W Cole

This is slightly OT but I figured you guys would have some creative ideas.

My buddy has a custom painted lear that he wants detailed. As seen here: http://www.airliners.net/search/phot...nct_entry=true

I want to use the longest lasting, most durable sealant possible so we have to do this as least often as possible - Zaino seems to fit the bill.

Will this stuff hold up to the heat/pressure associated with 450+ knots? As well as the bending/flexing/stretching of the surfaces during flight?

I'm mainly worried about the extreme heat in/around the engine nacelles. Will the heat combined with the Zaino possibly damage the paint? I'm thinking it should be fine..

And does anyone have any creative ideas on how to efficiently clay/polish/seal something with as much surface area as two city buses?

Any input would be appreciated..

Thanks,

W Cole

Moviela

My aircraft is much smaller and slower, but gets just as dirty. I use a cyclo polisher, and Meguiars deep crystal polish. When the paint looks as good as it can, I cover it with Blitz wax. The Blitz seems to look good longer than Meguiars High Tech Yellow wax. I wash with Meguiars Gold class wash. There is some black stuff that gets on the trailing edges that does not wash off easily, but a quick wipe with the deep crystal takes it off. A coat of wax then follows. You always need to keep a coat of wax on the paint.

A tip to remember is that the polish can be applied, then removed right away, whereas the wax needs to be dry to a haze prior to removal. As always, you need to find some shade to work.

I have tried many, but I have not found a plastic polish that makes the windows look as nice as the paintwork.

Here is a link to the polisher, looks like it came from the fifties:

http://www.topoftheline.com/aircraftpolishing.html

I have seen that plane at SNA, it is a real head turner with that red livery. Two thumbs way up on that one.

Nickc0844

The more the merrier! When you have surfaces as large as that, the key is to cover as much square footage as possible. I found that out when detailing some Piper's around my area. My Makita rotary houses 8" pads, and when used properly, I can acheive fantastic results without leaving holograms. The cyclo is wonderful alternative. The true time killer would be to have multiple cyclos, PC's, or rotaries.

I am flying into SNA from ATL on Valentines for a week of pleasure and detailing (detailing a car that will be in the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance). When would he like to have it done?

As for products, have you considered Klasse AIO for this project? It has wonderful cleaning abilities, and is an acrylic sealant that rivals Zaino's durability. The look is also stunning. You can get that at our forum sponsor, Detailed Image, www.detailedimage.com

Best of luck to you. The plane looks stunning!

Greg@DI

I have not detailed jets but I agree with Nick I think the Klasse AIO may be your best bet. The Klasse is a chemical polish and sealant in one bottle that is easy to work with. It helps seperate embedded contaminates for additional cleaning power. It also leaves an acrylic layer of protection that lasts about 3 - 6 months on autos, in my experiences. Its relatively easy to apply and remove so you won't have to worry about a difficult to use product. If you want something that protects a little stronger and is easier to use I really like the Menzerna FMJ. This is my favorite sealant for autos but it has no cleaning properties in it. With both sealants I can typically do an entire auto with about 1oz of product so these sealants stretch quite far.

Dont' forget all MBWorld forum members get 10% off at www.detailedimage.com when you use the code "10offMBW". Let us know what you choose and how it goes.

Greg @ Detailed Image

W Cole

Hey guys, thanks for all the insightful replies.

I researched the Klasse AIO and at first it seemed like it would be an easier alternative to zaino however it seems the phrase "all in one" is slightly misleading. It looked like to get good results you would want to use 3 different products? One of which is a carnuba wax (low melting temp...).

What would be the results if I just used a coat of Klasse AIO all by itself as seen here: http://www.detailedimage.com/store/p...products_id=77

Would it look as good as the 2-3 coats of Zaino Z5 that I normally do?

Thanks.

Greg@DI

You can use the Klasse AIO by itself or in combination with other products. By itself it still offers long lasting protection as its an acrylic, which are known for their durability. It should last close to the same amount of time as a coat of Zaino. However you can't really layer the Klasse AIO like you can a pure sealant (Zaino, Menzerna FMJ). You can layer a pure sealant over the Klasse AIO, which is very popular as well. Therefore you get the cleaning and sealing of the Klasse AIO and the extra protection from the pure sealant you layer on top of it. You can also just keep it simple and just use the Zaino or Menzerna FMJ and layer them.

Sorry if thats confusing let me know if you need any clarification.

Greg @ Detailed Image

TOGWT

Aircraft Cleaning & Detailing-http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/mb/mobileworks?forum=4485