Unwrapping the Raindrop

For those that had their trailers shipped, was there a lot of glue residue from the packing material left on your trailer when you unwrapped it? If so, how did you get it off?

When I unwrapped ours today, the finish has a "swirly" or "marbled" finish. I have tried washing it (first with water, next with mild soap & water) but so far it doesn't come off.

I will say that it had Woody's Wax applied to it before leaving the "nest". Not sure if the residue is from the glue sticking to the wax.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Pat

 

We picked up ours at the nest so we didn't have that issue. If I were you I would e-mail Cary and get the official solution.

Jim

 

Already sent.

Thanks!

 

Pat & Karen,

We get ours in the morning. I spoke to Cary earlier today about what to expect when we unwrap it. The only thing he mentioned was that condensation under the wrap could leave "blushing" on the skin, perhaps that's what you're dealing with... here's his response to my question:

If you see any whitish blushing from moisture that Woody's sponge should take it off. Use that for any detail cleaning you find. It won't create any inconsistencies, nor would a little lacquer thinner if need.

Cary

If it is glue, the lacquer thinner should remove the residue.

I'll post what I find when I unwrap mine in the morning. If you have an opportunity, let us know what Cary has to say when he responds to your email.

For now... Congratulations and enjoy!!!!

 

Thanks, I will let you know what Cary says.

 

Pat,

Simple. It is the wax. Remember, I did say I did not recommend shipping the trailer if it had wax on it because the plastic would likely blemish the wax. You'll just have to run the buffer off it to clean up the wax, as I said before you would likely have to do after receiving the trailer.

Cary

 

Thanks Cary. I will go out and buy a buffer & try that.

I guess this appearance is not what I envisioned when you mentioned that there might be some minor blemishes in the wax.

 

I's exactly as I pictured it could look. Still, I don't think it would need reapplication of wax. Just needs the buffer run over it to straighten out the wax. Worst case scenario you reapply the wax.

Cary

 

Just unwrapped ours... looks great! SInce our's wasn't waxed prior to shipping we didn't experience the blemish problem and didn't notice any blushing from moisture under the wrap. Surprisingly, since there's a lot of road salt spray under the trailer... what a wrap job, I can't imagine anything getting to the aluminum! I'll wash and wax it this afternoon when it warms up a little.

 

Well, the buffer alone did not get rid of the blemishes.

Per Cary's recommendation, I was finally able to get most of the blemishes to go away by applying a coat of the spray Woody's Wax (and A LOT of elbow grease). The sides & the hatch look great & the only area that I can still see remnants of the blemishes is on the roof (even after 2 coats). However, fortunately it is not very noticeable & the roof is unobtrusive.

I am still not 100% sure what the blemishes were. Did the wax get messed up from the adhesive plastic wrap? Had the wax not cured enough to be wrapped & peeled? Was there a chemical reaction between the wax & the adhesive backing on the plastic wrap? Was some of the adhesive left behind on the wax after removal? Who knows, I am just glad it is mostly gone.

Bottom line: I would STRONGLY RECOMMEND to NOT have Woody's wax applied to your trailer if you are having it shipped.

Before:


After:

 

Pat&Karen It looks great enjoy your new toy. Steve

 

Thanks! We will try to now.

-Pat

 

Pat

Just guessing here but it is probably the same reaction as the front rock covers. I asked Cary when I was at the factory about whether you ever take them off so that you can wax/clean under them. As they say in the movies, bad idea, REALLY BAD IDEA. Any time you trap air between two non breathable surfaces you get strange stuff happening. Add to that temperature changes, moisture, humidity, etc and you probably wouldn't want to see the witches brew going on under a really powerful microscope.

Glad it cleaned up.

 

Gary,

I don't think it is the same thing we discussed. Like Pat said, it seems to have been more of a case of the wax getting softened and blemished. Doesn't seem to be a blemish on the metal itself like we talked about. Still though, your point is very good. Anything in contact with the metal is always going to be a concern.

Pat,

Looks great! Love that before and after picture.

Cary

 

Cary,

Could you enlighten me on the the conversation you had with Gary about Alcan cover. There seems to be two schools of thought on this. Some say to remove the cover and wax before the blushing or other problems start, but it sounds like you have a different point of view.

AJ

 

AJ,

I don't know anyone who has waxed under the cover. If you did, you would be an experiment. No idea what it would do.

As I have said before on the Alcan cover (this is also what Gary and I talked about), leave it on and don't look under it.

Cary

 

If you lift the cover all you will do is cry like a baby, curse, think that there is not enough Walbernize in the world. If you ever would have to replace the cover due to damage best to send it to a friend to do so that you don't see it.

Does that summarize it Cary?

 

AJ/Cary,

Just to let you know, I did wax underneath the Alcan. I had removed the Alcan after unwrapping the Raindrop both to get rid of the trapped dirt from shipping & to see what the pristine finish looked like underneath. When I waxed the trailer on Friday the Alcan was not on the trailer & it did not occur to me to put it back on prior to waxing.

I think I plan on removing the bungee straps on the Alcan when not in use to allow both the Alcan and the metal under the Alcan to dry fully (per other recommendations from the forum). However, after taking it off & on once I do not think I want to remove it completely after every time I use the Raindrop.

-Pat

 

Well, I guess I won't be doing anything under the covers!!!!