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

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]

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.

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!

I've used autosol with good effect. However as stated the oxide layer builds up blooming quickly unless you use clear coat on top.....

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]

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

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

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.

I am seduced by the idea of a polishing kit with powerdrill attachment. Stand by to be dazzled!

Thanks for the input

Gary

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.