3M Polish kit
Moderators: Rick, Lance Murray
- astaib
- 5 Diamonds Member
- Posts: 617
- Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2018 9:00 pm
- First Name: Arnaud
- Aircraft Type: DA40
- Aircraft Registration: FGNJX
- Airports: LFPX
- Has thanked: 244 times
- Been thanked: 51 times
3M Polish kit
Hello,
Did you ever use the 3M kits with the 3 different grades of polish (Green/Yellow/BLue)?
I'm about to buy this kit with the corresponding pads in order to polish my DA40.
I bought my plane almost 1 year ago (he is from 2001, but quite OK for the exterior), I polished it last year with a no name polish only one grade, and the result was quite OK just to have a more shiny aspect.
But I removed the old stripings and decals to make new ones, and I have the ghost traces of the old decals (normal).
Under the old decals it is very shiny and nice looking, and this is what motivates me to polish the complete surface to try to have this aspect back again.
Are you recommending this kit form 3M? Or another one?
What machine are you recommending to apply it? excentric? what RPM? etc?
As I'm in France, I might not be able to buy any US polish that are sold only in the USA.
Thank you very much for your help.
Arnaud.
Did you ever use the 3M kits with the 3 different grades of polish (Green/Yellow/BLue)?
I'm about to buy this kit with the corresponding pads in order to polish my DA40.
I bought my plane almost 1 year ago (he is from 2001, but quite OK for the exterior), I polished it last year with a no name polish only one grade, and the result was quite OK just to have a more shiny aspect.
But I removed the old stripings and decals to make new ones, and I have the ghost traces of the old decals (normal).
Under the old decals it is very shiny and nice looking, and this is what motivates me to polish the complete surface to try to have this aspect back again.
Are you recommending this kit form 3M? Or another one?
What machine are you recommending to apply it? excentric? what RPM? etc?
As I'm in France, I might not be able to buy any US polish that are sold only in the USA.
Thank you very much for your help.
Arnaud.
Arnaud
DA40 Star 180 / 40.026 / 2001
Wingtip, landing and taxing LED (Whelen)
Skitube
GNS430 NON-WAAS
Steam gauges
Non certified ADS-b
DA40 Star 180 / 40.026 / 2001
Wingtip, landing and taxing LED (Whelen)
Skitube
GNS430 NON-WAAS
Steam gauges
Non certified ADS-b
- vontresc
- 3 Diamonds Member
- Posts: 85
- Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2015 3:51 pm
- First Name: Peter
- Aircraft Type: DA40
- Aircraft Registration: N569DS
- Airports: KMSN
- Has thanked: 1 time
- Been thanked: 22 times
Re: 3M Polish kit
Check with the local glider pilots, and see what they use. I have used 3m finesse it on my Libelle in the past. Finesse it is the final step ultra fine polish, and it will remove the least amount of gel coat. Remember polish is abrasive. Unless you need to get the oxidation layer off, you may be better off with just a wax based solution.
- astaib
- 5 Diamonds Member
- Posts: 617
- Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2018 9:00 pm
- First Name: Arnaud
- Aircraft Type: DA40
- Aircraft Registration: FGNJX
- Airports: LFPX
- Has thanked: 244 times
- Been thanked: 51 times
Re: 3M Polish kit
Hello,
Gliders has gel coat when da40 are painted?
Am I wrong?
Arnaud.
Gliders has gel coat when da40 are painted?
Am I wrong?
Arnaud.
Arnaud
DA40 Star 180 / 40.026 / 2001
Wingtip, landing and taxing LED (Whelen)
Skitube
GNS430 NON-WAAS
Steam gauges
Non certified ADS-b
DA40 Star 180 / 40.026 / 2001
Wingtip, landing and taxing LED (Whelen)
Skitube
GNS430 NON-WAAS
Steam gauges
Non certified ADS-b
- Don
- 4 Diamonds Member
- Posts: 377
- Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2010 9:15 pm
- First Name: Don
- Aircraft Type: DA40
- Aircraft Registration: N623DS
- Airports: KTOA
- Has thanked: 123 times
- Been thanked: 162 times
Re: 3M Polish kit
I was told when on a factory tour in London that the Diamonds are painted with LP (linear polyurethane)
LP is also used in the marine industry when repainting fiberglass yachts. I know from my decades of boat ownership that LP is one of the most robust finishes one can apply. It weathers very well compared to gel coats.
