Lotus Super 7 - Suggestions for Aluminum?

LeMarque

LeMarque

New member
This will be coming in late next week:











It's pretty trashed. Driver side fender cracked from the owner using it for leverage to get in and out. But it's the unpainted body that I can use some pointers on. Not sure if I should use wool or what? Been looking at these two products:



[url=http://www.irinfo.com/polish/html/polish.html]Polish[/URL]



Polish Aluminum into a Mirror!



This will be my first go at correcting Aluminum so any input appreciated. As well, while there are some scratches, which would be great if they could be, if not removed, then at least muted, I'm wondering, what LSP on bare Aluminum?



TIA
 
So some of the folks on the Lotus forum suggested sanding 1000/1500/2000.



Well I found that way too aggressive. So I used OptiClean on an area behind the spare tire as a test spot. I have 3 & 4K Buflex pads. The sanding cleaned it up really well. Followed with Never-Dull/ Mothers and buffing off the Mothers with a MF towel, the aluminum mars!



It's like the softest black BMW paint, only worse.



Am I doing something wrong or is this wha'st to be expected? Does anyone know?
 
Cleanliness is Critical



Starting with a clean surface is the most important part of the polishing process. Any dirt on the wheel will be mixed in with the polish and will scratch while you are polishing. Wash and rinse the surface with a citrus based product (P21S® Total Auto Wash or (P21S® Polishing Soap-not intended for use on painted, clear coated or anodized surfaces) thoroughly dry the surface and wipe down with a mild solvent (DuPont PrepSol) or Mineral Spirits (Stoddard solvent) commonly used as a paint thinner and mild solvent. Use for pre-cleaning metals degreasing, very effective in removing oils, greases, carbon, and other material from metal.



• Keep this area clean and free of used buffing pads and soiled cloths. A build-up of solvents, metal shavings and oil can be hazardous.

• Work in well ventilated areas.

• Do not use polishes that contain anhydrous solvents, ammonia or acids on aluminium, brass, copper or bronze. These chemicals attack zinc and alloys, which are normally present in these metals.

• Clean the surface before you begin polishing. Even dust can cause scratching when rubbed across a surface.

• Work small areas at a time on large jobs as it's faster and it will give you a more consistent finish.

• Apply light pressure and take your time when applying polish or compounds. Let your machine and product do the work.

• Polish in the direction of the grain if the metal is rolled.

• Wipe down surface with isopropyl alcohol (IPA) between buffing steps to remove cleaning residue. Buffing pad lines or polish residue in seams can be removed with flour.

• Wiping cloths should have no labels or sewn edges with plastic thread.

• Lightly mist the surface with distilled water before the final buffing step. This seals both metal and wax, and helps reduce future water staining from rain and condensation.



All of the English Custom Metal Polishes (ECP) are highly concentrated for less waste. They contain micro abrasives to eliminate tedious rubbing, and wax protectants to retard oxidation. They offer one of the few true polishes for stainless steel. ECP has a reputation for excellent professional quality metal polishes and polishing supplies



I use a foam finishing pad allowing the metal polish to do all of the abrasive cutting

 
I wouldn't consider wet-sanding aluminimum with conventional finishing paper.



I would recommend the use of Micro-Surface Finishing Products, Ultra-Flex Micro-Mesh™ Aluminium Oxide for finishing aluminum. These non-abrasive abrasives are considered a cushioned abrasive in fact, making it ideal for this type of application.
 
Doesn't sound like he can afford that much work; which I'm happy about, having had the time to think about it. He'll be in tomorrow or Friday to talk about whether he wants - read willing to pay for - having the windshield removed to be able to do the cowl properly, etc.
 
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