Re: 1964 Starcraft Jet - Rebuild
Sanding and Polishing Part 2a:
Ok... spent some time early am and here's what it boils down to: The aluminum is scratched and scored up enough that it is pretty rough in spots. So, I am doing what I did on JII --- 150 --> 400 --> 600 -->1500 wet sand to 3 polish coats and 1 coat of sealant. The following pics show from 400 grit onwards. The back is going to need 150 grit to get it to smooth untarnished alum and from mid hull onwards towards the bow 400. Above the waterline at the bow I will likely not sand as it looks pretty darn good already --- just polish and sealant. Sooooo here are a few shots of the test area:
In the 3rd shot you can really see the difference between the sides and you can still see the tarnished area on the left a bit where there wasn't any paint on the hull for likely many years.
Again... not going for mirror finish... just a nice, clean, consistent aluminum finish that with the polish and sealant should last many years --- well the sealant maybe a year or two.
I left the Jupiter in the water for what amounted to about 3 straight months this summer and after a quick wash with water and scrub brush, the hull looked as good as the day I finished polishing and sealing it!
Have a great evening folks!
Jim
