The Slow Methodical Plodding Along

So I don't know if I have the most horrible luck or what, but my Silver Surfer project is taking a long time. So far I have completed...nothing. Well, nothing isn't quite true. The cover of the old Lettera is coming along nicely. The body still needs the paint sanded off. Initially, I tried using acetone and it worked to some degree. The paint didn't peel off in one sheet. It just became soft enough to scrape off with an old paint stirrer.

After the paint was scraped and the surface cleaned, the aluminum looked heavily scratched and pitted.. It was probably made that way to give the paint an excellent key. That would be great for old paint that looked wonderful, but the putty color on the Olivetti was really unpleasant. I needed to sand a lot.

Starting with a 65 grit block I was able to get the paint off. It worked, but the work was slow. I might try to find one of those sanding disks that mount into a portable drill. Speed might get that ugly paint to vanish. 150 followed the 65. After that was a succession of finer and finer grit papers; 250, 400, 600, and 1500. As of tonight, I just need to buff out the micro-scratches that make the surface look brushed. I know there are buffing wheels at ACE, so I am going to get one of those.

The work looks great and I can't wait to finish and get to typing. Below is an adequate, but not very accurate picture of the cover.

Looking shiny!

Another angle, same model.

 I think I will be done some time next week.