Stripping The Paint From A Cessna 172B Glen's Hangar - Episode #5
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ส.ค. 2024
- Stripping The Paint From A Cessna 172B Glen's Hangar - Episode #5
Today I'm working in the hangar removing the paint from C-FMVU a 1960 Cessna 172B. I use 3 different paint strippers designed specifically (and approved) for stripping paint from an aluminum aircraft. The first I tried was Stewarts Systems, then PTI Sure Strip, then Sunset Strip...
All three of these products removed the paint without any trouble - BUT - none of them worked very well on the red oxide primer that was on the plane. Red Oxide primer is not something that should be on the plane in the first place.
For those who are about to suggest I should have used a sander, or a grinder to remove the primer; that's a bad idea on a plane made from 2024-T3 clad aluminum alloy if you want to keep it from corroding.
As for the other registration marks I found on the empennage - One was CF-NBG, which was struck from the registry in the late 1980s.
The other registration mark was CF-OSR, that plane is still flying today but it was sold about two weeks before I shot this and is now in the United States under an 'N' number registry.
If you have any info about either of these planes, please get in touch.
#CanucksUnlimited #GlensHanger #CFMVU
⚠️ NOTE: These videos are edited for time and entertainment. Editing removes context and can remove safety checklists in the interest of time. Do not use these videos for, or in lieu of flight training.⚠️
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When I was 19 I decided to strip all the paint off my 1974 Z28 Camaro back in 1983. I used a product called Tal Strip. Worked really well. Hindsight being 20/20 it was one of the dumbest thing I ever did. It's still sitting in a garage with just primer on it. Life got in the way.
It's never too late. As an adult, you'll have the patience(and finances) to do a heck of a job on the new paint.
If there is only one thing that I learned as a hanger rat, it is never let anyone who isn't a licensed engineer or aviation painter advise you on the products and procedures relevant to stripping, painting or polishing and aircraft. Some of the comments here are down right wrong and potentially dangerous.
Only aviation approved strippers, abrasives, paints and polish's should be used on aircraft and suitable techniques applied when using them.
Aircraft refinishing is expensive for a reason. There are no short cuts. Don't try and find them.
Absolutely correct!! Why would people do this not only harm the aircraft but also your health and environment if you don’t know what your doing
@@billjones3071 Everything I did was under the supervision of professionals, no harm was done to the aircraft, my health, or the environment. We only used aircraft approved stripper etc, and inspectors from Transport Canada spent a lot of time watching what I was doing as well.
@@GlensHangarGood on you Glen. I don't think people realize what a responsible and careful person you are. I was certain from jump that you had appropriate supervision.
There are arm chair expert - critics all over the internet. I appreciate Glen producing and making these journals available for our understanding, discussion, and learn what you want.
@@GlensHangar My apologies for a very late reply. For some reason, I have only just received notification of your post. I am in no way referring to the methodology and products that you have used or your meeting of compliance in your region. In fact, your job looks to be very well executed in a most professional manner.
My concern was regarding some of the suggestions in the comments section, below.
As I revisit what I have posted, I can understand that I have created some confusion with regards to who my criticism is directed toward. For that, I sincerely apologise. as it was in no way intended to be directed to yourself.
I stripped my 1964 172E and if I knew what I know now, I would never have started. Someone had painted it with a red primer, that I spent weeks rubbing off with a rag and paint thinner. I cleaned around every rivet with an old tooth brush. I measured my success in square inches at a time. It was repainted with epoxy primer and polyurethane paint. I sold it after owning it for 30 years and its still beautiful.
I LOVE polished aluminum aircraft... (that other people put the effort into polishing so I can admire them)!
and polished corrode lot fasten than painted plane.
And I love matte aluminum for some reason.
In the late 80s early 90s as kid my brother and I were painters helpers for my dad at a shop where they only painted commercial vehicles, tractors, 18 wheelers/ trailers etc. We used a reddish/brown colored putty primer made by Imron to fill pinholes in the undercoat or over bare metal and scratches. I’m fairly certain that’s what this is. Back then, there were far fewer restrictions and this stuff was gnarly if you caught a whiff or got any on your skin.
