Polishing aluminum w/ rotory or PC alright?

[Anal1]

Is it alright to use a rotary or PC for polishing aluminum?

[Anal1]

I got some aluminum polishing jobs to do tomorrow and was wondering. Thx.

[efnfast]

You can, but my experiences have been they are not the best tools for the job - they don't tend to do the best job, and like to leave all sorts of cut/swirl marks behind.

If you're going to polish aluminum, I really recommend using a Cyclo + fleece wraps + black pads + Nuvite polish. Here's a sampling of what it can do (after the aluminum has been cut with tripoli and white rouge).

Raw aluminum:



Final polished aluminum:

[EisenHulk]

To the OP.

Yes, you can. I just finished a 27' pontoon boat on Friday. I'll write more on it later, but you most certainly can do it!

[cushdrive]

A rotary makes an EXCELLENT aluminum polisher. Visit Caswell and get the rotary adapter so that you can purchase the wheels with the 1/2" arbor hole. I can put a mirror shine on bare aluminum wheels with my makita. Don't be afraid to max out the speed...you're not polishing paint anymore. I use 6" wheels. Caswell has a forum if you need help, or you can PM me.

[Anal1]

Hey cushdrive I am very interested in the process and products your speaking of. You got any pics of before and afters with your process and products. What kind of technique would you use with the Makita and hard to reach areas? Thx.

[cushdrive]

Unfortunately I have to do all of my detailing on the weekends so I rarely have the time to snap pictures of anything. That being said....I'll try and make time to take pictures when I have the wheels off my car next. I've briefly discussed my technique in the link below (on the last page):

Taking aluminum to autopian standard?

As for small areas, Caswell carries mushroom buffs but in my experience you'll never get those areas to look as good as the areas you hit with your rotary because it's hard to get the surface speed and torque necessary for good correction out of a drill. I made the mistake of thinking that the small powerball could be substituted for these mushroom buffs. All I can say is take from me and don't waste your time with that thing. Let me know if you have any questions.

[Anal1]

I'd appreciate that. I'm gonna check into Caswell. My dad ended up polishing the wheels on the rig with the Mother's Powerball. The customer was very happy and gave him an extra $20. He spent like 4 hours though so it couldve looked even better and faster with the setup your talking about. I guess he ain't seen nothing yet lol.

[cushdrive]

4 hours isn't bad at all actually. You'll find that aluminum polishing is extremely time consuming. That's why I mention Poorboy's Wheel Sealant in the thread I referred you to. I quickly realized that bare aluminum wheels are meant for show cars. Too bad it took me 4 grand to figure that out. The wheel sealant helps extend the time between polishings. The powerball is great for clear coated wheels btw. Make sure the aluminum you're going to polish is not clear coated or you'll make a real mess that will take FOREVER to fix.