Best way to polish aluminium

[BadDog]

The foot rest plates on my 636 are getting all scratched up, might get carbon fibre replacements but thought I might try this in the meantime.

So what's the best way to polish up intentionally dull chrome to a mirror finish. And then what do you treat it with to keep it shiny. I'm thinking wire wool or wet 'n' dry to shine it up, then silicone spray to keep it shiny?

[Mim]

I don't think you'll manage to get that kind of finish but Auto Glym metal polish, or Autosol chrome polish with a polishing kit that you can put in a hand drill to save on elbow grease is all good stuff and sold at Hein Gericke. I don't mean to plug the shop, it's just that I know we sell it.
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[rK@NE]

You might want to speak to Craigs23, I can remember him posting photos of his *highly* polished RVF a while back

EDIT:

https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=58143&highlight=polished

[map]

You're right in that it'll need elbow grease to get the shine. Pure aluminium is very reactive to air forming a cote of aluminium oxide on the surface which is quite dull and grey. The oxide coting actually stops further reaction and protects the aluminium.

However, bikes and other things made of aluminium alloys don't tend to have as much reaction so you can get away with just polishing (but as said this removed some protection from the elements). You could try coating with clear silicon but if this gets clipped or chipped, which is likely on foot pegs, you'l have to start with the elbow grease again.
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[BadDog]

Thanks guys, yeah that post covers it - wet and dry then polishing seems to do it.

Still want to know about the silicone though, Does anyone else use it? Have heard you can use it to protect various parts of the bike, including bodywork, but in my local shop there was a wax with "Trilicone", and another can labelled silicone lubricant, but didn't know if I could use that, so came away with neither (apart from the £26 quids worth of other cleaning shite lol ).

[Bezzer]

Forget the Silicone Lubricant that will just leave an oily film you that will be too obvious. That said it's handy stuff to have around it's mainly a rubber to rubber or plastic lubricant that really helps when you're trying to remove/replace things like carb rubbers or plastic bits.
The silicone based sprays you get in car/bike shops are purely for cleaning rubber and plastic trim type bits and getting them to a nice shiney finish not for metal.
Best thing for alloy protection, other than lacquer, is a polish called Alu Belgom, it's got a good wax agent in it that will protect it for ages.
You do see it in bike shops but not everywhere, polishing suppliers all have it you'd have to do a search for them eg Perfect Polishing and others
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[craigs23]

Did someone mention polish?

Probably not the best (or easiest) way of doing it, but I use the hands on approach of wet'n'dry (working up the grades), then finishing with Autosol, Brasso and my recently discovery of Belgom Alu.

Changed my aluminium from this:

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/unclean1.jpg

To this:

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/whers84/DSC00017.jpg

(Warning - without some sort of protection, I wouldn't advise riding a bike in the upcoming winter months with this much exposed alloy; unless you're seriously obsessive when it comes to daily bike cleaning (or can source some kind of protection for it))

[stinkwheel]

Simonize wax polish (in a round shoe polish-type tin) does a very good job of protecting all parts of your vehicle from the elements (metal or plastic). It is bloody hard work though.
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