[David]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq4_PGUPoIM

I just ran across this youtube of a place that Rhino Coat’s the roof. It looks interesting, has any body tried ths?

I’m getting ready to do the roof on mine and I remember on POG someone had posted a “how to” temp coat article, maybe it was just a posting. It was a while back, so I don’t remember the process but there were certian steps one had to take for it to work. Maybe Tom can jump in here, I think he has a Temp Coat?

Fred

[Archived]

We need Brian E to jump in here, he did the Liberty I had and the stuff was great.

John – You actually let someone on your roof and even worse, with a pressure washer! That’s like trusting the line dude with the tug as he makes a 90 degree turn with your nose wheel.

[Archived]

Tom,

I remember that back when I flew the 727 into LaGuardia, it was tight in there, really tight! OK if they had the scissors disconnected, bigger problem was when they would forget to hook the scissors back up for departure after the push back and youre dead in the water………… Hard to get good help back then, even harder today!

I gather that the pressure washer treatment is no good for the Temp Coat! As mentioned it was put on in a thick coat with lots of nook’s and cranny’s for dirt to accumulate, looks crummy fast especially because it was white, went beige within a few months. A brush with soap and water is apparently the only answer…ugggh! Sorry for that sounding like an English Muffin commercial……………

[Jerry]

Putting a finish on something is a real science and the factors to be considered are mind boggling. I continue to be amazed how well our factory finishes hold up given the difficulty in getting anything to properly adhere to both the aluminum and stainless steel. A conversion coat is typically a part of the process to prep a surface for finishing and that conversion coat (such as on steel) creates a crystaline structure on the surface to which the finish will adhere. Materials other than steel, such as aluminum or galvanized steel are real challenges.

Then there is the problem of the finish itself, almost all of which have properties that affect their ability to perform. Apply our coach finishes too thick and it can be expected to fail. Use the wrong finish for the application and it will fail. A two part epoxy finish is normally bulletproof, but it will chalk extensively if exposed to the sun. Apply the wrong material to the roof and I can easily envision poor adhesion, chalking running down the sides of the coach and never ending problems from the material being destroyed by the sun.

I have no answers as to what surface finish works best on the roof of our coaches, but I do know that allowing people to walk on the roof and permitting the use of pressure washers anywhere on the coach is a recipe for disaster. On those extrremely rare occasions when I feel compelled to clean my roof I use a ladder to stand on and a long handled mop so I am not on my roof, a situation reserved for only those instances when I absolutely must be up there.

[Dave]

I need to point out one very important item… If your drawing S/S, you are not permitted on a ladder!

[JIM]

Is there a coach owner (on social security or not) that has not had to make use of a ladder to service or clean or inspect something on their coach?

[Archived]

Truth is, the roof is the most neglected part of our coaches. I don’t know if the converter or Prevost sprayed the lid, probably both. My guess there was a base/clear at chassis manufacture and another clear after all of the holes and goodies were installed. I have already mentioned the caulking, not pretty at all.

Anyway because few, if any, spend hours up there laying down a layer or two of Carnuba, because it is rarely thoroughly cleaned, because it has more solar exposure, in fact exposure to all of the elements, it can be expected that paint failure will occur there first, as it did with mine and apparently with many others as well. Temp Coat, which I really think is just a variant on elastomeric roof coating, does have some advantage. White will reflect the heat and the coating itself does provide some slight form of insulation both for sound and temperature. How much, I have no idea.

Simply shooting another coat of clear at the roof to me, is only a temporary fix; as we used to call it “Scheibing” (RIP Earl, I’ll paint any car for 29.95, Scheib). It can be easily painted (poor choice of words there) with a white two part urethane enamel as well; course there is a month of masking or removing all of the installed things on the roof, then a thorough sanding, Prep-Sol treatment, then the entire bus needs to be masked one final cleaning and paint. Then everything goes back together, every hole is caulked…..in short a very big job! I know, nobody is going to see it so why mask, why prep….because you have to! You can get away with a few sags, probably orange peel as well but as everyone knows 99% of painting is in the preparation and if you want it to a, stick and b, last it must be done.

So for now I am going up and repairing the Temp Coat (the thought of stripping it off would be a topic in and of itself) am going to limit my wash guy to a garden hose and a brush and, not mentioned yeat, avoid the truck washes that I have frequented on the road in the past.