Sir you did an OUTSTANDING Job Cheers 👍👌😇🍻🍻
Even outside the kichen, Glen still has to deal with aluminum foil
The most difficult part with any project like this are the naysayers. The people constantly telling you how much work you're doing, how happy they are not to have to do it, etc. etc. Avoid those people as much as possible and block their comments out. Personally, I enjoy this sort of zen-like work every ten years or so. I'm looking forward to stripping my plane in the coming months. I will be locking myself up in the hangar as a recluse while not telling anyone what I'm doing.
The Susnet Strip is the route I will be taking. It's environmentally friendly and, after watching this video, it seems to work as well as the PTI which is what I was initially planning on using. Thanks for the video.
Dude I take my hat off to you for all the energy time and effort to strip this baby to the aluminum!!! You will probably pick up 5% performance with all the layers of paint and red oxide primer gone!!! It has to be satisfying and comforting know that you have now exposed the plane to its core and can have it painted knowing as an owner it is now done right!!! I wish I was 10-15 years younger I would find me an older plane and restore! Very encouraging that it can be done!!!
5:55 excellent take, speaking about toxic fumes, you can actually see them coming out of the paintbrush.
Loving the channel Glen!
Don't know if it's permissible on aviation applications, but the remedy for reactivating stripper after it begins to dry is to have a spray bottle of laquer thinner to spray over the area. Also long heavy slow brush strokes in one direction only will help eliminate the inconsistent areas. The spray bottle is a necessity.
Two of the products I used specifically said not to do that - the other didn't mention anything about it... but I'll stay on the side of caution.
I've loved your cooking channel for years. Seeing you create content for another one of my interests is fantastic and I am really loving every video.
the strobe on the vertical stab captured my attention like a striper on a pole.
Brave man taking that kind of a job on, on the occasions I have been demented enough to try this it involved removing the prop, engine, engine bearer, all control surfaces the wings, vertical and horizontal stabilizer the entire interior including the instrument panel and finally the landing gear. Paint stripped with dry ice and then sent all the parts out to a professional paint shop.
The control surfaces will come off (as time and hangar space allows) - instrument panel comes out soon.... keep yours out for that.
The Aluminum looks fantastic Glen. Well worth the pain
Hi Glen! Nice meeting you at CNV8 today. Keep up the great work. Cheers. MattThePilot
Thanks for stopping by! Come for a visit anytime.
I would polish it and then have it ceramic coated. All of the warbird guys swear by it. Even the exhaust wont stick to a P-51. You won’t need to polish nearly as often.
That’s part of the plan
im glad who believe this ceramic coat fool today anywere, big scam and fail all ceramic shit fool have, only idiot can believe this shit lie.
@@mattivirta - such a sunny review I'll be sure to file this in the appropriate bin. - trash.
@@mattivirta work on your grammar. I’m not talking about the crap that you buy at Autozone. There are good quality products available
What kind of dressing do prefer on your word salad?
Glen, you know I worry about you. And so, your mindfulness exercise is to treat everything this week as zero fail. Forget the shopping list? That's a prang. Need to return to the shed for another tool? That's a prang. Think "Now, what did I come in here for?" Better believe that's a prang. XO stay safe up there.
I like shiny airplanes. Lol. Especially the classics
I had no idea how traceble planes and therefore plane parts are, even if they are out of service for decades. Fascinating.
I read an article (dont know how factual it is) about sanctions on Aeroflot Airlines of Russia. They claimed that Aeroflot has to start cannibalize it's own aircrafts as nobody in the world is willing to send them any spare parts for fears of being sanctioned themselves, because they are all completely traceable.
This is very fun to see this process of a hard working Glen realizing his dreams to own a plane by very practical means.
Nice 👍 work Glen. Back in the 60s I stripped the paint off a 20 foot catamaran with home made paint remover. I called it my Viking blend.. I worked great 👍.
172! I would have believed it was a 175, didn't know they made 172s with swept fin and straight back.
I polished a 1958 Lotus Seven. At times I used 3M red pads or 220 wet dry paper to take off nits. It took a lot of time and several different polishes and pads but it came out very nice. Not fully mirror as there are too many deep pits in the aluminum to get a true mirror finish. A deWalt polisher with digital speed control worked well. Wool bonnet to start the process. It is a good winter project as sweat corrodes aluminum. The aluminum will warm up due to friction from the polishing. Switched to cotton pads and an orbital for the final polish. Had to hand polish some of the hard to get to areas. Good luck.
