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Topic: GEL COAT - CUTTING/POLISHING COMPOUND (Read 1415 times) previous topic - next topic

GEL COAT - CUTTING/POLISHING COMPOUND

I'm removing the decals on my coach and will follow with a buffing of the gel coat.
The gel coat is moderately oxidized.
My plan was to buff with Bar Keeps Friend. This was suggested by numerous members here.
Never haven done this before I'm looking for some clarification on the steps needed for a good outcome.

Is the Bar Keeps friend the ONLY rubbing compound needed?
Does it go on the buffing pad dry, or on to a wet pad or fiberglass surface?
If not, what product or products should I use to remove oxidation and polish the gel coat?

I plan to coat and seal the fiberglass after the polishing with the  Red Devil high gloss floor sealer that has been recommended.
I will NOT be having the RV painted in the future as I have read there can be a problem with paint adhering to the surface after this treatment.

Should I apply new decals BEFORE or AFTER the fiberglass has been sealed with the Red Devil?

Thanks for your advice.
1995 U320C SE 40'
Jeep 4x4 Commander - Limited - Hemi
"The Pack"  Yogi and Diesel our Airedales -  Charlie our Boxer/Akita mix. Gone but NEVER forgotten Jake our yellow Lab.
NRA Law Enforcement Firearms instructor - Handgun/shotgun
Regional Firearms instructor for national Armored Transp. Co.

Re: GEL COAT - CUTTING/POLISHING COMPOUND

Reply #1 –
Hi Lon As far as the Bar keeps I am assuming it is in a powder form if so it would need water to turn it into a paste. If I were going to do it I would Use 3m rubbing compound. or something similar designed for fiberglass. Us a wool pad on a high speed buffer check the pad frequently for build up. there are a couple more steps that will need to be done after compounding. I could explain much better over the phone. As far as decals do not apply unless the surface has been cleaned with rubbing alcohol. I do Vinyl lettering for a serious hobby LOL. The surface must be very clean no wax or sealer until the decals are installed.
Craig Wickham
1997 U295 36 Ft.

Re: GEL COAT - CUTTING/POLISHING COMPOUND

Reply #2 –

Lon,
There are various rubbing compounds available ready to apply, some more abrasive than others.  We use 3M. 

As you buff, as cwickham mentioned, frequently check your pad for buildup and use one of these to remove it. 

Amazon.com: TCP Global®brand Buffing Pad Cleaning Spur for Polishing Bonnets...

Use yellow wool pads for heavy cut polish. White wool for light cut polish.  Buff with a "not too heavy not too light" buffer  between 1000 and 2000 rpm. 

As an Amazon Associate Foretravel Owners' Forum earns from qualifying purchases.
2019 Pleasure Way Lexor

Re: GEL COAT - CUTTING/POLISHING COMPOUND

Reply #3 –
Lon,

James Stallings recommends and uses Aqua Buff 1000 for rough buffing brand newly applied gelcoat and Aqua Buff 2000 for finish buffing removing any swirl marks left from using the 1000.  Use a wool pad and a buffer either regular one or a orbital one.  Keep moving so you do not burn the gelcoat.

Seal the shiny gelcoat with Wash Wax All or with Gel Gloss Wax.  Gel Gloss Wax is in a white label bottle.  Gel Gloss polish is in a redish purple label bottle.  Use the wax version.

Had my gelcoat buffed by James six years ago using Aqua Buff.  It is shiny today because every time the coach is dirty, I wash, wax, seal and UV protect it with Wash Wax All.  Has not been buffed since.

Using floor wax will work till the wax needs to be stripped and reapplied.  A lot more work than just washing, waxing, sealing and UV protecting each time you clean the coach.

