I guess planes going from midwest to the west coast and back have gotten a lot slower these days.


I'm willing to venture that the product used for the polishing work was called "3M Microfinishing Compound" part number 051131-06011. That's as fine as it gets before the wax goes on. The next step coarser would be "3M Super Duty Rubbing Compound" part number 051131-05954. Next coarser above that is 2000 grit wet or dry sandpaper. All three are usually available at an auto paint supply store. Don't even bother to try looking for it at a regular paint store. The stuff is not cheap!

The 2000 paper will cut pretty fast, as will the rubbing compound. The microfine will let you go pretty slow and not leave a bunch of ugly scratches in the finish. Polish with the length of the fuselage to mask any potential buffing blemishes, and follow up the polishing process with a quality auto wax. I'm partial to the Turtle brand with no cleansing additives. Use of the multi-folded cotton cloth is important to permit proper conformation with the surface to be polished, and not conform to the highs and lows of your hand.

I used to do a lot of painting, and the above was all a part of "color sanding". The microfine also works well on aluminum products for polishing if anyone is interested. Also excellent (best) for aluminum is a product named "Zepher Pro 40" and polishes to a mirror finish.