Bad news about aluminum, you have to polish aluminium every week to keep it looking good. Back in the late 70s the military used a liquid paint stripper that took one half day to remove all paint from the tank and trucks, was sprayed on then washed off. No other labor needed
Now I wrap it in tin foil and put it in the oven... I mean hanger For 2 days at 30 deg.
Mind you, the glaze is looking awesome Glen.
Cheers,
Your work on your new plane sort of reminds me of Susie the Little Blue Coupe from the old Disney cartoon but of course an airplane. I am enjoying your series, thanks for sharing.
Um… 4 days? Good luck.
It took me three months of weekends and untold gallons of “Plane Naked” to completely strip mine… but mine was an original paint from factory over 50 years old and a tarmac queen for at least 15 years before I tackled the job.
But looking back on it, it was very rewarding. I also painted it myself (3 coats, one color)… that took less time than the stripping
Methylene chloride is an old school paint stripper that usually makes short work of primer as well as paint. You can't use pure methylene chloride on aluminum though as it produces a flammable gas. But you can use a stabilized product like Benco (brand) B17 on aluminum. It's a very aggressive stripper with great results but **must** be rinsed off within 90 minutes though to prevent etching similar to bead blasting.
If your plane has the logbooks from the 70s, there will be an entry for your tail change out. If not then the most logical explanation is that that is the original registration letters for your airplane but it was deregistered during one of those lengthy down times and then re-registered with the current registration letters
One thing that comes to my mind (I'm just binge-watching these vids by september 2022) is, that when I was putting together aircraft models (made from plastic) in the early 7ties, someone told me that brake fluid would kill all paint. Even eat some glues.
Never tried it. Dunno about today's stuff. Maybe you can drink it. That was not the case, back then!
Greetings from the far north of Germany!
Owning your own plane can be so expensive, the owner has to start stripping.😉 Thank you for making these videos!
Looks great. I'll be curious to see how non-reactive the bare aluminium will be with age. I wonder if using some sort of clear-coat over some of the harder wearing surfaces might not be a bit of the best of both worlds (since you have a sprayer anyway).
Wow! Incredible dedication and hard work produced a great looking airplane. Maybe I'll try that myself one day...
I would be proud of that airplane already! Stunning!
Some years ago I acquired a Luscomb with painted wings and an aluminum fuselage and tail. Many hours were spent polishing. still shudder whenever I see a can of metal polish. When I eventually sold the aircraft, I threw in the polisher as a gift. Truth be told, I never wanted to see another polisher again either!
Its a not a "filler" in the primer paint. Its a catalyst. Be careful....a lot of the red oxide primers have lead in them. For working around the rivets without removing metal try the 3M roloc rubber, rotary bristle abrasives....and/or the 3M scotch bright circular pads that are part of the Roloc system. Very nice work!
It looks like a butcher did the last paint job on that plane and there is no way in the world it was ever compliant with regs. Those 3m nylon Rolocs are great but you've got to be careful. We used to use a plastic scraper on rivets and finish them with white Scotchbrite by hand. I saw a Cessna 210 nearly end up at the wrecking yard after someone had taken to it with Scotchbrite on some sought of power tool. Literally hundreds of rivets had to be replaced as someone who "knew what they were doing" had managed to erode half of the rivet heads away with Scotchbrite.
@@davidbrayshaw3529 yes.....people who do not work with coatings and especially abrasives....have a tendency to think that "Scotchbrite" are soft/low abrasive. The common green scotch brite is about 360 grit aluminum oxide IIRC. The fingers on the rubber roloc pads are excellent for rivets.....but they MUST be used with stripper gel. The stripper is actually doing the work. The fingers on the roloc are just for reach. Very slow tool speed and low pressure. I have alwo seen them used mounted on an oscillating tool.
@@jessegreenwood1956 It sounds like you've worked in aviation. Many of the commenters here don't have an understanding of the unique nature of aviation re finishing and the regulations that surround it. Unfortunately neither do some plane owners, as I've found! That is a great idea mounting rolocs to a multi tool. I wish that I'd known that one when I worked in the industry.
Wow......Glen....a plane. Im envious. Very very cool. Truly awesome project and hobby. Good for you
Just bought a 59' 172! I'll watch what you then do what you do! Thanks!
