First time polishing gel coat...any advice?

[Mad Wax]

So I took my first RV job. It's a small one...13ft Casita, white and badly oxidized. Customer wants to use her own product because she heard nice things about it...it's actually this www.autogeek.net/3m-marine-restorer-wax.html. For years, I've only been working with foam pads on just clear coat, and when I tried a test spot, it just wasn't enough to cut through the layers of oxidation. It has more gloss, but very blotchy. I'm researching, and everyone seems to be using wool pads working on badly oxidized gel coat. I have a rotary, but it's a small one..the Flex 3403....I also have a Flex 3401 in my arsenal.

My questions are...

Any recommendation on what kind of wool pads will work best for this?

How many pads would I need?

Is there a better product I should be using instead of what she has?


I want to do this as a 1 step if at all possible. Customer knows this is my first time doing an RV, and dealing with gel coat...so I priced this job low because her Rv is the "guinnea pig" lol

Any hints, tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated!


Thanks guy!

[Mad Wax]

Thinking about getting these pads for this job www.autogeek.net/lc-6inch-lambswool-cutting.html

[Wills65]

I used my DeWalt 849x, Marine 31 wool pads and Megs M67 to accomplish this. Its not show quality shine but its fanastic compared to what I had before.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4525/26791590939_90165dfd3f_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/GPtUzH)20160419_115935 (https://flic.kr/p/GPtUzH) by William Milton (https://www.flickr.com/photos/williammilton/), on Flickr

[Wills65]

RV gel coat should be about the same as working with boat gel coat so I would expect similar results. I hear great things about Marine31 products but have never used them. The M67 was a dream to work with and finished pretty nicely considering I only did a 1-step with it on a rotary and wool.

[Mad Wax]

RV gel coat should be about the same as working with boat gel coat so I would expect similar results. I hear great things about Marine31 products but have never used them. The M67 was a dream to work with and finished pretty nicely considering I only did a 1-step with it on a rotary and wool.

Thanks for your help

[mwoywod]

HD Speed & HD Polish are amazing on gelcoat. Also, Menzerna 3n1 is actually better on gelcoat than on paint. It's such oily and greasy product that is a nightmare to use on clear coat but is really fantastic on heavily oxidized gelcoat since the product doesn't dry up from all the excess oxidized paint caking up your pad.

For heavy oxidation removal on gel coat I like Marine 31 Heavy Cut oxidation remover most, but have also successfully used Menzerna SHC 300 and Britemax Pro Max Compound.

[Mad Wax]

HD Speed & HD Polish are amazing on gelcoat. Also, Menzerna 3n1 is actually better on gelcoat than on paint. It's such oily and greasy product that is a nightmare to use on clear coat but is really fantastic on heavily oxidized gelcoat since the product doesn't dry up from all the excess oxidized paint caking up your pad.

For heavy oxidation removal on gel coat I like Marine 31 Heavy Cut oxidation remover most, but have also successfully used Menzerna SHC 300 and Britemax Pro Max Compound.

Thanks brother

[HateSwirls]

I used Griots 3in1 Polish on this one.
Great results.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200308/eb85476f4d2bb58a6ebb09660a02d693.jpg

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