The title of this article hit me during one of our recent detailing Universities i was teaching. His comment to me was that he was afraid to polish metal on aircraft because he could never get it to turn out right. So i want to address some key issues with polishing metal. Please understand that i am explaining procedures related to corporate sized aircraft and not airliners with mass areas of metal that get polished with drum buffers.
The first thing i explain in our University is how important it is to have the right tools. Do not skimp in this area. You are working on multi-million dollar airplanes and the owners expect them to look like a million bucks. We always used and recommend a Makita 9227-C electric variable speed polisher. They are lightweight, powerful, smooth and dependable. When it comes to buffing pads you need to use quality 100% wool velcro backed pads. Next, a buffing pad cleaner tool known as a spur, 3M two inch masking tape and a container of household flour.
The first thing you do is tape off all the areas you are polishing to protect the painted surfaces, meaning you tape the paint surrounding the metal. Then apply our Skai Metal Polish evenly on the area to be polished. Do not use too much, more is not better. If you apply too much, your machine will tend to bounce and not perform smoothly. Polish only a 3×3 foot area in front of you and complete that area before moving forward. Always buff in one direction according to the piece you are doing. For example, if you are polishing a leading edge, buff horizontally with the edge, not up and down or in a circular motion. On a vertical stabilizer, buff vertically with the stabilizer. Always break up the job into sections so it is not such a grind on you mentally. Your day will be much easier if you do this. When you have completed an area, it is time to remove swirl marks and seal the metal. Using our Mirror Image Swirl Remover, apply the product to the metal until it turns black and continue working it evenly and horizontally just like you buffed it. Using a Microfiber cloth, start removing the Mirror Image horizontally without alot of pressure, let the cloth do the work. This process will remove 90% of the swirls and seal the metal. Next, use household flour and sprinkle a little on the polished area and wipe again using another Microfiber cloth. This process goes deep into scratches and pitting to remove any excess polish residue leftover. Do not use corn starch for this process. It is way too abrasive and will only create new scratches.
Professional detailers who read this understand that there are many other factors in making “Brightwork” jobs turn out properly like the products you use, the RPM speed of your machine, the different types of metals on different types of aircraft and metal condition before you begin just to name a few. The point i am trying to make with this article is that polishing metal is not something you need to be afraid of because it seems so hard or there is some magic technique or chemical out there you don’t know about. It is not impossible to get results that last and very rewarding when you get results. Feel free to ask me any questions you may or post a comment.
Phillip
