Gel Coat polishing process

[Hemin8r]

I just met a guy today that has a 40' RV trailer with a gel coat finish and some vinyl graphics and he wants me to polish out all the vertical surfaces. This is the first time I'll be trying out the marine line products and I want to be sure I'm using the correct products.
The surface is flat and seems to be lightly oxidized. I surveyed the RV at night & I didn't have my Xenon light with me so I didn't notice any severe swirls or scratches. It's been about 1 year since the owner has polished & waxed the surface. Not sure if it was even done properly. This is what I'm planning on using but please correct me if I'm wrong.

- The RV will be washed by the owner & will be ready for me to begin
polishing.
- I'll start out with #M-4916 Heavy Duty Oxidation Remover using W-8006 on
G110
- Finish off with M-5032 One Step Cleaner/ Wax also with W-8006 on G110

This thing is huge & it'll just be me and I would like to avoid doing the 3 step process due to time but would still like a good shine. Does my process seem about right? Comments & suggestions highly welcomed.

[hot rod]

Re: Gel Coat polishing process

Might want to use the rotary first then the p.c . I like to use the one step # 67 , with the rotary . Then just put on some wax with th p.c.

[Hemin8r]

Re: Gel Coat polishing process

Might want to use the rotary first then the p.c . I like to use the one step # 67 , with the rotary . Then just put on some wax with th p.c.

I was thinking of getting the G110 only because it has a bit more power/torque than the PC. Since I'll be high up on a ladder at times I figured the rotory would be a bit awkward while trying to balance myself on the ladder. I may have to do a test spot with the G110 first & see how satisfactory it is. I'll have to grab a bottle of #67 & try that out as well. Thanks hot rod.

[monteith]

Re: Gel Coat polishing process

Depends on what kind of RV it is. If it is just lightly oxidized, use you rotory with the one step. Buff it at 2200 rpm, will come out beautiful. I been detailing rv for alot of years, they are easier than cars. The heavy duty might be too much, unless it is really oxidized

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Gel Coat polishing process

We have personally only buffed out for money one Motorhome, it had a gel-coat finish and after this one Motorhome we decided to focus on cars and mostly special interest cars.

That said, the rotary will make quick work of oxidation on gel-coat but can tend to leave holograms if not followed by a secondary step. On tan and white gel-coats it's not real noticeable so you can get away with it however if you're not comfortable with the idea of potentially leaving swirls in the finish then you can opt for the DA Polisher.

Our new G110 has much more power to keep the pad rotating than the Porter Cable Unit, with this extra power that translates into rotating power on the surface, you could try using this tool and a strong cleaner/wax.

The result would be to remove the oxidation, leave a high gloss protected finish without any swirls. Because our cleaner/waxes do a great job of cleaning and polishing and waxing all in one step, this means besides washing the Motorhome you only have to go around it one more time using a cleaner/wax, not multiple steps. This saves you time and energy and will maximize your profit.

Something to consider.

[Hemin8r]

Re: Gel Coat polishing process

Saturday night I went ahead and placed an order for some #M-4916 Heavy Duty Oxidation remover and some #M-5032 Cleaner Wax along with the G110 for the exact same reason you mentioned Mike. Since I'll be working on this trailer in about 2 weeks I figured it would give me a chance to do a test spot to make sure my combination will work. The color is white so I think that helps out a bit. I'm going to start out with the G110, W-8006, and the M-4916 & go from there.

[97t-bird]

Re: Gel Coat polishing process

Saturday night I went ahead and placed an order for some #M-4916 Heavy Duty Oxidation remover and some #M-5032 Cleaner Wax along with the G110 for the exact same reason you mentioned Mike. Since I'll be working on this trailer in about 2 weeks I figured it would give me a chance to do a test spot to make sure my combination will work. The color is white so I think that helps out a bit. I'm going to start out with the G110, W-8006, and the M-4916 & go from there.

Give 83, adn 66 a try and as a pure polish thats excellent on gel coat 3....You may be surprised 66 works great if you have to cut in anywere by hand with a terry towel

[Hemin8r]

Re: Gel Coat polishing process

Is 83 ok to use on gel coat? I thought I read somewhere that I shouldn't use paint polish on a gel coat surface.

[hot rod]

Re: Gel Coat polishing process

You will have no problem using 83 on gel coat. It just wont work to well if the gel coat is in bad shape.

[Hemin8r]

Re: Gel Coat polishing process

You will have no problem using 83 on gel coat. It just wont work to well if the gel coat is in bad shape.

I'll give 83 a shot as well. The trailer doesn't look too bad in condition just a little oxidated. Maybe on Friday I can stop by the owners house so I can do a test spot & take some pix.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Gel Coat polishing process

Ideally you want to do one step to something this large, so if possible, test out a cleaner/wax with a W-7006 foam cutting pad on the 5.0 setting


We usually don't recommend using a cutting pad with DA Polisher when working on clear coat paints because clear coat paints are scratch sensitive and cutting pads tend to haze the surface of a clear coat finish but gel-coats are much less sensitive and a lot more forgiving to work on, so you might try the above combo and see if you can get the results you want and only have to make one 'good' pass around the RV

[Hemin8r]

Re: Gel Coat polishing process

Well I just received some product and finally my own G110. If the G110 is not enough on the gel coat I will then have to move on to the rotory. Now that I have the product I can schedule for a test spot.

[3800rs]

Re: Gel Coat polishing process

could you say the #50 cleaner wax is similar to #83 dacp ?