I don't know how hard taking care of a base aluminum finish would be, but that base look looks cool.
My best advice on polishing is to get someone knowledgeable on aluminum polishing specifically have them take a look at the sanded areas. Like others have commented there are possibilities to polish sanded areas.
Other benefit is specific guidance on polishing aluminum if you need it.
What a transformation! Easy for me to say, but the result was well worth the effort.
I'm so happy about this channel. 😁
The wings on my 1946 stinson 108 had that same red primer that is really hard to remove.
I plan strip as much as will come off easily, then say the heck with what will not come off, assuming I can paint over it as a primer.
Of course different from your project, my wings will be covered by fabric, but it's good to see others struggled with this red oxide primer.
It was horrible - but once I figured out that the last of it came off with lacquer thinner the project moved along nicely. I ended up using 3-4 gallons of lacquer thinner and a pile of rags.
Looks good Glen!
If those areas of previously sanded aluminium are relatively small, you could probably restore them with micro mesh. (Lee Valley carries it). For $30 in materials and another couple hours of elbow grease, it’s probably worth trying…
Also worth trying, Eagle One Wadding polish... Look for it at your automotive parts store
Looks great Glenn. I live and fly in southern Ontario as well. When it is polished there is a product called John’s 360 to wipe on after and it will stay shiny.
Danny
I've been looking at that product; people seem to have great things to say about it.
Im a truck driver and spend many hours polishing you can polish out sanding marks. watch some youtube on polishing fuel tanks they often start out by sanding the tanks and end up with a mirror finish
Unfortunately sanding airplane skins is a no-go. The skins are structural and also are a clad 2024 alloy - if you break through the cladding it's a world of hurt.
Kinda late now but when I stripped my Cherokee, I found that acetone and a fine 3m scrub pad worked well to remove paint left around rivets and panel edges while the stripper was still somewhat active.
Hello past and future Glen! Loving the look of the plane. Can't wait to see your adventures with it!
Getting sandpaper marks out is really easy. You take them out with finer sandpaper--not too much finer, a step or two will do. That sandpaper (use wet and dry with water) will also leave its own finer marks, so you go to finer again. It usually only takes a few steps to get to fine enough to polish. I'll often use a series like 400, 800, 1200, polish. Don't go to the next finer if you haven't gotten all the marks from the previous out. You're done with a grit when the _only_ marks left are those from the sandpaper you're using. Don't jump too far, because if the sandpaper is too fine, it will polish the scratches you're trying to get out instead of removing them. There are sandpapers with grits in the range 2000 and up, but at that point you are polishing anyway. I do have them but only use them if I'm going for a glass like surface and then I follow up with successive polishings with finer and finer grit polishes.
That clear polished look on an aircraft is a good look. This aircraft is going to look really cool. Add a couple of clear coats to the skin and the aircraft will look fantastic.
That's some nice work stripping your airplane.
Perhaps a mix of polished aluminum with some vinyl wrap over some problem areas could render a pleasing design?
But very nice work, and great videos!
Undoubtedly a labor of love.
I’ve been painting since we were using lacquer paints, best stripper I’ve ever used was called Aircraft paint stripper. It’s yellow In color and I’m not even sure it’s sold anymore. Lay it on thick and don’t over brush it.
In tiny print at the bottom of the ‘Aircraft Stripper’ can is a line: “Not for use on Airplanes”. 🤣 Apparently too corrosive on aluminium.
Hahahahaha too funny 🤣
@@GlensHangar But the name, lol. It is good stuff tho. Never a fun job for sure . There is another way , throw dollar bills at it. Wait that’s another stripper.
@@GlensHangar I guess they call it Aircraft Remover because it removes the whole aircraft.
Anything can be polished. Just takes time, money, and GAS (give a shit). Run until you exhaust one of the resources. Sand scratches are removed by sanding them out with progressively higher grit. Never ever sand by hand without an interface between your hand and substrate to be sanded/polished. Usually work up to about 2000 before attempting to polish. Paint strippers just suck these days. I don't recall a single modern product burning my skin. Where as back in the 90's a single drop would get your attention. The red oxide layer was quite thick, and it has a great affinity to absorb the chemicals just enough to become messy but not enough to remove it. Color coats were most likely enamel. Paint stripper does better at breaking the cross links and it peals right off. Red oxide was probably lacquer based and just absorbs it and sits there.
