Polishing Aluminum
By Titian Burris
Materials needed:
Sand paper 80-600 grits (depending on the condition of the metal)
Terry Cloth towels (the softer... the better)
Safety Glasses
Your favorite BBQ apron
Dust mask (unless you like aluminum dust)
A reputable aluminum polish (I use Eagle One,
http://www.eagleone.com/_products/index_whe.asp)Dremal Tool or pneumatic hand drill (high rpm) with hard cotton polishing wheels
Palm or Mini-Finishing Sheet sander pneumatic or electric (This is a must)
Time and Patients (As well a must, a must have to get good to excellent results)
Cleaning up the metal, if you are dealing with rough or raw aluminum you will want to follow these sanding steps (I use all of these steps when restoring OSBMX Aluminum, note: not all OSBMX manufacturers products were polished to “high luster†or show standards... Phil Wood Spiders for example were not OEM high luster):
Warning: Do not over sand... aluminum is soft and when using pneumatic or electric sanders, you can thin out tubing etc reducing the structural integrity of the component or possibly “sand through†the tubing /component. Do not sand out factory welds or factory markings, this reduces the historical value of your component.
Sanding Steps:
Using pneumatic or electric sanders can greatly reduce your man hours...
80-120, grit Medium Smoothing of the surface, removing deep imperfections and marks.
150-180 grit, Fine, removing smaller imperfections and marks and leveling out dips in the aluminum.
220-240 grit, Very Fine Sanding
280-320 grit, Extra Fine
360-600 grit, Super Fine Fine sanding of the finish to remove some luster or surface blemishes and scratches.
Once you have put more aluminum shavings up your nose than the guy in “Blow†snorted illegal drugs, follow these procedures:
Take your terry cloth towel collection, cut the towel to fit your Palm or Mini-Finishing Sheet sander like you would a sheet of sandpaper, slather on the Mag & Aluminum Polish and polish away... you might need to do this several times to get a scratch free mirror shine. Use your hand Held Dremal Tool or pneumatic hand drill (high rpm) with the polishing wheel attachment to polish welds and those hard to get to spots (use plenty of polish).
After you have made a huge black mess of everything on you work bench, and you are 110% satisfied with the look of your hard work an time (in other words you could use it to shave with instead of a mirror in the mornings), use a common Silicone Glaze car wax to seal and protect the aluminum, this reduces natural tarnishing. The car wax will work, but I found another product that I have been happy with, Eagle One Billet Aluminum Polish Cleans, polishes and waxes to a mirror-like shine. The choice is yours, they both work great.
Titian’s disclaimer: I have polished allot of aluminum... this is the best way I have found to do it. I am by no means an expert. Do this at your own risk. Like mentioned above, this takes allot of time and patients... these two factors will be crucial in the outcome of your project. Prepare to get dirty! Good Luck!