KatieB
Well Known Member
Someday I want a polished airplane. As Tony Spicer said, "One polished airplane per lifetime is the right number." Or something like that. I hope to polish at least part of my old -3. The problem is, over the 30 years the pieces have been stored, moved & kicked around, there are some pretty deep scratches here and there in the skins, particularly the wing leading edges. Most of the parts are in surprisingly good shape for their age, but there are some areas on big pieces where I worry. There are no blue vinyl coverings, either. And of course there are the inevitable scratches that happen during the course of construction. Van emphasizes polishing out EVERY scratch in his instructions, enough to the point that I think he must have a good reason for it.
Question for those who have polished their airplanes: How deep of a scratch in .025 or .032 2024 alclad sheet is too deep to polish out with a Nuvite type polish? Going a step further, how deep is deep enough to threaten the structural integrity, even for a painted airplane? When should a builder cough up the dough for a new skin?
Question for those who have polished their airplanes: How deep of a scratch in .025 or .032 2024 alclad sheet is too deep to polish out with a Nuvite type polish? Going a step further, how deep is deep enough to threaten the structural integrity, even for a painted airplane? When should a builder cough up the dough for a new skin?