The tail/tail number history is fascinating.
Seems like the lessons here are:
1. Go with a sprayer/pressure wash system from day one.
2. Disassemble completely, since you are going to end up doing it anyways. Control surfaces, plastics, windshield, remove.
This pretty much matches what I saw them do to my aircraft. It takes a strong stomach. My A/C looked like a complete wreck during stripping.
I believe I’m confident enough to say that dry ice cleaning would have removed all of the surface paint down to the bare metal without any chemicals
I looked into this - yes it would have worked.
The price was astronomical, and in the end no one was willing to come out and do it.
Huge fan of your cooking channel and just now discovered this channel. Very interesting to watch the process. Looks great.
Wow! I just discovered you're also a plane guy!! Love your food channel, now I have to follow you here! (I'm a retired AME in the GTA)
Hi Glen. A lot of hard work there and looks great. If you do find out about the tail and why its on your plane, please share it on a video. Quite interested to know why.
The plane looks tremendous! I’m impressed that you go that much done in only 4 days.
@Glen - FWIW, I'm in the middle of painting my Homebuilt and I can tell you that painting is _also_ a ton of work! You have my sympathies, right now I'm in sanding-hell between applying primer and starting the top-coat... :-P Hope the polish-job turns out to be everything you're hoping for!
Hat-tip to the Stewart Systems stripper I see, BTW. I'm using their EkoPoxy and Ekocrylic for my paint-job (and after priming the entire aircraft, I have *thoughts* - both good and bad). :-D
Huge progress - looking forward to next steps! Your idea of maintaining a period sensibility is a great plan 👍
You are a better man than I am, Gunga Den!
Wow 30 degrees in late Canadian summer. I always thought that Canada was a cold country, never thought it got so hot in summer.
That "under coating" is actually marinara sauce, no doubt this plane was involved in the Winnipeg Spaghetti incident
Lovely!
Got to admire your determination. Chop chop hurry up, next video please 😂😎🇬🇧🇬🇧
That plane would look nice painted with a P-51 D-Day paint scheme. Mat green in front of the windshield, yellow nose cone, and a checkered tail. Maybe even some D-Day stripes on the wings
Glen , you gotta hit her with White color and some aggressive vinyl graphics,,,good effort Stripping
"...to try out some different strippers to see which one would work" - Hope Jules was in on this?!
😉
Kleen Strip makes a aircraft paint stripper that used to work very well. However big brother has made them remove what made it so good in the name of being eco friendly. It was pretty nasty.if you got a drop on your skin you were running for water very fast and the fumes were nasty;....but it worked great. The new Kleen Strip does not even come close to the old stuff. I used to use it on cars in my body shop on occasion. Just like your plane it was not all that effective on the primer and especially the factory E cote on the cars. For some reason it was almost useless on lacquer paint....luckily hardly any of that is around on cars anymore. I bought a Dustless Blasting system a while back and its nice but not perfect. I doubt if that could be used on aircraft for a number of reasons...for one it can be bit harsh on aluminum but I see where some have got to where they can do aluminum very well. I use crushed glass and it does a great job....but all the sand on a aircraft might be a issue.....just not sure.. You did a great job....good for you.
I never got the polished Al thing. It does oxidize. Aluminum in fact oxidizes immediately and is will corrode eventually. Now I'm not a plane guy but I learned this with motorcycle cases and covers. Nothing wrong with painting aluminum.
You might try blasting the bits of red primer with soda or walnut shells. Messy but it may be quicker.
Good heavens Glen, what a lot of work. I hope you at least enjoyed your corn chowder for lunch. 😀
The last time I was that deep into stripping an airframe we used something that looked a lot like oatmeal and stunk horribly. It was an approved stripper, but was not that effective on the different paints since the parts the airframe were from 3 different aircraft/countries of origin.
Good luck with the process.
I suggest you find an outfit that offers dry ice blasting. This technique is extremely effective at removing stubborn finishes like primers and is also great at getting into small and delicate areas (hinges, crevices, etc.).
