oxidized nightmare!!

[donavin629]

Re: oxidized nightmare!!

Did that RV have heavy oxidation.. before you started if you were to wipe your hand would it be covered in a white chalky powder? and i did get mine much better than it was.. but am i asking to much to get it as good as i get my cars? is it possible to get gel coat that has not been really taken care of to look like auto paint after restoring? thanks for the help

[Maserati Mario]

Re: oxidized nightmare!!

Thanks Maserati Mario!

Your welcome!

BTW, what was I doing wrong in posting the pictures? I selected the "insert image" icon and pasted the address for the picture.

When you go to paste your link you forgot to erase the http:// when you pasted the link, it's a common mistake.
I don't upload my pics here, it's to hard for me.
I use photobucket.com, it's just waaaaaay easier for me.

[Poki]

Re: oxidized nightmare!!

donavin, many/most RVs other than those with "full body paint" are not painted or clearcoated. That being the case, it is impossible to attaine the same gloss you can get on your cars. Sun and elements are brutal on gelcoat which is a totally different finish than painted autos. It will also take more frequent details to keep it looking decent.

[donavin629]

Re: oxidized nightmare!!

thanks for the info barry.. its still gonna bother the hell out of me that i cant achieve the same results as cars and newer RVs.. im still on a mission to figure it out.. if i have to try a million products.. i will . lol.. i got plenty of test dummies at the shop so.. doesnt hurt to try.

[beeser]

Re: oxidized nightmare!!

Did that RV have heavy oxidation.. before you started if you were to wipe your hand would it be covered in a white chalky powder? and i did get mine much better than it was.. but am i asking to much to get it as good as i get my cars? is it possible to get gel coat that has not been really taken care of to look like auto paint after restoring? thanks for the help

No, the white chalky surface did not wipe off on my hand. The top was definitely worse than the sides and got significantly better further down. It was obvious with the amount of build-up on the foam pads that gelcoat material was being removed. I'm not a professional but it seemed to me that what I had was medium to light oxidation. I'm beginning to believe that once gelcoat oxidation reaches a certain point nothing can be done short of applying new gelcoat to achieve that new-like wet shine. That is not to say that the finish can't be substantially improved. Fortunately in my case most of the areas were brought back to a high lustre (see pics 1 & 2) but I suspect the chemical cleaners in #49 Oxidation Remover had more of role in that than the abrasives.

[Poki]

Re: oxidized nightmare!!

What you were removing was oxidation, not gelcoat. Gelcoat is like a paint fiberglass liquid that is typically sprayed into a mold then glassed over. The end result on the RV is a reverse process. So, you can't reapply gelcoat. You could have the entire unit painted and clear coated and that is really the ONLY way to achieve an automotive type finish...and one that will last. This costs thousands of dollars depending on number of colors, graphics and number of coats of clear...sanding in between each coat. Also, typically the roof of an RV is manufactured in a different process with different fiberglass products than the sidewalls. The roof will almost always oxidize much worse than the sides. A good fix for the roof is to wash it and apply 2 coats of Mop n Glow floor polish. This will seal it and slow the oxidation considerably. Monaco (one of the largest RV mfgrs) recommends this for their fiberglass roofs.

[beeser]

Re: oxidized nightmare!!

The roof and bottom are the same material as the sides. It's constructed like a clam shell with the two halves joined together at the walls mid height.

But isn't the oxidation actually gelcoat that has decomposed on the surface?

Now I'm curious, why can't gelcoat be sprayed or applied over existing gelcoat. It doesn't seem practical on large areas, especially if there are somewhat better alternatives, but isn't this what is done on small gelcoat repairs? I understand it is usually brushed on in those circumstances but why couldn't it also be sprayed?

[Poki]

Re: oxidized nightmare!!

Might be best to seek the advice of a shop in the fiberblass repair business. There are those that specialize in RV repairs. Technology is constantly moving ahead and there are probably methods out there that many of us in the RV industry are not aware of.

[donavin629]

Re: oxidized nightmare!!

i actually work at an RV repair shop.. the shop forman told me a did a great job. and when i showed him the blotchy parts.. his words were. your not gonna get these things to look like your cars.. lol.. i would like to prove him wrong.... i guess just more research and product testing... megs is my next line to test out.. again i have plenty of RVs to work on in austin texas so.. i will keep you updated when i try out meg products.