Sailplane Sand and Polish Guide

Sanding and polishing are crucial aspects of any annual maintenance or refinishing your
glider might need. This video provides a guide to sanding and polishing your sailplane.
After multiple flights over many months, a sailplane will inevitably have knicks,
scratches, and undesirable degradations that will eventually require maintenance. The
first step to fixing these damages is sanding out the area of concern.
The wet sandpaper used in this video is the 3M™ Wetordry™ Abrasive Sheets. These
sandpaper sheets are designed for sanding applications that require fine grit and a light
touch, such as a sailplane. They also come with a light, smooth, waterproof backing,
which is crucial for rinsing unwanted sanding residue off the Sandpaper.
Sanding involves using abrasive sheets to sand against the scratches on your sailplane.
Once you see the scratches are gone, move to a finer grit of sandpaper and repeat the
process of sanding against the previous grit’s scratches. Wings and Wheels
recommends that you work your way to 1500-grit before polishing.
Applying a rubbing compound is the last step in completely removing the micro-
sandpaper scratches on your glider. This will give you that mirror-like finish that is so
desirable for sailplanes. The rubbing compound used in this video is the 3M™ Perfect-
It™ Rubbing Compound Step 1. This product is designed to remove grade P1200 and
finer sandpaper scratches. However, we recommend finishing with 1500-grit wet
sandpaper before starting with the rubbing compound.
A polisher is required to apply the rubbing compound. We recommend using the
MaxShine M15 Pro Series II 15mm Dual Action Polisher. designed to make detailing
safer and easier. The machine has been upgraded with an anti-tip bracket, which will
keep a good balance when you put the machine on the polishing surface. The machine
easily removes swirl-marks and fine grit wet sandpaper scratches, resulting in a perfect
finish.
After finishing the sand and polish process, we recommend you apply a high-quality
wax seal with UV inhibitors. This will protect your glider from damaging UV rays and will
act as a final seal to your sailplane. Wings and Wheels offers the 2-part WX Block and
Seal. This product is a premium aircraft wax alternative. The easy-to-apply two-part
process has advanced nanotech formulation designed to enhance and protect your
aircraft’s finish. WX Block and Seal features the latest nanotechnology to improve the
gloss and longevity of sailplane gel coat finishes. This premium finish protection
contains maximum levels of UV protection along with gloss-enhancing and anti-static
surfacing agents for gel coat finishes.
Links to products seen in the video:
3M™ Wetordry™ Abrasive Sheet:
wingsandwheels...
3M™ Perfect-It™ Rubbing Compound Step 1:
wingsandwheels...
MaxShine M15 Pro Series II 15mm Dual Action Polisher:
wingsandwheels...
WX Block and Seal:
wingsandwheels...