Need help polishing aluminum... coming out cloudy.

[czwalga00gt]

I'm building another grill for my rx7 cause I didnt like the mesh shit. I don't have any pics of what I've done, but the pic below shows pretty much what it looks like except mine has 4 wings instead of 3.

I'm sanding this from 360-600-1000-1500. Then using a mothers polishing ball on a drill to try and polish these. It's just not coming out clear. I dont know if theres some other kind of rubbing compound that I should apply before polishing or what.

 

[04_Mach1]

Did you wipe the residue with a microfiber? That could be the problem:shrug:

 

[czwalga00gt]

Did you wipe the residue with a microfiber? That could be the problem:shrug:

Yeah, don't get me wrong you can tell it's somewhat polished, but the finish isn't uniform. It doesnt even have to be mirror finish, i just want it to look consistant. I guess it could be from the sanding, but i feel like i sanded the shit out of these pieces.

 

[Sonic605hp]

pm 04Sleeper.

 

[Krwy]

You need to do that on a wheel if you want good results. I fab'd up a intercooler reservoir, wet sanded in steps, then fired up the buffing wheel and some polishing rouge. Final step was cotton cloth with mothers aluminum polish. Came out mirror-like.

 

[czwalga00gt]

Do you guys think my polish might be an issue? Right now the stuff i'm using is what CCW gave me with my wheels. It's kinda a pink liquid with the viscocity of water. I might try to get some mothers mag/polish tomorrow and see if it gets me anything better.

 

[Krwy]

Its not the polish, you need to machine buff it for mirror-like results. A drill and powerball isn't for actual polishing, thats for touch up/maintenance.

 

[HYBRED]

When I polished a cast aluminum piece for one of my classes, I finished with Meguiars StratchX after taking it to 2500 grit and it came out with a mirror finish. Did it completely by hand.

 

[mblgjr]

You'll want to drop to 2k grit paper; wetand evenly; then follow with Mother's Mag/Aluminum by hand via a terry cloth towel/washcloth.

Wipe of with a microfiber or damp terry cloth.

Not sure what the "pink liquid" you got from CCW is; but it *could* be an old-formula of Adam's Metal Polish #2; which is GREAT for fine-finishing and high-polish but it won't cut out any kind of deep scratches other than fine hairlines.

Metal Buffing - Buffing

Aluminum is a lot softer than stainless exhaust tubing so keep that in mind.

 

[lancec2c30]

Like mblgjr said, you need to go to 2000 grit and wetsand now. Then use mothers mag polish on a buffing wheel. I picked up a terry cloth style buffing wheel that you can use in a drill at home depot. It worked great when I polished my exhaust.

 

[czwalga00gt]

Thanks guys, I'm pretty sure i'm using polish that is for touchup rather than polishing. Along with a few other factors but I believe thats the biggest issue. I'll give it another go after work today.

Is there any kind of coating/protectant I need to put on this after i'm done polishing?

 

[Jim D.]

Try the Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish on a PowerBall... keep it wet with polish at 350-400 rpm, and add more polish if necessary as you create a buttery black residue. Wipe gently with a microfiber towel.

You may need to go to a 2000-grit if you are having problems getting out the sanding scratches.

It's possible that the base metal was chemical etched before primer and paint and that may be what you're seeing.

If you have a close-up, in-focus photo of the problem areas, that might be helpful.