years after Red Maxxing our rig and it still shines beautifully after just one application. The most amazing thing, even after years on the road it still shines beautifully without further application of Red Max.

It's worth the one time effort. Once I cleaned our rig, totally dependent on it's condition, it took me about 3 hours to give it four coats, 3 easy hours because no buffing is required.