about to detail an oil truck

[dudemandanman]

well as the title says, i might be detailing a monster oil truck, and want to know the best way to polish the metal tank.

i was plaining on polishing it with just mothers metal polish with my pc.

my only questions are what kind of pad i should use, and should i still clay before hand??

has anyone tackled something like this before?

any and all advice is welcome.



thanks in advanced!!!

[Zrex61]

Whats a monster oil truck? do you mean a tanker truck? Those tanks are either stainless or aluminum. They sell stuff called tank brite that you hose on & rinse off, job done.

I`d be VERY vary of polishing off some protective coating....

[dudemandanman]

yeah a tanker truck. theres a protective coating??

anyone else know about this??

please chime in!!

i don`t want to end up ruining the the truck!

[Dan]

Best bet is to ask the owner who makes the tanker and call the company, ask for their recommendations. That way there are no questions and a whole lot less liablility.

[abbeysdad]

I would think the focus would be on the tractor/cab, not the trailer ?

[dudemandanman]

well the tanker is getting old graphics taken off and new put on, so with all the oxidation and what not the old graphics will leave ghost images, so polishing it will (hopefully) take care of that.

[imported_themightytimmah]

They make a hydroflouric acid spray that will take all the oxidation and grime, etc off and return the tanker to new by burning the top fraction of an inch of metal off. Much faster/easier/better results than polishing. Very dangerous chemical, protect yourself with gloves and a mask, and pressure wash off from a *good* distance.



I personally use ChemFast`s Alumabrite, but there are a lot of companies out there that make the same product. You can find this product at any decent truckstop, it`s called "Aluminum Brightener".

[imported_Tex Star Detail]

They make a hydroflouric acid spray that will take all the oxidation and grime, etc off and return the tanker to new by burning the top fraction of an inch of metal off. Much faster/easier/better results than polishing. Very dangerous chemical, protect yourself with gloves and a mask, and pressure wash off from a *good* distance.



I personally use ChemFast`s Alumabrite, but there are a lot of companies out there that make the same product. You can find this product at any decent truckstop, it`s called "Aluminum Brightener".





Stuff works, but I would not recommend ANYONE using it Period. Beside gloves and a mask,, you better be in a full chemical suit. That stuff with KILL you. So yes. VERY dangerous chemical indeed. Stick with safer products IMHO...

[qadsan]

Hydroflouric acid sprays (HF) are also used in many touchless car washes in varying concentrations across the USA. HF does a great job during the pre-soak phase for cleaning painted surface and especially wheels & glass, but it`s every bit as dangerous as already mentioned. It`s concentration and dwell times are what makes it more or less friendly, but definitely take precautions if you`re going to use it no matter how much you dilute it.



If your skin comes into contact with HF, you won`t initially feel any pain or burning sensations because of the fluorine`s numbing effect, but it`s going through your skin and searching for calcium (i.e. your bones). Several hours after coming in contact with HF, you`ll notice that the soft tissues and bones in those areas (typically your hands) are being eaten away from this. It only takes a burn from HF that covers about 2% of your body to kill you and you may not know it`s a problem until its too late. Breathe in just a small amount of a 50/50 HF/H2O solution and you could die....seriously!



At full strength this stuff will etch glass and it also loves to eat concrete in addition to your bones, soft tissues, etc. At the right dilutions, it can remove acid rain etchings from glass and leaves it perfectly streak free., but I`d rather spend the extra time polishing glass with a slurry of cerium oxide than further risk my health from using HF. It has its place in the industry, but this is one product I`d advise staying away from for the sake of your health if you don`t have any training and or equipment to safely use it.

[dudemandanman]

WOW. that def sounds like some very serious stuff...

i don`t think i`m ready to take that on.



are there any other less harmful chemicals anyone has used with good results??

would just going with metal polish be a waste of time??



please keep the comments comin, i`m definately learning lots here!!

[fdizzle]

wow . . . a tanker....... have fun with that....... might i ask what your fee for detailing such a beast is? just curious . . . no offense taken if you would rather keep it personal. . . . . i cant imagine polishing that much metal . . . . my god . . . it hurts just thinking about it . .

[PedroDaGr8]

Damn, as a chemist, it makes me cringe when I hear people saying to use HF. When I have to do a fluorination in the lab, I NEVER use HF no matter HOW dilute. It is just TOO hazardous. There are a reason that most Fluorine chemists are missing parts of their body (the F- ion eats the bones and the body part has to be amputated). Let alone, the reaction of F- and Al can be EXTREMELY exothermal (heat producing), in concentrated situations Al metal and HF is explosive. Even if the solution is dilute, I just would not feel that it is the best idea to heat a tanker that carries flammable liquids. Maybe this is a common practice, but I DEFINITELY would not use it without full chem gear.

[AMDin93103]

Hydroflouric acid sprays (HF) are also used in many touchless car washes in varying concentrations across the USA. HF does a great job during the pre-soak phase for cleaning painted surface and especially wheels & glass, but it`s every bit as dangerous as already mentioned. It`s concentration and dwell times are what makes it more or less friendly, but definitely take precautions if you`re going to use it no matter how much you dilute it.



If your skin comes into contact with HF, you won`t initially feel any pain or burning sensations because of the fluorine`s numbing effect, but it`s going through your skin and searching for calcium (i.e. your bones). Several hours after coming in contact with HF, you`ll notice that the soft tissues and bones in those areas (typically your hands) are being eaten away from this. It only takes a burn from HF that covers about 2% of your body to kill you and you may not know it`s a problem until its too late. Breathe in just a small amount of a 50/50 HF/H2O solution and you could die....seriously!



At full strength this stuff will etch glass and it also loves to eat concrete in addition to your bones, soft tissues, etc. At the right dilutions, it can remove acid rain etchings from glass and leaves it perfectly streak free., but I`d rather spend the extra time polishing glass with a slurry of cerium oxide than further risk my health from using HF. It has its place in the industry, but this is one product I`d advise staying away from for the sake of your health if you don`t have any training and or equipment to safely use it.




Damn, as a chemist, it makes me cringe when I hear people saying to use HF. When I have to do a fluorination in the lab, I NEVER use HF no matter HOW dilute. It is just TOO hazardous. There are a reason that most Fluorine chemists are missing parts of their body (the F- ion eats the bones and the body part has to be amputated). Let alone, the reaction of F- and Al can be EXTREMELY exothermal (heat producing), in concentrated situations Al metal and HF is explosive. Even if the solution is dilute, I just would not feel that it is the best idea to heat a tanker that carries flammable liquids. Maybe this is a common practice, but I DEFINITELY would not use it without full chem gear.



Well, I say. . . . bust out the suit!!!!

[PedroDaGr8]

AHHH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA OMG :rofl For some reason I saw that and first thought in my head was the old intel commercials and Daft Punk around the world video. The ones that I am familiar with are usually yellow and not near that shiny hahaha.

[dudemandanman]

ok, well i finally called the manufacturer, and they told me that the distributors and sellers of the trucks suggest "metal master"



has anyone used this??



it was hard for me to find info on this, so if you got any please share!!