Polished Aluminum RV
 

Curious, has anyone left their RV polished aluminum with some stripes like the Globe Swift? I know you would need to paint the fiberglass silver (maybe powder coated aluminum?). I recently saw a Swift and was reminded of how elegant nice polished aluminum can be.

Take a look here:

http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...ad.php?t=16744

Polished RV
 

Scroll down to post #5 to see what my polished -9A looks like in the following link: http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...ight=Jim+ellis

A buddy did it to his 8, then later painted the wings silver, to cut down on the reflection/glare.

I Like It!!
 

Great pictures. I didn't know there were so many out there. The polished RV is the way to go for me; cheap, light, attractive, and I'm a little OC on polishing things.

Regarding a melted canopy, I recall from other posts the plexiglass forming temp is about 350 degrees +/-. I don't doubt the account, but I wonder if there was much ventilation inside the cockpit.

Jim, I really like the paint scheme on your RV.

Thanks for the replies!

JMHO...
 

There?s nothing more beautiful than a polished aluminum aircraft. I owned a PT-22 with a polished aluminum fuselage. It was a lot of work keeping it looking good. I won?t get into the best polishes or techniques to use except for using cornmeal. Sprinkling a little cornmeal over a freshly polished surface and using a clean soft cotton cloth will help remove the black oxidation residue around rivet head crevices and lap joints.

Along with the many public adulations you will receive, you will also find many admiring fingerprints on your freshly polished surfaces. Only you will appreciate the agony of removing those prints. Also, the friendly little rain shower passing by will leave you with a billion watermarks requiring a complete do over of your polish job.

Polished aluminum is high upkeep. It becomes a love ? hate process. During my last year of -22 ownership I hired a person to maintain the aluminum.

Best of luck with your decision to go ?polished?.

Regards,

Build the aircraft first and then make the choice. The quality of the rivetting will undoubtedly influence your final decision. ;)

Yes, Tom, there definitely are some drawbacks to going polished. But I really like the understated look of the polished skin with some simple striping as with the Globe Swift.

Bob, you are so right.

I just got back from a PPG /DELTRON painting class in Atlanta. Although the class was about "paint", I did find out there is a way to solution the polished aluminum look.

There is a product from Mathew's Paint called Adhesion Promoter. It is a clear material that is sprayed over the polished aluminum, then top coated with clear coat. It appears to be used in the sign industry.

I have not tried this product or process, so I can not comment on its performance, look, or durability. I gave up on the polished aluminum look after it took me 8 hours to polish just the turtle deck portion of my -6A. I did not know of the Mathew's option at the time, so decided to go the paint rout.