Here are the professional tips I use to strip paint off cars, busses, planes ect. Working with Steel as well as aluminum first a paint stripper with methylene chloride in it. Here now new in the communist USA its is outlawed under the new socialist (national rule) but, seriously, I use a metal type old school bug sprayer or weed sprayer to spray on the stripper. It goes on Efficient and evenly .If it evaporates too fast you cover with 3 mil plastic , this allows the active ingredient to stay on longer .Also duct tape all the jamb areas .The stripper won't eat through high quality duct tape. The reason you had a problem with the red oxide primer is most likely it was epoxy. Most Paint does not stick without primer and in order to get adhesion on steel or aluminum or stainless, either a physical bond (sanding) or chemical bond is Necessary and both together are superior. So zinc phosphate or zinc chromate primers for example. Epoxy is the best and now there are some new ones that are hybrid with urethane. Unfortunately bare aluminum will get hotter compared to a white Finnish paint job .And the temperature of a black Finnish will be blistering. White is the coolest temp overall. I hope these tips helps someone out next time.
"YOU READ MY MIND."
Variable speed random orbit sander start at 220 grit progress up to 1000/1500 grit, polish to mirror finish with variable speed rotary buffer then apply your top coat. Time consuming but it will polish. Visit a big truck wash or truck stop, ask the wheel polishers for a few lessons.
Aircraft alloys are clad. Harsh abrasives are to be avoided at all costs and some will cause galvanic corrosion. Traditionally, aluminium aircraft were polished using cheese cloth and flour. I'm sure that there is a commercial alternative these days but there is a reason that you don't see very many polished aircraft.
@@davidbrayshaw3529 it's call maintenance to keep it polished. Polishing doesn't cause galvanic corrosion. That is caused by mixed metals in direct contact ie steel screws on aluminum panels. Your choice of flour and cheesecloth is more abrasive than rouge and a rotary polisher which is 10000 grit or 1-5 microns. He has panels that were scotch-brite abraded for primer adhesion that need to be micro sanded before a polished finish can be obtained by polishing alone. I worked years in my youth polishing multiple forms of metals.
Sorry, I should have been more specific. Harsh abrasives such as 220 grit sand paper should be avoided in aviation as they will damage cladding on the aluminium panels as well as damaging rivet heads. Steel wool of any grade should not be used due to the potential for material transfer leading to galvanic corrosion. Both of these items were quarantinable items in the hanger in which I worked and were prohibited for use by CASA, the Australian aviation regulatory authority.
Aircraft panels were never sanded prior to coating but rather lightly Scotchbrited (by hand) before a conversion coating was applied and then paint.
I appreciate that you have much experience in metal polishing but there are considerations in aviation that are not necessarily applicable in other areas. I am a former AME and have some training and considerable experience in aircraft restoration and coating.
@@davidbrayshaw3529 where did I ever say to use steel wool? Scotch-brite comes in multiple grits red being 360 grit, green being 600 grit, gray being 800 grit. To polish a surface requires reducing scratches until they disappear progressing through the grits. I didn't specify starting with 220, that would be based on surface scratch size to be removed. And there are specific papers for sanding aluminum ie aluminum oxide. You are correct that rivet heads need to be avoided except for final polish to not reduce head size but that is expected with common sense on the part of the person polishing the aircraft
@@jstaffordii You didn't suggest using steel wool but I was pointing out that certain abrasives can cause corrosion. Led pencil can and has caused corrosion!
We never used sandpaper to prepare planes for refinishing as it can reduce or breach the cladding applied to the aluminium.
For the same reason we never used orbital sanders even in Scotchbrite as they are too abrasive. Preparation for conversion coating was always done gently by hand using green Scotchbrite. I agree that there are aluminium compatible sand papers available but, in Australia at least, I believe that they are not approved for use on aircraft and in our hanger sandpaper was prohibited in the paint preparation area. Hygiene was also a consideration as there was the possibility that debris from the paper could migrate into unwanted areas of the airframe. The only time that we used power tools was to remove small amounts of corrosion and this was done using nylon wheels or small Scotchbrite pads. It was very important not to heat the panels when performing this task so as not to affect the temper of the metal. If corrosion was more extensive, the panel was replaced.
I was only ever involved in preparing aircraft for paint, not polishing so I can't comment on appropriate approved process's for polishing aircraft.
