Help on how to polish a crank

[TomP]

I have an aluminum Campy crank with shoe rub marks. I would like to polish them out, or the entire crank. Has any one done this and can you please tell how you did it? Thanks.

[donevwil]

Someone created a detailed thread on the process within the last year or so, but a quick search yielded nothing. It is somewhere and someone will find it for you. How's that for a useless post.

[Keith A]

Here's a couple of useful discussions:
http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=144602
http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=131849

[choke]

If the marks are through the anodizing then the only way to make it look uniform is to remove the anodizing and then polish the crank.

You can remove it with oven cleaner. Greased Lightning will work as well and it is slower so you have more control over the process. Whichever you choose, once it starts to turn black it's time to wash it off with cold water. You may have to repeat the process in some spots. You can also take it off by sanding but that's a lot slower and more labor intensive. If you google removing anodizing you'll find plenty of pics/vids.

After that's done you need to sand it smooth. You can start with 400 or 600 grit and work up to 1500 or higher.

Once the sanding is done then it's time to polish. Many swear by Mother's polish but I've found that Flitz works much better.

It sounds like a lot of work but it's really not, as long as there aren't any deep scratches. I've done this to stems, brake levers and am in the process of doing it to a crank at the moment.

[Black Dog]

Originally Posted by choke

If the marks are through the anodizing then the only way to make it look uniform is to remove the anodizing and then polish the crank.

You can remove it with oven cleaner. Greased Lightning will work as well and it is slower so you have more control over the process. Whichever you choose, once it starts to turn black it's time to wash it off with cold water. You may have to repeat the process in some spots. You can also take it off by sanding but that's a lot slower and more labor intensive. If you google removing anodizing you'll find plenty of pics/vids.

After that's done you need to sand it smooth. You can start with 400 or 600 grit and work up to 1500 or higher.

Once the sanding is done then it's time to polish. Many swear by Mother's polish but I've found that Flitz works much better.

It sounds like a lot of work but it's really not, as long as there aren't any deep scratches. I've done this to stems, brake levers and am in the process of doing it to a crank at the moment.

The real issue is preventing tarnishing after a polish. Bare Aluminum will oxidize quickly and the cranks will develop a white film. Waxes work for a time but need to be reapplied and using a polyurethane works but is not easy to apply in a nice even coat unless you have a spray gun.

[one60]

remove the anodizing with Jestco's anodizer remover, then either use buffs or wet/dry sandpaper to remove any surface imperfections & begin polishing.
Aluminum is relatively soft & a lot can be accomplished with elbow grease & compound. A drill mounted buffer isnt necessary.

(btw, the jestco site has great info and instructions)

I like to use mothers polish to get to a mirror shine & finish with mother's blllet polish. You need not worry about topcoating...unless you are riding in salt air the mirror finish can be easily maintained.

This groupset has thousands of miles on it & remains shiny...




http://jestcoproducts.com/index.php?...d&productId=37