A Wing Solution Is Found At Last!
The last few weeks you heard about my horse trailer restoration struggles with the front wing flaps. I have been unable to remove the paint to achieve a smooth painting surface. The wings have awkward angles and I can’t squeeze the sander around the lights and wiring at the bottom.
Now that the rest of the backside exterior is completed, and I finally conquered the barn doors last week – today’s focus is to find a solution to this wing predicament at last! I am stubborn and was not going to concede to defeat and paint a bumpy surface!
To recap: So far I have tried sanding all that I could reach, experimented with paint stripper that was more of a mess than a help, and I even tried to cover the ridges with Bondo. That was no use since I could not sand it down properly.
After putting this stage off for weeks, I set to brainstorming other creative solutions. Thankfully, I remembered using acetone, during our welding weekend at my friend’s shop, to eliminate the sticky residue left when the side door padding was removed. Up until that point I had no idea acetone could be so useful and was often used to eliminate grease, dirt and dust in shop settings. I do, however, remember my parents using it to remove marker, paint and nail polish from household surfaces when I was little to clean up my creative endeavors that occasionally went astray.
Now, two and two were put together and off I ran to rummage under the bathroom sink.
Arriving at the trailer with my new secret weapons in hand, I was praying that this would finally be the solution I needed. I soaked the cotton pads with acetone and applied them directly to the stubborn paint like a poultice, then waited for about 2 mintues to allow the chemicals to sink in. Next came the paint scrapper.
The acetone succeeded in loosening the paint enough to be scraped off! Saying that I was ecstatic is an understatement. So relieved that I finally found something that works, I continued with the lengthy process of application and reapplication until I was able to scrape the entire surface smooth.
I was too excited to see how the wing would look painted that I couldn’t help but to spray it now instead of waiting until both sides were treated. Oh my goodness- I was flabbergasted! The results looked amazing!
Scroll to see the transformation:
Propelled by this remarkable victory, I began the process again for the left side. This particular wing was a little trickier since I had the Bondo experiment to work around. I also struggled more around the light and wires than I did on the other side. However, in the end, it turned out just as well.
Moral Of The Story:
1. Don’t give up! 2. The solution to your paint problems could very likely be in your home all along!
Today I also tested the new knobs I picked up for the interior side doors and front window. Seeing beauty in the middle of the mess and the newly painted wings was once again a glimpse of what is to come and a boost of motivation to keep innovating and forging ahead.
Not to mention, coming next week, The Traveling Pheasant mobile coffee bar will take a giant step forward with our biggest, most exciting transformation yet!
Celebratory confetti at the ready,
Heather
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