All the best in shining up your Foretravel.
Rudy Legett
2003 U320 4010 ISM 450 hp
2001 U320 4220 ISM 450 hp
1995 U320 M11 400 hp
1990 Granvilla 300 hp 3208T
Aqua Hot Service Houston and Southeast Texas

Re: GEL COAT - CUTTING/POLISHING COMPOUND

Reply #4 –
Maguires does a three stage kit and buffer which I found useful.
Be conservative with any buffer or compound, it's easy to damage gel coat
Jimmy
2003 U295 3620

Re: GEL COAT - CUTTING/POLISHING COMPOUND

Reply #5 –
Lon,

You are getting great advice from "Those who have gone before..."  With so many products on the market aimed at cleaning, polishing and restoration of gel-coated boats and RVs, it can be tough to know what is "Best".  That's the beauty of this Forum - others have already done the experimenting, so there is no need to "reinvent the wheel".  We are all fortunate to have access to the vast accumulated wisdom available here.  Personally, I would go with one of the other products recommended in this thread.

I have used Bar Keepers Friend (powder) very successfully for cleaning our coach roof.  Often, after parking under trees, the pollen and debris from the trees mixes with the condensate from the A/C units and leaves brown stains all over the roof.  BKF is an excellent product for removing these stains.  The primary ingredient is oxalic acid:

"Oxalic acid's main applications include cleaning or bleaching, especially for the removal of rust (iron complexing agent). Bar Keepers Friend is an example of a household cleaner containing oxalic acid. Its utility in rust removal agents is due to its forming a stable, water-soluble salt with ferric iron, ferrioxalate ion."

1993 U280 SE 40' WTBI, Build: 4359
C8.3 300hp, 6-Speed, Exhaust Brake
960 watts on the roof (6 x 160)
Sorento (or BOLT) on a Kar Kaddy SS
"Nature abhors a vacuum"

Re: GEL COAT - CUTTING/POLISHING COMPOUND

Reply #6 –
I talked to this guy in Concord NC a month or so ago about doing mine after I get the decals off.I have 1 side 2/3 done now hoping this fall to be finnished and will leave coach with Wayne to fo his thing.
Wayne Hickman Enterprises a.k.a "Buff Commander"
91 GV U300 Unihome 40' Build 3811
6V92TA Detroit

Re: GEL COAT - CUTTING/POLISHING COMPOUND

Reply #7 –
Before we painted, Cindy kept our gelcoat looking shinny new.  She wrote up her process to share with others which is attached.

Re: GEL COAT - CUTTING/POLISHING COMPOUND

Reply #8 –
I used a big Milwaukee body shop buffer with different grades of compound on our U300 after removing the decals. Not much success with it as the gelcoat is 10x harder than any paint.  I then bought a HF jitterbug air sander ($25) with 2500 wet or dry and with a bit of water from a hose, sanded for about an hour at a time with excellent results. Ordered the wet or dry in packs as it needs replacing frequently. This process takes weeks to do if the gelcoat is badly oxidized like our was. Still a work in progress but looks great in the areas we have done. You do need an air compressor.

Our decals were in bad shape and in little pieces on one side of the coach. Removing them from the good side left a nice fairly shiny area that the buffer worked well on. The badly oxidized area (about 90% of the coach) were not even touched by the coarsest of compounds.

Pierce
Pierce and Gaylie Stewart
'93 U300/36 WTBI
Detroit 6V-92TA Jake
1140 watts on the roof
SBFD (ret)

Re: GEL COAT - CUTTING/POLISHING COMPOUND

Reply #9 –
I have used the Aqua buff 2000 with great sucess.  I only had very minor oxidation so it was a pretty simple task.
From all I have seen it is hard to get the ghosting of the stripes off.  I have seen coaches that had full body paint and you could still see the ghosting in the right light at the right angle
Jerry & Nanci
1999 U270 34'WTFI
2011 Malibu
A smart man knows what to say, a wise man knows when to say it.

Re: GEL COAT - CUTTING/POLISHING COMPOUND

Reply #10 –
I have used the Aqua buff 2000 with great sucess.  I only had very minor oxidation so it was a pretty simple task.
From all I have seen it is hard to get the ghosting of the stripes off.  I have seen coaches that had full body paint and you could still see the ghosting in the right light at the right angle
Jerry & Nanci
1999 U270 34'WTFI
2011 Malibu
A smart man knows what to say, a wise man knows when to say it.

Re: GEL COAT - CUTTING/POLISHING COMPOUND

Reply #11 –
Jerry,

As the gelcoat ages and oxidizes, the surface is eaten away leaving the nice shiny surface under the decals higher than the surrounding oxidized surfaces. Since the gelcoat is super hard, it's difficult to make the surfaces even with each other without a ton of work. The old higher areas are almost always visible as you said if the coach had much oxidation.

