Taking aluminum to autopian standard?

[TH0001]

Pretty sure it is aluminum Toto, thanks for the great response.

I would imagine that with metal what is used to cut and refine the finish isn't as important as the finishing steps. I was out in the garage working out a few things and trying to teach myself and came up with pretty good results.

One thing I noticed as a haze in the aluminum, even when polished, so I went back over my steps and tested on each rib of the muffler until I got the best results.

So far my best process is

Menz PO91E (powergloss) on a wool pad at 1800 RPM x 4-5 passes to remove deeper scratches

Menz PO91E (IP) on an orange lake country pad x 2 at 1500 (using very little polish the second time)

Menz PO85u (MicroPolish) on a lake country blue pad at 1200 rpm

Mother Mag and Aluminum polish as a finisher.

All the defects and swirls came out (as did the hazing, the finish is much deeper now) but I am wondering if a dedicated metal polish can provide better results, at least as a finish step to get maximum refinement out of the metal.

The right side is my previous best, while the left side a before.



From the results last night, even though the improvement was signifcant, it still wasn't great.



It did have a nice shine though



Much like polishing a paint and going from compound to final polish you can still have a haze because the final polish didn't do the job correctly. So I added a middle step of IP on an orange pad and started the processes with Powergloss on the wool pad. The results where very good, but I wonder if more is left.







Here the tail pipe (the top one). It is a little harder to see the difference because the polished pipe is actually reflecting the unpolished pipe (making it appear brown).

[wannafbody]

Are you sure those pipes and tips aren't stainless? Some grades of stainless will discolor.

[dmw2692004]

subscribed. im interested in this. I have just been using mothers mag and aluminum polish.

[baseballlover1]

i know this is probably a VERY bad suggestion but... how about steel wool?

[David Fermani]

Originally Posted by TH0001

is there a menzerna of the metal polishing world?

Here ya go:

https://www.micro-surface.com/default.cfm?page_id=1


This is where I get my 4000 grit sandpaper from.

[SilvaBimma]

Have you tried playing around with the last polish, replacing mother's mag? Adam's #1 & #2 with the right buffing tools/materials are good. Think it all varies with metal type, application style (mostly not hand for deteriorated metals).

[Setec Astronomy]

I have to agree with Toto that on GP's I would expect the exhaust to be stainless, and from the pictures I would say that it is. Aluminum looks more "white".

[Jason M]

The key to getting metal to really shine is sanding. Metal shows minor scratches and is tougher to fill than paint. Starting with 1500grit and going as high as you can stand and/or find is the best option. Once it looks like you have all the micro scratches out clean with a solvent such as laquer thinner. A couple wipes and you should be getting no more black off. Once that's done I have had good luck with various metal polishes. If the piece is not going to be heated you can get some good results with your normal polish and wax routine. Something with some fillers like Meg's #9 is a good choice as it will give that last little bit of pop.

[TH0001]

Here are some progress pictures. The shine is really comming up, but I think I am going to call it quits after this and try some of the suggestions on this board.

Near side before



Whole top after

[Frito Bandito]

Just starting to get into metal polishing myself since I just got some billet wheels on my truck. My only suggestion would be to finish with a finer metal polish like Mothers Billet. Forrest of Mothers said in the past that Billet is their finest metal polish. I also have Deep Alume but have yet to try it.

FYI - Advance Auto in my area seems to be closing Mothers Billet out. They have it marked down to $8 instead of the usual $16 on the clearance table.

[Jason M]

One other thing. That exhaust looks like stainless to me. Get a magnet and that will tell you real quick. Stainless is usually magnetic and Aluminum isn't. The only exception is stainless that has been cold worked or has a high nickel content. Stainless turbo turbine housings come to mind. I doubt the outer case of a muffler has very much nickel. Hard polishing can reduce the magnetic properties also IIRC. Either way I highly doubt it's aluminum given the amount of heat it has to deal with. Probably very thin wall stainless that gives it that aluminum lightness.

[TH0001]

Originally Posted by MotorCity

Here is a post where a 1922 Rolls Royce (aliminum body) was polished..