Diamond Star XLS, N623DS, SN40.1076
- vontresc
- 3 Diamonds Member
- Posts: 85
- Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2015 3:51 pm
- First Name: Peter
- Aircraft Type: DA40
- Aircraft Registration: N569DS
- Airports: KMSN
- Has thanked: 1 time
- Been thanked: 22 times
- Lance Murray
- 5 Diamonds Member
- Posts: 1163
- Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2010 11:25 pm
- First Name: Lance
- Aircraft Type: DA40
- Airports:
- Has thanked: 7 times
- Been thanked: 120 times
- astaib
- 5 Diamonds Member
- Posts: 617
- Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2018 9:00 pm
- First Name: Arnaud
- Aircraft Type: DA40
- Aircraft Registration: FGNJX
- Airports: LFPX
- Has thanked: 244 times
- Been thanked: 51 times
Re: 3M Polish kit
You mean that your painting was dead ?
After polishing ?
Was it sleeping outside ?
After polishing ?
Was it sleeping outside ?
Arnaud
DA40 Star 180 / 40.026 / 2001
Wingtip, landing and taxing LED (Whelen)
Skitube
GNS430 NON-WAAS
Steam gauges
Non certified ADS-b
DA40 Star 180 / 40.026 / 2001
Wingtip, landing and taxing LED (Whelen)
Skitube
GNS430 NON-WAAS
Steam gauges
Non certified ADS-b
- Scotsman58
- 3 Diamonds Member
- Posts: 66
- Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2012 9:38 pm
- First Name: John
- Aircraft Type: DA40
- Aircraft Registration: N430JP
- Airports: KBDR
- Has thanked: 7 times
- Been thanked: 8 times
Re: 3M Polish kit
Further to this discussion -- I'm interested in the safest way to remove an old decal from my DA40. Not one of the decorative decals -- they still look ok -- but an old Connecticut state/town registration sticker. I've tried peeling and (very light) scraping but just can't get the bulk of it off. Is there any tool or chemical remover that won't harm my LP paint finish or the underlying surface?
- Rich
- 5 Diamonds Member
- Posts: 4608
- Joined: Mon Aug 30, 2010 12:40 pm
- First Name: Rich
- Aircraft Type: DA40
- Aircraft Registration: N40XE
- Airports: S39 Prineville OR
- Has thanked: 145 times
- Been thanked: 1186 times
Re: 3M Polish kit
I've had luck removing these kinds of things by warming the sticker just by rubbing fast and hard with a bare hand and then peeling off.Scotsman58 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 11, 2019 5:47 pm Further to this discussion -- I'm interested in the safest way to remove an old decal from my DA40. Not one of the decorative decals -- they still look ok -- but an old Connecticut state/town registration sticker. I've tried peeling and (very light) scraping but just can't get the bulk of it off. Is there any tool or chemical remover that won't harm my LP paint finish or the underlying surface?
2002 DA40-180: MT, PowerFlow, 530W/430W, KAP140, ext. baggage, 1090 ES out, 2646 MTOW, 40gal., Surefly, Flightstream 210, Orion 600 LED, XeVision, Aspen E5
- BRS
- 4 Diamonds Member
- Posts: 313
- Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2011 12:44 am
- First Name: Brock
- Aircraft Type: OTHER
- Aircraft Registration: N8QQ
- Airports: W52
- Has thanked: 31 times
- Been thanked: 94 times
Re: 3M Polish kit
I changed my N numbers years ago. Took careful use of a heat gun and a plastic scraper. was a big job.
40.649 Sold (Still miss the DA40 from time to time)
Fly and EAB Sportsman
Fly and EAB Sportsman