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3M Polish kit

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2019 12:18 pm
by astaib
Hello,

Did you ever use the 3M kits with the 3 different grades of polish (Green/Yellow/BLue)?

I'm about to buy this kit with the corresponding pads in order to polish my DA40.

I bought my plane almost 1 year ago (he is from 2001, but quite OK for the exterior), I polished it last year with a no name polish only one grade, and the result was quite OK just to have a more shiny aspect.

But I removed the old stripings and decals to make new ones, and I have the ghost traces of the old decals (normal).
Under the old decals it is very shiny and nice looking, and this is what motivates me to polish the complete surface to try to have this aspect back again.

Are you recommending this kit form 3M? Or another one?
What machine are you recommending to apply it? excentric? what RPM? etc?

As I'm in France, I might not be able to buy any US polish that are sold only in the USA.

Thank you very much for your help.

Arnaud.
kit-3-produits-3m.jpg

Re: 3M Polish kit

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2019 4:30 pm
by vontresc
Check with the local glider pilots, and see what they use. I have used 3m finesse it on my Libelle in the past. Finesse it is the final step ultra fine polish, and it will remove the least amount of gel coat. Remember polish is abrasive. Unless you need to get the oxidation layer off, you may be better off with just a wax based solution.

Re: 3M Polish kit

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2019 4:53 pm
by astaib
Hello,

Gliders has gel coat when da40 are painted?
Am I wrong?

Arnaud.

Re: 3M Polish kit

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2019 6:16 pm
by Don
astaib wrote: Wed Feb 06, 2019 4:53 pm Hello,

Gliders has gel coat when da40 are painted?
Am I wrong?

Arnaud.
I was told when on a factory tour in London that the Diamonds are painted with LP (linear polyurethane)
LP is also used in the marine industry when repainting fiberglass yachts. I know from my decades of boat ownership that LP is one of the most robust finishes one can apply. It weathers very well compared to gel coats.

Re: 3M Polish kit

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2019 7:51 pm
by vontresc
astaib wrote: Wed Feb 06, 2019 4:53 pm Hello,

Gliders has gel coat when da40 are painted?
Am I wrong?

Arnaud.
Yeah never mind ;-)

Re: 3M Polish kit

Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2019 5:01 pm
by Lance Murray
My 2002 paint finish failed about 2010.

Re: 3M Polish kit

Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2019 5:02 pm
by astaib
You mean that your painting was dead ?
After polishing ?

Was it sleeping outside ?

Re: 3M Polish kit

Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2019 5:47 pm
by Scotsman58
Further to this discussion -- I'm interested in the safest way to remove an old decal from my DA40. Not one of the decorative decals -- they still look ok -- but an old Connecticut state/town registration sticker. I've tried peeling and (very light) scraping but just can't get the bulk of it off. Is there any tool or chemical remover that won't harm my LP paint finish or the underlying surface?

Re: 3M Polish kit

Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2019 10:55 pm
by Rich
Scotsman58 wrote: Mon Feb 11, 2019 5:47 pm Further to this discussion -- I'm interested in the safest way to remove an old decal from my DA40. Not one of the decorative decals -- they still look ok -- but an old Connecticut state/town registration sticker. I've tried peeling and (very light) scraping but just can't get the bulk of it off. Is there any tool or chemical remover that won't harm my LP paint finish or the underlying surface?
I've had luck removing these kinds of things by warming the sticker just by rubbing fast and hard with a bare hand and then peeling off.

Re: 3M Polish kit

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2019 2:24 am
by BRS
I changed my N numbers years ago. Took careful use of a heat gun and a plastic scraper. was a big job.