Hi Polished Aluminum

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cheetoh

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What is the best way to polish Hi Polished Aluminum Parts without scratching the finish? How do you get scratches out? :eek:
 
For starters, you need a metal polish with an extremely fine polishing media in it.



Then, a good quality microfiber towel.



Lots of folks have their favorite brands. I use our Mothers Billet Metal Polish and a MF towel.



Highly polished aluminum, like billet wheels and trim, are mar free with a program like this.
 
Bah... I actually have scratches / swirls in one of my rims. Glad I saw this - reminded me of needing to do some polishing next time.



And Forrest, you are a helpful guy. I can see why lots of people here like you.



(edit - reworded because of censor :o )
 
I haven't tried Mothers Billet Metal Polish, to say that Simichrome Polish is better. Back in my "Harley daze", I used Simichrome Polish to keep the aluminum parts looking like chrome.
 
I'd also try Wenol. For occasional cleanup I also use Nvr-dul which a wadding type metal cleaner with no abrasives. 100% cotton towels or MF in both cases of course. Be careful with the black residue from both these cleaners as they will stain and then are difficult to get out.
 
I haven't tried Mothers Billet Metal Polish, to say that Simichrome Polish is better. Back in my "Harley daze", I used Simichrome Polish to keep the aluminum parts looking like chrome
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I really love Mothers Billet but after trying Simi-Chrome I think they are neck and neck. Both leave my polished metal looking great.



I have yet to try Wenol but have heard great things about it.
 
What's the difference between Mother's Billet polish & Mother's Mag/Aluminum Polish? I've used the Mag/Alum polish and found it very gentle -- great for adding a shine, but really didn't do much if I needed to clean AND shine.
 
Mothersâ„¢ Billet Metal Polish combines state-of-the-art cleaners with a cutting edge formulation, resulting in unmatched performance at any price. This powerful polish is gentle on your most delicate and intricate polishable metal surfaces.
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Lynn,



I find that Mothers Billet is definitely better than their regular Alum polish. I am not sure if it has more cleaners etc but it does shine the metal alot better. Its a little more pricey but worth it.



bike-depot_1746_2447677
 
Lynn - I'll bring both to Brad's, and you can see the difference.



On flawless aluminum, using our regular polish, you can see the scratch pattern where it was rubbed. With Billet Polish, you don't see the scratch pattern.



Also, a 100% cotton towel will make the scratch pattern worse, which is why I suggest MF. Of course, your metal needs to be really fine to notice the difference.



russ - BTW, Nev'r-Dull is a non-abrasive product. But, it's a mineral spirits based cleaner, not a polish. It's fine for rubbing off surface dirt, but it won't polish up oxidized metal or remove scratches, fyi.
 
Forrest, why is it that your billet polish originally had to be made by hand, in small amounts, and at very high prices? What's so special?
 
forrest said:
russ - BTW, Nev'r-Dull is a non-abrasive product. But, it's a mineral spirits based cleaner, not a polish. It's fine for rubbing off surface dirt, but it won't polish up oxidized metal or remove scratches, fyi.
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Forrest, you're absolutely correct. When I got these parts to a point where I liked their finish I use Nev'r-Dull on them to keep them clean in an attempt to not apply any additional scratches. Could I use your product to improve a few spots and remove the occasional microabrasion without adding more scratches?



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Thanks,



Russ
 
Hey Russ,



Did you acheive those results by just polishing. If so that's amazing! Looks like they've been plated. What products, method, machine (if any) did you use? Looks great!:xyxthumbs
 
Thanks Jake,

I can't take credit for the results here as I had a guy who polishes parts for Porsche 928s as a hobby do the work. I am familiar with the process he used though. He had a 5hp bench grinder and he used a variety of wheels and compounds to get the results you see. I learned quite a bit about alloy castings for Porsche engine parts...it is a bit of hit or miss depending on the part. In my case the cam cover and fuel rail cover were good to very good castings and turned out nicely. The intake was another story aside from being heavier and an awkward size the casting was pretty rough meaning there were quite a few "pin holes" in the casting and it only polished up so-so. Of course show cars and the real perfectionists will add metal to castings like this to get the finish they like I'm just not in that league if you know what I mean.



You're on OK City, right. I'll bet you could find someone there to do this kind of work if you're interested. I'd talk to the folks that are into hot rods and muscle cars for show and I'd also check out the Harley enthusiasts as they to this all the time.



Later,



Russ
 
Yeah we have a few places that do aluminum polishing, repair, etc but they charge an arm and a leg. One in particular that does work on Porshce parts called "Mirror Finish". For example, to polish my very simple design, five star aluminum 16X7 wheels, and the valve cover on my engine, estimated at a whopping $600-$700. I don't have cash like that just laying around so I'm tackling it myself. I recently did some polishing, sanding, and 0 grade wool work on my wheels. They came out pretty good but there is room for improvement. And the valve cover is just nasty! :eek: Thanks for the feedback!
 
Polaris - It was made in small amounts because billet, at the time, wasn't every common, and there wasn't much demand for it.



And, the special polishing media was vey expensive at the time and only available in small (<50# quantities). It's now available in larger quantities so we can produce it on the assembly line instead of by hand.



Russ - billet with a MF should be fine to correct minor flawes.



BTW, you want lots of repetitions and light pressure, not heavy pressure.
 
forrest said:
BTW, you want lots of repetitions and light pressure, not heavy pressure.
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this is probably some of the best advice that helped me. It kept the scratches away some and I got a brighter finish.
 
forrest said:
Lynn - I'll bring both to Brad's, and you can see the difference.
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Thanks, forrest. I'll happily be a guinea pig for the two polishes. I really don't give a darn whether a product costs $5 or $25, so long as it gives me the look I need.
 
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