In possibly the most rewarding small summer project, I explored the possibilities of Gord's Aluminum Polish while refurbishing Bessie's interior aluminum railings. These railings are for the overhead compartments above the kitchen counter and above the bedroom section. They screw into the mahogany shelves and hold the sliding doors in place. (We don't have the sliding doors anymore - well we do, but they suck - I mean, they really, really suck - and they're mildewy - and moldy - and warped - with brass knobs - and did I mention they're hideous?)
I had so much success with Brasso on the propane lamp and other various small stainless steel accessories that I gave it a shot on the railings. I used Brie's toothbrush to scrub the oxidation off the aluminum. I wore it out so I went and got her spare to finish the job. Here are the results...
And a macro shot of the final product...
Not quite satisfied, I decided to use the polish that I bought to clean up the exterior. I figured it would be a good primer before I set about cleaning the entire Airstream. I was pleasantly surprised after the first rail, and continued...
Here's a macro shot of the same rail after the first pass with Gord's...
Looking a little better right? After the next couple railings, I got the hang of the polish and went back and redid the first ones.
Results...
...are getting better. This polish really makes the aluminum pop, returning a reflective shine and leaving all the oxidation on my hands and rags. This stuff is fantastic on aluminum.
And of course, the obligatory macro of the final product before installation...
Not too bad! Apparently, toothbrushes are too strong a material to use on a soft metal like aluminum. You can see the streaks in the aluminum from the pressure of the brush on the metal. Oops. And now that I've published this, I'm probably going to owe Brie a couple of toothbrushes.
Overall though, you have to look very close to see the scratches, and for a 50 year old trailer, she's looking pretty good. The rails were soon put in place on the overhead compartments, clearing yet more debris from the staging area. Summertime's starting to seem a little productive now.