With regards to "common sense" of people working on aircraft, it's not necessarily that common when people without specific aviation training perform their own work on aircraft or worse than that, other people's aircraft. There are some unique characteristics to working on aircraft that aren't necessarily obvious despite one's best intentions and abilities in other areas.
This was demonstrated to me a number of times while working in the industry.
I just want to say thanks for sharing your aircraft channel, I remember first watching your cooking videos for help since I am probably the most mediocre cook in Ontario (maybe the whole of Canada as well lol).
But this channel is cool as heck.
An interesting journey and I feel you tired future Glen.
after 2 days stripping countless layers of paint off my bike frame, i cringed when you said youd strip it yourself. great job though
Listen to everyone, DON’T think you can keep up with a polished airplane !!! The worst paint job in the world is better than a polished airplane !!!
Not only is polished planes a lot of work, but you’re going to need to insulate and heat and cool your hangar, plus seal the doors, if you don’t have the funds to heat and cool the hangar, you’re wasting time and energy !!! We call it “pissing into the wind” here in Texas
Thank you for your comment… but I disagree with you. There are 4 planes at this airport in unheated (Canada) hangars that are polished, and they look fantastic. They are polished once a year in the Spring and coated with a wipe on clear ceramic- takes a day.
The initial polish from my starting point will take longer, but once that’s done, one day a year won’t be so hard.
I’m subscribed and the videos are great Glen. Keep up the good work. Watching from Victoria BC.🇨🇦🤘🏼
Wow looks great
Nice work, I would think twice about polishing the aluminum it's a never ending thankless task that you will tire from. The plastic wrap is the way to go because it costs less and is much faster than paint. Good luck whatever you decide.
Fortunately, a lot of your 172 looks like its polish ready. Polish each panel and then address the rough spots. You can wet sand any rough spots in the aluminum and then polish again. Even where previously sanded, you can wet sand those marks out. It would be great if you could start with 1000 grit paper and progress to 1200, 1500, 2000, 3000, then rotary polish with a sewn cotton wheel and various rogue compound bars. You can also start with a more aggressive paper like 600 then 800 and again all the way to 3000. Just watch some videos of polishing aluminum wheels and you'll get the procedure. No reason you cannot make her look like a mirror. Only dents and deep gouges will be your enemy.
Nice work Glen, it looks great.Any chance you weighed it before starting? I'd be curious how much all that paint weighed
Looks amazing all clean.
I knew this was taped a while back, but August? A whole month? Dang, love when video are done over sometime! This is why i love the aging meats videos! Keep it up man! Love these airplane ones
Great stuff. I watched quite a few automotive videos about detailing cars and the latest thing seems to be using a clear ceramic coating that looks really easy to apply and protects the finish. Maybe it would could work for an aircraft? If they're good enough for supercars why not a C172? But I'm not sure if it can be applied to bare metal.
Nice plane!
Me and my mates have been trying to save up these videos to watch together. This is great content. Fantastic stuff!
I've seen an aluminum CJ that was polished with WD45 and Scotch Brite then painted with clear polyurethane.
This is fascinating! It's really cool to see this project continue. Too bad that the paint stripping was difficult, but I hope you have clear skies ahead!
Wow, great job, man! I want to do the same with my plane, I have 210HP Cessna FR172E Reims Rocket, and I think it will looks just perfect in polished aluminium, and some blue or red stripes. My plan is to paint it like C172M model, but white spots will be not painted, but polished.
Very enjoyable following your restoration. Wow what a tough job... how many days did it really take to strip the paint?
Too late now, but harbor freight sells a compact sand blaster for cheap. Using ground walnut shells is quick and doesn't effect the aluminum.
Others would disagree about walnut shells not harming the aluminum. This is a ‘clad’ aluminum and that thin cladding layer can be fairly delicate; media blasting is almost universally said to be a no-no.
Keep the good videos coming 👌🏻 great to see this process! The time and effort you are taking to made these videos and document this is restoration is well appreciated 👍
Hi Glen I'm feeling your pain, just bought a 1984 J24 sailboat and having to gut it completely to get rid of the grime mildew and botched paint work. I suggest you try engine turning the finish, that would look really cool and it's not that difficult on aluminum.
Wow - What a job, Good Work!
When you achieve the sheen you like, I'd clear-coat it so you won't have to polish it all the time.
The new automotive products are incredible now a days.
Good Luck!