Polishing Al.... what do YOU do?

[corey]

I'm getting into polishing my bike, as the weather is cramping my riding. It IS addicting. The shine I'm starting to get amuses me to no end. Its not a mirror yet, but I think with more time (and lots of it) my reflection will cause a wreck on the highway.

Anywho.. I was pondering... what steps do you all go through with a basic polishing job?

I started with an not-to-aggressive file for the scratches/gouges, then went straight to black compound on a 4" spiral sewn buff, then white compound on a 4" concentric swen buff. I finished with the ole' PowerBall and Mothers aluminum polish.

Two observations... I definitely need to sand between the file and the black compound. 600 grit, maybe? I don't know which grit to go with really. Also, I think the Mother's stuff might suck. I might experiment with Simichrome or similar (I hear good things), or maybe even some red buffing compound.

Oh yeah, the two pieces I've started on so far are the advance cover and the clutch linkage plate.

Your thoughts and methods? "Discuss amongst each other..."

[DiverRay]

I would "wet sand" between the file and the first polish. 300 and then 600, on to 800. Should make the polish go MUCH faster.

[petejw]

Hey Corey,
heres a thread i posted about polishing alloy,
http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread...812#post189812
and yeah it is addictive, dnt forget to take pics.

just finished doing the forks.



and 1 of the engine

[crazy steve]

What has worked best for me is first, strip off all the old clear coat. For removing scratches or heavy oxidization/pitting, I'll nearly always use 5" 400 grit discs on a air sander to get to a smooth finish. To get into nooks and crannies, I use red 'roloc' pads on a angle-head die grinder. I've never needed to use anything finer, but if you're doing the sanding by hand, using 600 would help. Then polish with red rouge using a sewn cotton wheel, then 'color' buff with white on a loose buff. The 'black' compound you're using may be a bit aggressive for aluminum.

Go to www.eastwood.com for more info. Their buffing supplies are first rate. Caswell is good also, but I've personally found the Eastwood stuff lasts longer for me. They do cost a bit more... YMMV

'78E original owner

[Wildkat]

Pete... you are a polishing GOD

Here's what I have...



After filing down any scratches and then sanding them down with wet dry sandpaper... I usually use something called Micro_mesh... It comes in a kit with varying grades of an emery cloth type material... I usually go all the way to the 6000 grit to get a high shine... then I finish it off with an aluminum polish/ protectant called Gord's... This stuff is absolutely incredible... and very addicting...

[xs11lover]

Save the Mother's for the last step. The power ball is easy but a rag will shine it better, Then buff with a clean soft cloth, the more you buff the more it shines. When I got this one it looked like it sat under a pine tree for years, it wasn't scratched but it sure was cruddy.

[T99Ford]

When I polished the entire tunnel of my new snowmobile, which in the rear has over 2 1/2 feet of flat aluminum, I wet sanded to 1500 grit sandpaper, and then buffed with Mother's Billet Aluminum polish, not Mothers aluminum wheel polish. It is about twice the price, but is half again as coarse. I used very soft cotton cloths to do it, and changed them often. The powerball couldn't even come close to that kind of shine. It turns out, the tunnel became a convenient place for the women of our group to do their hair and makeup in the morning before going ridingThis method literally make the proverbial mirror.

[webbcraft2150]

Mini Power Ball and Simichrome. Cheapo electric toothbrush is great for the hard to reach places. I can't 'nuff about Simichrome, seems to be the "Sea Foam" for alum polishing. What covers I can get off without losing oil end up on the bench mounted buffer,

[petejw]

Xs11lover, sweet lookin bike.

WK nice work on the forks, ive also used the micro-mesh and found them to be very good, have you been polishing other parts?

I found the best, cheapest and easiest way was with the brown and white rouges, buffed using the dremel/drill and bench grinder to get a true mirror finish, the result of that was the fork leg.
Ive used mothers and other polishes after the buffing and found that they flattened the shine a little, but in saying that i use alloy polish (mothers) to maintain.

How nice is polished alloy compared to chrome. :-)

[Wildkat]

Xs11lover, sweet lookin bike.

I second that

WK nice work on the forks, ive also used the micro-mesh and found them to be very good, have you been polishing other parts?

Thanks! yeah... the micro-mesh is wonderful for smoothing out the rough spots... and I think the easier question would be... what haven't I polished?


I'm going to have to try your technique though... between you, Rob and xs11lover... I'm feeling like I'm WAAAAAAY behind in my shining moments...

[corey]

Miraculous!

I would "wet sand" between the file and the first polish. 300 and then 600, on to 800. Should make the polish go MUCH faster.

Holy crap. I should have followed the directions. Wet sanding made a world of difference. All I could find was 400 and 800 grit, so that is the progression I went through. I'll buff tomorrow and post some pictures....

It is interesting seeing everyone's methods/tips. Keep those tips coming... I need em!