Search This Blog


Thursday, June 22, 2017

Undoing A Sticky Situation

While we're here in sunny (a little too sunny) California with our granddaughters, I got a chance to tackle the ugly Diamond Shield on the front of the Journey.  As I've mentioned before, the glue under the plastic has developed mold spots and the whole thing has to be removed to solve the problem.  Because the Diamond Shield covers the entire front of the Journey from the bottom of the windshield down, I've been working on it in sections as I've found the time.


By dividing it into about one foot square sections, it makes it easier to keep going instead of feeling overwhelmed, it is a very slow and tedious job, making my hands cramp up after just a few minutes.
To make it easier, I found that plastic scrapers are a little bit easier to use as there is more to hold than just plastic razor blades.  To facilitate the process, I use a heat gun on low and remove a few inches at a time.  Too much heat melts the plastic and makes it harder to remove, so just a few seconds of warming in a small 2"x2" area makes the plastic come off with less effort.


Once the plastic is peeled off, the glue remains with the mold spots.  This has to be removed, too.  Heat doesn't work on this.


With a good recommendation from a fellow RV friend, I got some 3M Adhesive Remover,  It has to be sprayed on liberally.  Of course, I ran out, so I got some industrial strength Goof Off which worked just as well.


After spraying the adhesive remover on and letting it soak for a minute or two, the plastic scraper easily slides the glue off.



After removing all the glue residue, I cleaned the surface with Simple Green and then waxed the paint.  It came out looking great.



If you look closely at the above picture, you can see mold growing under the Diamond Shield covering the gray paint.  That's another big job that I'll leave for another time.  It's been very hot here now and I'm glad that I've at least finished the worst looking area.  California heat waves are nothing to be working in if you don't have to.

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment.





10 comments:

  1. Paul are you going to replace the Diamond Shield (with something) or just leave it bare?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, I'm not going to replace it. My previous Class A did not have it and it looked fine after four years of ownership. I'm just going to keep it clean and waxed. If it was ever to get chipped up, I'd get it repainted. I need to have the roof brow area repainted now as it is having a gel coat peeling over a 1'x12" area right over the driver position. I can't complain, the Journey is now 10 years old and I'm chasing some rust and minor cosmetic issues. Don't mind the effort or expense, the rig is in great mechanical shape so it's worth doing. :c)

      Delete
  2. We had choice of that diamond shield years ago and sure glad we choose not o do it , Hope it all works out for you eventually. Our choice was to leave it bare and in 11 years on the road still links wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good choice, I'd not have had it installed but I bought the Journey off the dealer's lot already spec'd out with the Diamond Shield.

      Delete
  3. We had the Diamond Shield on our Dutch Star and it was beginning to look rough. We would have had to remove it if we had kept the MH.
    You did a great job!! Looks really nice!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Looks just like new!!! Slow and steady wins the race;o)) Hope you are having a great time with the family as well...stay cool!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Really does look new Paul. Also looks like a lot of work. Hope they don't pit that on coaches any more. Sorry all of you are in the California heat. It's really dangerous with some of those temperatures. Gypsy reports 107 in Sacramento. Take care!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Too bad those grand treasures can't help!

    ReplyDelete
  7. It's nice when you can keep your rig looking like new. Just remember to keep yourself Hydrated and Cool.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh no! Getting that mold off looks like one heck of a job. We had thought about getting one of those but had heard that the paint ended up getting damaged. Evidently, it's not the paint. It's the mold.

    ReplyDelete