OCDetails
Member
- Mar 3, 2006
- 853
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This is a fun project. There isn't much paint really. it is kind of like polishing a Civic, but with more curves and stranger angles. However, because weight is everything in aviation, the paint is super thin and so is the sheet metal under it, so care has to be taken.
Because it comes in for a landing much slower than an airplane, the bugs don't really become as much of an issue with the helicopter. They build up a little on the nose, but not many other places. Mostly for this job I polish out whatever swirls have been caused by the quick details between flights and then put down some shine. I detail it frequently enough that I'm not looking for super long term durability. They just want it looking amazing each time they take someone up in it.
The first time I hit it with Wolfgang (of course) and I've gone from there to Souveran, Meguiar's Ultimate, Blackfire, and a number of other paste waxes. On this attempt we used Dodo Juice's Homebrew wax. My son like coming with me and has become more and more of a help to me, so since this was his wax I thought he would enjoy knowing it was on a helicopter.
This is a turbine helicopter, so there is a great deal of exhaust which blows back across the tail. It is just a rainbow mirror of smeary mess. Very tricky to clean off. In fact, putting wax on the tail is counter productive as it burns off very quickly and makes it harder to clean the exhaust off going forward. So the process here is to clean it up and apply CQUARTZ. I've found I can get plenty of protection with that even under those circumstances.
The biggest pain is actually that tail. They wipe it down after every couple flights, but it definitely builds up. So last year sometime I bought them a bottle of Wolfgang Spray Sealant and asked them to start using that between flights to help make it easier to wipe down. What a difference it made!! Now cleaning it up is much easier.
Really the most complicated part of this job is reaching everything. Fortunately I was blessed with long gorilla arms, so reaching most of it isn't a problem. For everything else they have this great ladder that lets me get up to the rotors and the mast.
The rotors are covered with something kind of like paint, but not quite. Almost like they are vinyl wrapped with something really strong. Again, light weight is the key, so it can't be anything too thick. I used Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant on them anyway because it just seemed to be the thing to be done. I haven't had a problem with it yet, so I'll stick with that.
The rest of the paint got Erik's 'Goblin Wax'.
The engine is fun to clean (not). Kind of cramped in there, but I do my best.
Interior wise I have to go back to the Civic comparison. It is very similar in size. Without a dashboard to get in the way it is much easier to clean, though.
After all is said and done I like to go over it once more with a Wolfgang Instant Detailer just to make sure we haven't left any fingerprints or smudges. Normally not an issue, but for some reason this thing is a magnet for them.
Definitely a fun project. A little awkward to get everywhere, but it doesn't really take that long. It is only a 2 or 3 hour project usually.
