Originally Posted by gugie

Since you mentioned my PH-60, I'll tell you what I went through. The bike came to me from France fairly dirty, so I stripped it down to the bare frame. I carefully removed the grime, but the paint was still fairly oxidized. I carefully removed that layer with rubbing compound, but noticed that the pinstriping and decals would wear down, so I was very careful not to touch them. I think I worked on the paint for several days, it felt like I was touching up the Sistine Chapel.