Polishing again, and again!

[LarryEWaiex121]

In an effort to not steal the thread on the nice Sonex for sale, I'm going here.
Michael, I have to agree; this was a brutal winter on our planes.
My plane sat for the better part of 4-5 months this winter. First for neck fusion surgery(expected) and then about the time I thought I might be good to go the lower back reminded me of the 50 years of prior abuse. It let go and I ended up in the hospital a second time in 4 months for a lower back discectomy. Nothing major in 35 yrs and wham. A twofer.
Geez, that was fun. NOT!
That's all behind me now and I've managed to nurse my Cyclo out and work a few hours on the plane. Sure makes a huge difference when you compare the old vs new. The unfortunate part is I probably have another 6-8 hrs to go to get it back to where it was last summer.
The Arlington Airshow last July took a big toll. I had more fingerprints on my turtle deck than the FBI has on file.
Its tough to leave your plane to look around and come back and find it all turkey tracked up.
My favorite though was the Mama Bear with 4 cubs that came running across the field and a four year old and a six year old both jumped up on the wing (flaps down) to look in the cockpit. I hollered at the kids to dismount. Much to the dismay of Mama Bear, who in no uncertain words, "do not yell at my kids". Sigh.
I learned that all of us homebuilts and spam cans are there for the amusement of the children because they payed good money to get in the door and my bad luck is not their problem, so to speak.
These little inconveniences aside, there are still a ton of good natured lurkers that want to know how this was done and that was done.
I got more complements on my planes polish and paint than I could shake a stick at, so, I guess that means, just suck it up and keep on polishing.

Larry
Waiex 121

[kevin814]

Larry,

There is something irresistible about touching polished aluminum. That smooth, glistening, sensuous metal that is sooo cool to the touch.......

Whenever I go to Wright Pat air museum I can never leave without running my hand across some polished surface, no matter how hard I try. Last time it was in the presidential hangar, where I shamefully touched a supersonic experimental, one of our departed presidents' Air Force One, and the composite flying abomination that would eventually become the stealth bomber. The composite one wasn't as much fun to touch though.......

My Sonex is hazy from the cool damp winter, so I will be puting in the hours to bring the shine back. I'm not looking forward to it, but it is so beautiful when I'm finished. I can't resist fondling my own plane, but I try to only caress it on the turtledeck in one area, that way I only have one area to touch up.

I hope your back cooperates, and you can sit there and admire your work when it is done. The only time I regret a polished plane is when I'm polishing, the rest of the year it is so worth it.

[MichaelFarley56]

Larry,

First off, I'm really glad to hear you're back in fighting shape after a rough winter! Two spinal repairs would take it out of anyone; I'm glad you're on the quick road to recovery. Hopefully you'll be ready for a fun summer of flying!

Unfortunately, your little example of disrespectful kids at airshows seems be the new standard. I've heard of a lot of people who won't attend shows and fly inns anymore because of that exact reason. Even at Oshkosh I see more and more people climbing on, and possibly breaking, other people's airplanes. I try to keep a real close eye on my Waiex for that reason.

Now, in terms of polishing, I haven't got into that phase of airshow season prep yet but I'm hoping to get there soon. Once I have the turbo all dialed in (it's close) I'll be turning my attention to polish.

Since we're talking about polish, let me ask everyone; what polish is everyone using now? I've used Nuvite, Granitize, California Customs Purple Polish, and about a million other products. It seems each has their pluses and minuses; I'm just curious what others use. I'm hoping C grade Nuvite will take the winter oxidization off but we will see!

Thanks!

[Gripdana]

I am using Nuvite.

[Darick]

I've been using Nuvite, F9, C, and S as recommended. I thought the F9 was too coarse to start so, running low on F9, I tried C, Mothers Aluminum polish, then S on the aft fuselage sides. I'm happy with the result but parking next to another polished airplane will be the test.

I tried Mothers just because I had some on hand from an old project and it's also available at the local Auto Zone store. A 10" random orbital polisher/buffer from HF is used to apply the Mothers and Nuvite S.

[Onex107]

The Nuvite F9 is necessary for the first time, but this year I bought Nuvite A which, I think is part way between C and S and it removes the winter fog very nicely and a finish with a little S with an orbital covered with a micre fibre rag does a nice job.

[kevin814]

I've used Nuvite and Granitize. They seem pretty close, the Nuvite may give a little "darker" reflection, but the Granitize is a little cheaper since the container is larger. Neither one seems to work that well in those tight areas where you have to polish by hand. The best hand polish I have found is Mothers Billet polish, sold at Pep Boys and others. It is more expensive than regular Mothers polish, but it works noticeably better. In the areas you will be polishing by hand, it is well worth spending a little more to get the best results as quickly as possible. Mothers polish doesn't seem to work as well or go as far as Nuvite or Granitize using an electric buffer, so each has their strong points.

[herbsanders]

Kevin, Who is a source for your 6" tailwheel. I will fly my Xenos off grass and would like a larger tailwheel that will interchange on the tail spring. Also looking for exhaust system for Jabiru 3300.
Herb Sanders Xenos x0027

[kevin814]

Herb,

I bought it from Sonex, with the Vans wheel included and I'm happy with it. On pavement it is so much quieter and smoother than the original tailwheel. It also lowers the nose a little, so now I can see where I'm taxiing without needing to do S turns. Seems to grip better in a crosswind too, where the old one would scrape sideways without being able to hold on. Another thing I noticed, positive or negative, is the rudder pedals take a little more effort to steer. This is because the larger bracket is not only taller, but it is longer, so the "lever" you are swinging from side to side is longer and requires more effort. It may cause slightly more wear to the steering hardware since more effort is required, but that shouldn't amount to much at all. I fly on grass occasionally, and it works well, so I can highly recommend it.

[LarryEWaiex121]

Michael,

To answer your question about products used? I've gone the factory route with F9, C and S.
I've learned the hard way that "something" seeps out of the concrete hanger floor and makes little white spots on the polished aluminum.
To counter that affliction, I've since put down some Harbor Freight North Idaho House Siding (blue tarp) under the area the plane resides over and it has substantially reduced the bad effects.
Just as a side note, I managed to get out over the weekend flying and managed to get almost 6 hrs flying time. Yea.
Yes, the two surgeries were really not a lot of fun. Feeling soooooooo much better now.
Next addition to my plane is going to be a burp bottle, oil reclaimer of some sort or configuration. Seems several folks have got it sorted out pretty well.

Larry