Polish my Maule

[MX7fun]

All,

'shine 'er up' is my motto for this weekend - I would like to polish my Maule. Does anybody have recommendations on techniques, products, tools to use? Are there any links to good articles / guidelines on the web?

Thank you very much in advance!

Regards,
MX7fun

[AK Mauler]

Wax-on wax-off I have been using Maguires wax. There may be an Aeroshell product or something else that may cost more and last longer, but I would suggest a high quality car wax a few times a year works pretty good. There are some polymer/abrasive type products that I would be real careful about using. I have waxed my plane several time by hand. I have seen others use fancy power buffers, but unless you have highly oxidized paint, the wax-on wax-off works pretty good. Don't forget to do the belly

[MX7fun]

AK Mauler,

thank you very much for the info. I called Meguiars and they told me that their non-professional products are available at major supermarkets or car shops and perfectly suited for manual application. They are shop-safe, too (I assume they don't contain Silicone). Will shop around and than start polishing!! Wax-on wax-off, that's correct!

MX7fun

[astrapilot]

I just finished waxing my M7-235. Used Raindance and removed the wax from the flat areas using an orbitial buffer with a cotton bath towel. It's slippery enough now that the bugs should not stick. Good luck, I didn't get mine done in a weekend.
Lee Johnston
N54328

[TomD]

Consumer reports rates Black Magic Wet Shine Liquid the top liquid wax and the Nu Finish NFP-80 as the best paste.

I have used both on my cars. The Nu Finish lasts a very long time and is pretty easy to apply. I waxed my plane with it a couple of years ago and other than plane waxing being a pain in general, was pretty easy.

The black magic tends to be a bit of a pain in the ass to get rid of streaks on dark colors.

Have fun.

Tom

[Mr. Ed]

I use Flight Jacket. Seems to be easy to use for a paste wax. Took me numerous days to get it done. The previous owner also used Flight Jacket but didn't pay too much attention to wiping it off around the rivets and screws. So most of the time involved was to remove all the crusty build up from the previous 6 years. Very slick stuff. Hold on to your cowl when you unscrew it or it'll slide right out of your hands. When you wax the fabric keep your hand flat and don't use too much pressure or you'll crack the finish.