Most of us have a set of winter tires in the garage - you have a Ferrari exhaust system... to funny


Spirit of Ecstasy - 1922 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost

Yes I remember that post and will review it. Thanks Jason, lots of good info and an incrediable detail.

Originally Posted by D&D Auto Detail

What about steel wool?

Would you recommend I do this instead of compounding with wool? My goal isn't to get that very shiny look, but rather refine the finish to autopian paint standard.

Originally Posted by Pats300zx

I just got some of the English Custom polishes as well Todd. I was pretty impressed with them but not blown away. I think you can do just as well with some of the other readily available metal polishes (Wenol, Impressive Reflections, Mothers Billet, Simichrome, etc)

Looking forward to some pictures of the exhaust...

Thanks Pat, I think I am becoming obsessed with metal correction now :P

Originally Posted by BlueZero

Should be an interesting thread. One thing I do know is it sure is a dirty job!

No kidding...

Originally Posted by baseballlover1

what about deep alum i believe its called.

I think Mother, Deep Alum, etc are more like LSP's that have some chemical cleaning. As with paint, I am more intrested in the correction and polishing aspect.

Originally Posted by zoomzoom mazda5

I use to do some aluminum polishing with metal compounds and polishes that come in bars and use with Buffing Wheels and Mushroom Buffing Wheels. I hoped this might help you out Todd.

Angelo, this is exactly what I am talking about. I know that finishers use a lot of rogues and so forth, will they increase the appearance that much. Most new aluminum and chrome is pretty "swirled" from the factory, so I am wondering how many people care about swirl free metal..lol.

Originally Posted by Totoland Mach

Todd: for aluminum, I typically start with an aggressive polish like Simichrome and a sewn cotton buffing wheel attachment for a drill. (this process is for smooth metals. for "as cast"...you need to use a sanding wheel).

I get the finish in the condition I want, then move to English Custom with another clean buffing wheel. Following that, I use Meguiar's NXT Metal Polysh and another cotton buffing wheel. Mother's Billet Creme works well as a final step.

My Team III wheels



For harder metals like stainless, I start with Simichrome and 1,500 grit paper and work my way to 2000 grit. Then use the buffing wheels similar to above.

Stainless SLP Exhaust





Finally, are you sure the exhaust is aluminum? Generally that metal is a poor choice for exhaust due to the corrosive action and heat of exhaust systems.

Toto

Thanks for the awesome post Toto. Like I said, I think they are aluminum but I will find out. It seems the thought here is that it is likely stainless so I will have to do more research, I honestly have no idea. What differences would there be in polishing the different grades of metal?

Originally Posted by wannafbody

Are you sure those pipes and tips aren't stainless? Some grades of stainless will discolor.

Not sure

Originally Posted by David Fermani

Here ya go:

https://www.micro-surface.com/default.cfm?page_id=1


This is where I get my 4000 grit sandpaper from.

Thank you David. I looked around the site but being a kind of newb (I understand the concepts) I find the site difficult to figure out. What should I order and where are the instructions. A very nice link though and I will have to visit back when I get a little more experience.

Originally Posted by SilvaBimma

Have you tried playing around with the last polish, replacing mother's mag? Adam's #1 & #2 with the right buffing tools/materials are good. Think it all varies with metal type, application style (mostly not hand for deteriorated metals).

Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy

I have to agree with Toto that on GP's I would expect the exhaust to be stainless, and from the pictures I would say that it is. Aluminum looks more "white".

Do you know the specific differences between polishing the different metals. I would assume (always dangerous) that aluminum is softer and needs a less agressive polish where as steel would require something with more cut? It is heavy so you guys are probably correct.

Originally Posted by Jason M

The key to getting metal to really shine is sanding. Metal shows minor scratches and is tougher to fill than paint. Starting with 1500grit and going as high as you can stand and/or find is the best option. Once it looks like you have all the micro scratches out clean with a solvent such as laquer thinner. A couple wipes and you should be getting no more black off. Once that's done I have had good luck with various metal polishes. If the piece is not going to be heated you can get some good results with your normal polish and wax routine. Something with some fillers like Meg's #9 is a good choice as it will give that last little bit of pop.

Thank you Jason M. I will try wetsanding next. After wetsanding (or do you do it dry) do you go straight to a metal polish or go for something with abrasives?