Help Polishing Aluminum
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 493
Likes: 2
Help Polishing Aluminum
I'm in the process of polishing the following: Alternator, alternator bracket, water pump, throttle body, and my supercharger setup. At first I was getting a great shine, and now everything is very dull. I tried changing pads, but got the same thing. I think maybe I'm using too much buffing compound on the wheels? It seems like there is a residue that won't go away. Any suggestions are appreciated
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 22,025
Likes: 192
From: At the beach in little Rhody
I did my whole L98 in the C4 a number of years back. I used two compounds from Eastwood and their wheels with each compound using a different wheel type. I first sanded smooth and then used Tripoli compound to smooth it out. Final polish was with White Rouge. Coat with Diamond coat to prevent oxidation.
Sometimes too much compound on the wheel will result in the problem you are seeing. Also, there is a way to clean the wheel if too much is on it.
Sometimes too much compound on the wheel will result in the problem you are seeing. Also, there is a way to clean the wheel if too much is on it.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 493
Likes: 2
Thanks for the help. Ok, I'll look into how to clean the pads. I was thinking I did too much compound. At first I was getting a mirror like finish, now I'm getting such a dull finish.
How fine did you sand? I've got a 3m flapper wheel that smooths it to what looks like a brushed aluminum surface. No noticeable grooves by naked eye. Not sure if that is smooth enough. Here is what I'm using:
http://products3.3m.com/catalog/au/e...er/output_html
How fine did you sand? I've got a 3m flapper wheel that smooths it to what looks like a brushed aluminum surface. No noticeable grooves by naked eye. Not sure if that is smooth enough. Here is what I'm using:
http://products3.3m.com/catalog/au/e...er/output_html
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 22,025
Likes: 192
From: At the beach in little Rhody
If I remember correctly, I was using 400 grit emory cloth prior to transition to Tripoli which is a 220 grit. The aluminum I was polishing had a rough cast surface so there was considerable material removal required before starting to use the wheel. The other option is to use grinders grease and a course material (see Eastwood) to take the outside surface down to a point where you can shift to Tripoli. I used this approach with the intake manifold.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 11,150
Likes: 890
From: South Western Ontario
Have you tried polishing by hand with some type of billet cleaner/polish after? I find the wheel tends to leave the surface dirty when I'm done buffing but it cleans up easily by hand.
I've found this stuff is great for putting the final shine on buffed parts.
http://www.surfcitygarage.com/shop/a...perfect-polish
I've found this stuff is great for putting the final shine on buffed parts.
http://www.surfcitygarage.com/shop/a...perfect-polish
Last edited by lionelhutz; Jan 15, 2013 at 12:53 PM.