What happened to “Rivits Rule” ??

[Archived]

I applied Temp Coat, in very much the same manner you described 4 years ago to the top of my coach. So far, I have not noticed any failures. However, I do keep my coach in the bus barn, unless traveling.

FYI

Good Luck,

Hector

[Archived]

Interesting discussion. I too have noticed the clear coat coming off in sheets on our roof.

I was thinking about doing some light sanding, followed by brushing on some aluminum primer (aircraft quality) and then rolling and tipping on one or two final coats of aircraft quality white paint. Paint on aircraft seems to be holding up for decades. Another option might be propeller paint which is more flexible but also adheres well to aluminum as long as one uses the correct primer.

I was not planning on taking off all the hardware but rather remove loose sealant and reseal with Dicor.

Does this seem like a reasoable approach?

[Archived]

I think skin delamination would be an easier problem to solve than dealing with a roof finish failure.

Whatever is applied is only going to be as good as the quality of the surface to which it is applied, and the quality of the new material for the application.

If the existing clear coat is lifting, then at the very least any that remains on the roof (lid for plane drivers) has to be removed down to whatever surface is adhering well or the original aluminum surface. That alone is a very extensive job and failure to be 100% thorough will result in bad results for the recoating.

Then the surface to be coated needs to be prepped, primed, pretreated, or otherwise made suitable for coating. That is a lot easier said than done.

So the first thing I would question is, as long as the clear coat peeling is on the roof, why not ignore it? That assumes there is a base coat and the roof material is still protected.

Planes do get a finish, generally a 2 part product. But generally they are stripped bare. Then the surface is treated (alodine?) and the base coat and stripes are applied. Because weight is always an issue planes are usually not clear coated since it just adds weight. Planes are not without their problems. I have seen peeling, corrosion beneath the surface (indicated by bubbling) and cracking of the finish. Just like on our buses.

[David]

I really never skuffed through the base coat on the top but it would be my guess that it is galvanic steel, a fairly thin gauge. I may be wrong but aluminum and galvanic steel which I suspect is used liberally throughout the bus, is a recipe for corrosion, electrolysis if you will. With all the various AC/DC, 12V, 24V, 110V, 220V running through these buses I would be surprised that aluminum would last at all before becoming pitted with corrosion. Kind of like living under high tension lines from the Hoover Dam, that may well explain our collective fascinations with these beasts!

Alodine, nasty and undisciplined stuff, can be applied to anything metal with varying results. All AN hardware is dipped in the watery acidic brew, as it serves be to slow corrosion and etch the surface for painting and comes out looking like cheap gold (2 Carot), of course white vinegar will do mostly the same thing at a fraction of the cost and mess!

Regarding paint it is important to remember base/clear is a two part system while a single system may well include two parts, the paint and the hardener….this is all mixed with the appropriate thinner or if you prefer, reducer. On our roof’s is a two part system where the base coat or color coat is laid down first then a clear coat applied oh say 30 minutes to an hour later. The clear reacts with the base to give depth and shine and as such there is some kind of catalytic activity involving the exchange of something between the two. Should the clear leave, don’t think it would be too long before the base failed as well.

I don’t know about brushing clear or anything else on the roof. I suspect the results may be less than desirable but that’s only a guess, besides why destroy a perfectly good Purdy Brush. I think the Temp Coat is OK as long as one know that it is there and takes steps to keep the pressure washers away, but alas, the surface still needs to be properly cleaned and prepared. Henry’s Roof Coating would also probably work………….

Excuse me now, I need to go apply the ointment to all of these open sores on my body………

[Fred]

Going solely by memory I believe the roof skin on your coach is aluminum. If my memory hasn’t completely failed it was applied hot so when it cooled it drew itself tight.

Perhaps folks that visited the factory in this decade have a better recollection.

[David]

I have been told that clear coat in the hot sun causes a greenhouse effect and cooks the finish , Guess we need to keep out of sun. Or maybe not put on clear just emron on roof is it not flexable .?

[Archived]

OK, I am going to ask a stupid question, Like on a Liberty 2005 model what is the roof made of aluminum , stainless or what and what is applied when it is new? Why would you not put back on what was put on by the convertor? How long does it last for less say a coach that is stored indoors for 7 months and in the sun for 5 months out of the year? gary

[John]

You know a stainless roof probly would last forever and not need a finish