Shamrock GS
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| posted on 23/1/09 at 09:49 PM |
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Polishing aluminium
I have been trying to polish up my alloy sides but not getting a great finish. T cut or similar isn't bad but takes forever and still
doesn't 'shine'.
What's the best way to produce a proper polished finish on aluminium? (Indeed - is it possible?)
G
“Let your plans be dark and as impenetratable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
Sun Tzu, The Art of War
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SeaBass
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| posted on 23/1/09 at 09:52 PM |
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I've had success with the following: Working through grades of wet and dry. Farecla G3 and water. Dry everything off then use Meguiars Metal NXT
Metal Polysh (as it's spelt on the tub!) to finish off... It takes lots of time and effort. Everything you use turns black and your arms ache.
It dulls with a couple of weeks if your using the car...
[Edited on 23/1/09 by SeaBass]
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handyandy
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| posted on 23/1/09 at 09:55 PM |
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hi, yes it is possible but takes a long time, lots of elbow grease, have you tried autosol? i imagine Tcut is being too abrasive & so giving you a
dull finish.
andy.
my race bike frame was highly polished, could,ve used it as a mirror to have a shave.
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 23/1/09 at 09:57 PM |
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If the metal is smooth but a bit tarnished then the Meguiars takes some beating.
A small hint - put a spoonful of plain flour in a dish. Put on the polish, let it dry then polish it off... at this point you're forever
rubbing it off and getting black all over the cloth (but Megs is better than most). Dip a clean dry cloth into the flour and rub it over the metal,
then rub it off with another clean cloth. Nice shiny metal!
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BenB
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| posted on 23/1/09 at 10:00 PM |
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I've used autosol with good effect. However as stated the oxide layer builds up blooming quickly unless you use clear coat on top.....
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SeaBass
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| posted on 23/1/09 at 10:04 PM |
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T cut is pretty abysmal stuff really... It's actually not particularly abrasive at all hence being sold in Halfrauds etc as safe for Joe
Bloggs.
I tend to use Autosol for stainless and chromium plate it seems to lose it's 'cut' very quickly but is ideal for taking off stubborn
corrosion/oxide layer.
[Edited on 23/1/09 by SeaBass]
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tomgregory2000
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| posted on 23/1/09 at 10:13 PM |
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vinyal wrap it with a funky design
Ive used autosol and it is good but 3M metal polish is much finer and gives a better shine but is much more hard work, i tried both on a s/s silincer,
i did half and half and you can see the difference
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thunderace
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| posted on 23/1/09 at 10:38 PM |
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alloy if its very cold wont get shinny i do loads of polishing buy a alloy polishing kit from ebay its around £10 and comes with the bit to atach to
your drill .
here is a pic of wheels i done and a bike frame you must use alu for final finish to be as good as this
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Canada EH!
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| posted on 24/1/09 at 12:55 AM |
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There is a pink jelly like polish sold at aircraft supply houses, works well, and the trick is the flour, it absorbs most of the polish to assist in
removal of the black grung. I kept a Cessna 140 airplane polished and parked outside for two years before I gave up and painted it. If you don't
have a warm garage to keep the polished car in, PAINT IT.
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Shamrock GS
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| posted on 24/1/09 at 09:07 AM |
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I am seduced by the idea of a polishing kit with powerdrill attachment. Stand by to be dazzled!
Thanks for the input
Gary
“Let your plans be dark and as impenetratable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
Sun Tzu, The Art of War
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rusty nuts
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| posted on 24/1/09 at 05:41 PM |
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I use a cheap electric polisher and Meguires on my side panels. It would take at least an hour a side by hand ,now takes ten minutes.
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