Pierce
Pierce and Gaylie Stewart
'93 U300/36 WTBI
Detroit 6V-92TA Jake
1140 watts on the roof
SBFD (ret)

Re: GEL COAT - CUTTING/POLISHING COMPOUND

Reply #12 –
Lon and Cheryl,

If you are going to apply the acrylic floor polish, there's no need to buff anything.  Scrubbing with BKF first is all it takes but it has to be  clean.  Remember, any stains will be permanently on display after the three coat application.  The shine/gloss is provided by the wipe on finish, not the shine of the gelcoat.  It's kind of like a clear coat car finish system where the color coat is actually a flat paint.  The clear coat, in this case is your wipe on finish.  Be aware that it will very slightly darken the color as compared to naked gelcoat.

I did it three years ago and have never looked back.  The finish is still in good shape for this non garaged S. Tx. coach.  I did the top also and eliminated streaking problems.  It makes the coach simple and fast to wash.  I'll probably give it another scrub and coat this fall.  I had removed the majority of decals and the finish went over the remaining ones just fine, and seems to be slowing down their degrading.  Not a lot of downsides unless you are wanting a show quality coach, which mine is not. 

"Not so  long ago we were a nation of risk takers, riding five million pounds of  thrust straight into space."  Joe Gresh
Chuck Pearson
1996 U295
2018 Can Am X3 TurboRS

Re: GEL COAT - CUTTING/POLISHING COMPOUND

Reply #13 –
Lon,
I did my coach a couple of years ago using ZEP Wet Look Floor Polish.  I can only guess it's very similar if not the same as the Red Devil.  I used Bar Keepers with white Scotch Brite sponges, keeping everything wet - pretty much like Chuck did on his roof from what I can see in his photos.  After the Bars I started to apply the acrylic.

I'm only guessing here about the decals but I would apply them after the Bars and before the Red Devil and I'm not sure if I would apply the Red Devil over the decals either.  The acrylic does weather away with time so I don't think it would make a good base to adhere the decals to.  Now my decals were/are quite weathered and the acrylic made them look so much better - I applied to them without knowing if it would be bad for them or not.  I figured I had nothing to loose but the old decals.
Hope this helps and please follow up let us know what you learn.
John Fitzgerald
1991 U300 (SAI) Side Aisle Island Bed 40'
Detroit 6V92 with Allison Retarder
Meridian (Boise), Idaho
 

Re: GEL COAT - CUTTING/POLISHING COMPOUND

Reply #14 –
Thanks for the help!
The Zep wet look and Red Devil are the same product. I buy it at Menards by the gallon.
I have used it on the coach's wood floors (pre- finished-real wood plank), they look FANTASTIC after the Zep treatment and offer some degree of protection from the foot and paw traffic. I hope the same can be said after application to the outside of the coach.

I will start with the BKF rub out. Then I will assess for any areas that need "special attention". I will make sure there are NO areas that have stains before the ZEP treatment. Thanks for clearing how the ZEP works. NOT having to buff with compound to a bright shine is a real time saver, especially if the end result is the same and lasting.

As far as the outline of the old removed decals:

I was VERY CAREFUL when I removed the old decals. I will be restoring there color and applying new adhesive to them, and then re- attaching them to the coach.  GOT YOUR ATTENTION?  LOL , couldn't help myself!

Seriously, I have a complete set of factory decals for a 95 that I bought awhile back from John Duld. I know he cared for them and they are in GREAT shape.
 I'm hoping to see some outline from the old graphics so I can lay out the new ones.
cwickham, I will be contacting you for your expert advice as to installing them.
John also gave me the name and phone number of the guy who probably originally applied the decals at Foretravel.
1995 U320C SE 40'
Jeep 4x4 Commander - Limited - Hemi
"The Pack"  Yogi and Diesel our Airedales -  Charlie our Boxer/Akita mix. Gone but NEVER forgotten Jake our yellow Lab.
NRA Law Enforcement Firearms instructor - Handgun/shotgun
Regional Firearms instructor for national Armored Transp. Co.