Gonna do the Woody Wax thing

Evan

Evan

Administrator
Donating Member
My trailer is getting too ugly to handle. Perhaps it's the iron in our well water, because I've seen several older Camp-Inns that look great - but mine is terrible. I need to woody wax it before the Camp-Out. So much for natural patina...

WhiteSpots.jpg


Can somebody that knows please tell me what I need to order to do this? The woody wax web site had several different products. Also, do I need to waubernize first or does the Woody Wax take care of the white spots too?

Thank you,
 
Evan,
I use the Ultra-Gloss fiberglass polish. As I run a small polisher I spritz it with water to help keep it from clumping up. It will pull the oxidation off and tend to dry out. If it becomes too bad I stop and wash that area with soap and water. After you get this done in a small area you will notice the change. You may try to polish it twice. The second time will be a breeze compared to the first. When I have what appears to be a clean area I have had good luck wiping that area down with Acetone. I use Acetone in a side business, and have it readily available. At this time you'd like to think what you have is raw aluminum. I now wax according to the directions. I then treat with the aluminum protectant.
You will end up with swirls in the aluminum from the work. I have been able to minimize this by not using too much pressure. Either way you will not achieve perfection. It will at first blush appear very good. When the light hits it just right it will show the traces of your work in the metal. But it will be much, much better than before.
I emailed the Sharks Hide company. They offer an aluminum polish they guarantee will leave a swirl free finish. I think their goal is to have a mirror finish. One day I will think about that. Our children have a tri-toon boat. That boat will be the test grounds for Shark hide.
After you finish the camper, and you are taking a turn and look at the side of your camper in the side mirror of your tow vehicle, you will see a very attractive camper with a very smooth silky finish. It will look good.
I ask Hilditch to add his expertise as well. I think among all those on the forum we should be able to throw enough ideas at you to give you a good starting point.
Steve
 
I have a cat that has decided the top of my TD parked in the garage is a great place to lounge. When leaving her perch she slides down the galley hatch which over time has left abbrasion marks due to the fact that her feet are not always clean. She enjoys the slide so much that she will do this as a form of recreation. My solution to her dismay has been to purchase a breathable car cover from Costco ($33) which protects the skin of the TD from dust as well as her feet.

To remove the scuffs I Walbernized the trailer using a buffer and that removed the marks. After a 2 week wait, I again buffed the surface with a clean and unused pad and applied the Woodywax which has left the trailer looking better than new. I have not had the trailer out in the rain since we no longer know what that is in New Mexico, but I expect that it will perform as advertised once the rains return.
 
Boy Evan, I was thinking we would be the only ones with spots at the camp out. We have been looking into some options, including tapping into Mick's car contacts. Thanks for asking the questions. Maybe it is aluminum mildew from the wet? :) Teasing...ours is from the drive home from WI and the fact SD salted the roads and I didn't do a good enough job at the car wash (I was just sick over it on the drive). Sigh...I sure appreciate our gravel more and more!
 
Uff Da Inn has similiar spots from road salt. I have Walberized and used Woody Wax. Both softened the contrast, neither totally removed the spots.

Woody Wax is an easier application.
 
Evan,

I have already addressed the answers to your questions in other posts on this site.

If you are looking for an easy solution, I fear you are SOL. The aluminum now has to be taken down to bare metal below the patina and pits created by the oxidation, which are the white spots, or they will re-grow.

As Walbernizing could achieve this in a few hundred hours, it seems to me there are only two choices short of buying a new CI:

a. Refinish it yourself like we did - committing to 80 or 100 hours of very hard dirty work.
b. Pay $3,000 to $4,000 to have someone with the right equipment and experience do it for you.

Then you can put Woody Wax on to keep it looking that way.

Hilditch
 
Evan,
We are all so sorry to see what you and others are faced with. Perhaps you can rationalize the coming effort as "Joining A Gym" only cheaper. Not trying to trivialize it, this whole thread made me shudder. We are not picking up our 560 until the end of August, does anyone know how to better protect our beautiful camp-homes right from the beginning?
Jim
 
Jim, Talk to Cary. Perhaps you can do the woody wax when you pick it up - before you drive away. If Woody Wax is the best solution, perhaps it may become a standard option.
 
aw maaaaaannn, just finished going across country and up the west coast and after arriving in Tacoma, my raindrop too has a wicked case of staining under the center portion of the alcan cover. Tried walbernizing but no joy. ordered the woody wax kit... fingers crossed......
 
Hi Lini, welcome to the forum. I recently talked with the people at Woody Wax, and received a couple samples of their stuff. I was told that to remove really stubborn stains to use a fine bronze pad. I'll be interested to hear how yours turns out.
 
We camped under a walnut tree in Ohio for 3 nights that resulted in several dark stains. I tried the Walbernize on the top and after an afternoon of rubbing and cleaning off the black gunk with Acetone I thought it looked pretty good till i looked at it from a low angle. It was better than doing nothing...But... So I ordered Woody Wax and their Ultra Gloss Restoring compound. Also went to Harbor Freight and picked up a 10" power buffer. When I get a "roundtuit" I'll report on the results. :whistle:
Dave
 
The Woody Wax Restoring Compound is a bit heavier-duty rubbing compound than the Walbernize. I have some stains that turned out to be pretty stubborn, even for the Woody Wax. I'll be interested to see how it works out for you. I am looking for the fine bronze pads that the people at Woody Wax recommend for tougher stains, and will report results here.
Good luck.
 
I hope I don't need the bronze pads I am hoping to get protection before it gets that bad. Even before any treatment a friend said the glare was a little much when he followed me to a CG. Maybe more shine will help people keep their distance and not tailgate. :/
Dave
 
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