Polishing aluminium

[toby]

I just stripped the paint from a piece of aluminium using some paint remover and wire wool and now i want to get a nice shiny finish on it, has anyone got any advice on what to use to achieve this?

[Knipex]

Same as paint. Wet sand it up to 2000 gritt and then instead of compound use brasso.

Unless you can lay your hands on some 6" mops for an electric drill or have a bench grinder...

(If you want some 6" mop kits (two grades of mops and polish) send me a PM but be warned they are around £15 a set.)

[scopEDog]

Is the surface smooth and cloudy? Depending on what it looks like you might need to sand it smooth and use a brillo pad last. Just make sure it is clean of any other chemicals, etc.. and get yourself a bottle of mothers alu polish. And prepare for "my arm is gonna fall off" hours of polishing :) But seriously it takes a bit of elbow grease to get it nice

[Knipex]

I have searched in vain to find mathers alu polish here. Best I could come up with was metal polish for chrome and stainless. It worked a treat but was twice as hard to do compared with brasso.


Either way prepare yourself for hours of polishing.........

[toby]

well it just looks like the surface has been lightly scratched i didnt even have to use the wire wool on much of it, i got some chrome polish and it didnt seem to do much, maybe im not polishing enough, i havent polished alot. oh and knipex i was thinking of getting a bench grinder because they arent to expensive for a starter model.

[dutchcedar]

With a polishing rig (kinda like a bench grinder on a stand, but with longer arbors) you can make mince meat out of an aluminum polishing job. It takes only a few minutes and the right kind of buffing compound. I would suggest finding someone who has one.

In this shot, the radiator was chrome plated, the angles and floor were bare aluminum. The polishing took less than half an hour. The biggest pain is holding the little pieces to the wheel while wearing bulky gloves (a must).

http://www.amdreview.com/graphics/00000001/BaDass21.jpg

You can also do fairly well with a buff on a drill motor and the right buffing compound. Using the right buff and the appropriate compound is uber important in order to do a nice job quickly. Eastwood is one of the best places for supplies.

http://www.eastwoodco.com/polishing-aluminum.htm

[Knipex]

oh and knipex i was thinking of getting a bench grinder because they arent to expensive for a starter model.
Be carefull toby.

Most entry level bench grinders are no good enough to work as polishers.

I would recomend a minimum of 600W motor and make sure the arbour is long enough. Buy one set up for mops not grinding wheels.

Dutch is also correct you need to be as carefull with the polish compound you use as the buff. For most applications you would use 2 different grades of buffs and compound.

http://www.tessituralandini.com/inglesearticoli02.pdf

[Leeum]

If you've got a dremel, use the polishing wheel attachment it has. You might be able to get one for your standard drill.

[toby]

so im guessing a kit like this (http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?id=75331&ts=33714) would be pretty good for my needs?

[Knipex]

Looks OK but £23 seems expencive.

I can find them here for under €20.