"I'm gonna make this Silver Streak shine!"

Obviously the shinny spots on the SS were not going to be acceptable and all the rubbing in the world and every product known to man, even products not designed for metal, were not going to do anything to remove the anodized surface.  This realization sent Stefan to the internet for any information that could fix the problem I created by my overwhelming need for the Silver Streak to be pretty.  The quality of the trailer was being overlooked by its dull worn finish.  Stefan came across a trucker blog that recommended an acid wash that would surely brighten the finish and remove stains.  We had nothing to lose and everything to gain since the trailer looked like leprosy had set in.  I never took any photos at this stage. Some things are best forgotten.

After locating a distributor and a one and a half hour drive we were headed home armed with the magic bullet that would surely make the SS at least brighter and with some elbow grease the dreaded shinny spots would blend in better.  The acid wash worked wonders on the silver aluminum to clean and brighten it but we quickly realized it was not good for the anodized gold.  At this point everything needed to be masked off and protected.  As you could have predicted I started wondering "what would happen if I used straight acid instead of diluting it with water like the product recommends"  Once again I started to rub and rub and rub insistent all the while that I was going to make this trailer shinny!.  Well guess what?  Between the acid and assorted abrasive tools the diamond hard anodized finish was finally giving way.  I knew at this point that there was no turning back and that the road ahead of us was going to be a long and endless one. 

That was 6.5 years ago and each summer includes several hundred hours of grinding and polishing until the day we achieve the shine we so relentlessly purse. 

       

          The SS monicker which I recreated from originals

 

 

 

 

 

After several years we finally got a shine and were able to take her out

Crater Lake Camp Ground

   The polishing of the SS will always be part of our summer as long as we enjoy traveling with one of the most unique, unusual and beautiful trailers on the road.  I never feel more special than I do when we are pulling the Silver Streak.  It appears that this year will be a break through year for the clarity of the shine.  I will include pictures of our progress in my next post.  I have had my way with the interior as well and will post an update soon.