Polish, Then Wax?

[Tom Tyson]

I should know this, but having never been around a polished aluminum airplane, I don’t know the answer.

After polishing a bare metal surface, do you then wax it.

This question was raised concerning a recent photo of the B-29 “Doc”.

[Terry Carraway]

Yes, polish to make look pretty. Then "wax" to protect the surface so you don't need to polish again that soon.

I saw "wax" as there are better products that a true wax these days.

[Ralph Jones]

Wax on, wax off, Daniel-san.

[Russell Holton]

When I see this thread title, I'm reminded of the old joke "Remember, it's pillage then burn. The other way doesn't work too well."

[Bruce Gorrell]

I should know this, but having never been around a polished aluminum airplane, I don’t know the answer.

After polishing a bare metal surface, do you then wax it.

This question was raised concerning a recent photo of the B-29 “Doc”.

Speaking of Doc, the Fifi guys were saying this past weekend that Doc is beginning to tarnish.

Fifi has a new paint job that is absolutely spectacular.

[Randy Sohn]

Speaking of Doc, the Fifi guys were saying this past weekend that Doc is beginning to tarnish.

Fifi has a new paint job that is absolutely spectacular.

Chuckle, recall many moons ago when I first brought 44-62070 (FIFI - for Vic Agather's wife, Josephfine) out'a that desert pile at China Lake NAS, where the USAF had given 30 or so old B-29's airframes to the Nighhhhvee to use for target practice, it had the weathered look of old aluminum - so we painted her. Years later Tony and his guys got DOC out's that same junkpile and got her back to ICT. Tony phoned me and sent me some photos of it and I called him back - said "Wow, Tony, she sure looks good all polished like that, I'll bet that it won't be too long before you just paint her grey just like we did FIFI".

IIRC, 20th Century-Fox (or whoever that movie company was) wanted it painted before they made that movie that I took her out to LA/Hollywood/Burbank for.

best, randy

[Bill Bridges]

Speaking of Doc, the Fifi guys were saying this past weekend that Doc is beginning to tarnish.

Fifi has a new paint job that is absolutely spectacular.

Bruce,

I never realized that Fifi was painted. I know this is a dumb question, what color?

[Randy Sohn]

Bruce,

I never realized that Fifi was painted. I know this is a dumb question, what color?

IIRC we painted her originally with the paint we'd gotten for nothing, :"battleship grey" - I assume they used the same color now.

I'd typed something elsewhere here on Avsig yesterday about telling Tony that I pretty much figured that they'd end up doing the same with DOC, whole lotta work to polish (volunteers) her. We just discussed this at our weekly 8th AF memorial deal this noon.

best, randy

[Bruce Gorrell]

Bruce,

I never realized that Fifi was painted. I know this is a dumb question, what color?

It's gray, but it almost looks silver in the sun.

[Tom Tyson]

Metallic silver if I remember correctly. It’s been two years since I last saw her.

[Bruce Gorrell]

Metallic silver if I remember correctly. It’s been two years since I last saw her.

New paint job. It's gray now, but very shiny.

[Randy Sohn]

New paint job. It's gray now, but very shiny.

Yup, like you said somewheres - "time flies when you're having fun" (tiempo volando). I forget now (used to know) just how much weight that original paint job added, I do recall now that some company donated it but I forget now just who it was that did. T'wuz in the north hangar at MAF, I believe that paint technology's gotten far-far better over the years in that now it's more silvery than back then.

best, randy

[Jeff Hartmann]

I remember the paint on a Cessna 150 weighed 26 pounds.... On Fifi, a lot more...