Sand, Sand, Sand, Polish, Polish, Polish, Paint?

Took a trip to Harbor Freight with Jack today.  Came home with a 7 inch variable speed grinder/polisher and a 6 inch random orbit sander, lots of sanding pads, polishing compound and plans of polishing the teardrop.  How hard could it be right?

Right away we figured out that the polishing compound we were using was not the right kind.  It was impossible to get on the pads because it was too 'solid' or hard.  When we applied it by 'drawing' on the skin of the teardrop it scratched the surface pretty badly; so badly that we could not 'polish' it away.  What to do?

Jack got me working on the hatch.  We rigged up a tarp to keep the sun off of us.

We went to Advanced Auto Parts and talked to the folks there.  We decided to buy some rubbing and polishing compound.  

We tried using these new compounds.  They applied better and did 'sort of' polish, but it was clear that the surface of the teardrop was not getting 'roughed up' enough to really shine.

If you look closely you can still see the paint the seller used to mark the year and price.  Something needed to be used that was more abrasive.  Back to the auto parts store.

We came home with 400 grit sand paper.  This stuff is super fine, and it did 'scratch' up the surface a lot more than any of the compounds we used, but still not enough to really shine the surface.  Time to go back to the auto parts store.

We came back with 320 grit sand paper and started in with this.  This really got rid of the leftover paint and got rid of most of the 'worst' scratches.  We then put a coat of polish over it and tried to buff it out.  There was so much debris from the sanding, that we ended up washing the hatch down with soap and water.  Finally, I applied a really caustic aluminum 'cleaner,' that is designed for pontoon boats.  That really cut the crud and gave a uniform look to the hatch.

Here is the 'finished' hatch.  I could spend a couple of more hours sanding and polishing just this section, but I decided to clean up and stop for the day.  

Here is a shot where you can see the 'color' of the top of the teardrop and the hatch.  It isn't as shiny as I wanted it to be; I was truly hoping for that magnificent shine of the restored Airstreams, but I am not sure I'll be able to achieve that.  Which is why I started thinking about painting.  I'm going to do some research on the process of doing this.  

This guy's teardrop has a cool retro look.  

I plan to call a few body shops and inquire as to how much it might cost to have it done professionally as well as ask a few questions on the teardrops and tiny trailer forum.