Metal polishing tips.

[chris-red]

I'm polishing up a piece of Aluminium, he has some scratches/pits I wany to remove.

Anyway I bought a polishing kit, some years back I never used, untill now. It has 3 mops and 3 bars. The Instructions basically say work from hardest to softest mop and use the corresponding bar with each mop.

I'm still working on the hardest setting as some of this stuff is taking an age to remove. I just wondered if anyone has any tips on how to speed it up/get a good finish? How much of the bar should I be using? I started using a fair bit but it seems like now there is more than enough on the wheel.
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Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.

[Dcwhite1984]

I have no experience of this myself, however i have a copy of this months Ride magazine which gives a step by step guide into aluminum polishing.

If i remember when i get home i will try and put pics up.
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The trick to life is to not get too attached to it.........

[WD Forte]

On a related note we have been grinding some valves in recently and
my son noticed how good the paste was for polishing out deep scratches and crap from alloy.
Grinding paste followed by gentler abrasives may be worth considering
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bikers smell of wee

[Bikeless]

Wet sand it till the most deepest scratches are removed then polish it.

[mudcow007]

i can get stuff polished in work if you need it done

stuff comes out super mega super duper polished

[chris-red]

Thanks all will take the advice onboard.

[Suntan Sid]

I'm no expert, I have had a go though.

For deep scratches I've worked my way up the scale of wet and dry finishing at 1200 before using mops and paste.

IME, overloading the mops is not the way to go all that happens is you tend to get a dirty finish.

Keep one mop with no polish whatsoever on it and only use it for a final polish, once you've gone through the range of pastes, with the other mops!
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"Everybody needs money, that's why they call it money!"

[WD Forte]

What are you driving the mops with?
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bikers smell of wee

[Pete.]

Mo powah! You need enough to get the part hot and to melt the polishing soap. If you can stall the mop without risking losing a digit - mo powah!
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[c_dug]

Personally I start with a course grade wet and dry and work up to very fine emery or wet and dry before moving to metal polish (I use Carr, Day and Martin, but it's all much of a muchness). Also I only polish in straight lines. How course I start with depends on how bad what you're polishing is.

I have a decent supply between something like 80 wet and dry up to 4000 grade emery, don't mind popping a few sheets through your door if you like, just drop me a PM.

Actually I might even have a spare pneumatic polishing gun if you have a compressor.
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[mudcow007]

this is what they use in my place

https://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c81/mudcow007/20130510_114516_zps684fdfae.jpg

https://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c81/mudcow007/20130510_114511_zps8c0da41d.jpg

an use bars of red & white stuff on the mop

[Dcwhite1984]

Completely forgot about this until this morning, had a meeting which ran on a bit last night.

i did take pics this morning however i took them on my phone and not sure they came out too well, but here they are anyway:

https://i1056.photobucket.com/albums/t372/dcwhite1984/92DB59C1-9810-4235-9B2B-6BDC6A8CE468_zps2rxjurrw.jpg

https://i1056.photobucket.com/albums/t372/dcwhite1984/5BD7588D-4E35-431C-A7EC-7B18A0ACF68B_zpsiroou4kh.jpg

https://i1056.photobucket.com/albums/t372/dcwhite1984/9D8B1BEB-08C9-49A3-B4AB-D8AA4095D248_zpshadp0suz.jpg

And that was it, alternatively if these haven't come out too well PM me your address and ill post you the mag.

Note - sorry about the rotation of the image, I'm a bit of a techno-phobe managed to rotate them online but didn't work when posting. As im at work haven't got time to sort it out.
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The trick to life is to not get too attached to it.........

[UncleFester]

Got 4 wheels like this.

https://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m172/unclebloodyfester/1596d99e.jpg

Worked from 100g to get down to the bottom of the worst marks then up through the grades to 2000g and then Megs NXT to get to this. Plenty of water to keep things clear - kitchen sink looked interesting for a few weekends.

https://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m172/unclebloodyfester/bd77d687.jpg

Took about 10 hours per wheel, all by hand - which was the challenge i set myself. If i was doing it again, i'd pay someone to do it or get a drill and set of mops etc.
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Module 1 and 2 passed - October 2014. Happy owner of a 2017 Z1000SX, ex owner of a YBR125 / CB500 / VFR800.

[WD Forte]

Mo powah indeed
Pukka kit like Mudcows.
I tried using a 'kit' on a cordless drill.
Useless of course, elbow grease did better.
____________________
bikers smell of wee

[chris-red]

[ZRX61]

Using a drill is a good way to kill it, Drill bearings are designed for thrust loads, not side loads.
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They're not one night stands, they're auditions.

[chris-red]

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/chris-red/D187EA3D-1AAD-45CE-A5A2-2E923A20DE56_zpsxrzvossa.jpg

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/chris-red/E8209699-F841-4D02-8D62-A6B5776B0353_zps65tl8p1t.jpg

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/chris-red/F265EFAF-0A3E-49D3-B7C6-23AC55164B33_zpsumpdlynd.jpg
____________________
Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.