Best aluminum polish?

[veggieburger]

I'm picking up a raw aluminum frame and I want this baby to shine. Blinding bright, like an old American Airlines commercial plane.

What would you use?

[one60]

for raw aluminum I've had great results with Mother's mag wheel polish. For the final step, use Mother's Billet polish to get a brighter mirror finish.

You can apply by hand or with a polisher, each has their advantages.

[dave thompson]

Flitz, Mothers, Never-Dull, Simichrome, Brasso are all good and will take a 55-gallon drum of elbow grease to achieve your goal.

[Hindmost]

Going to need a powered buffing wheel and various rouge compounds. (And a couple of changes of clothes; oxide dust everywhere.) After which you can hand polish.

[veggieburger]

Originally Posted by one60

for raw aluminum I've had great results with Mother's mag wheel polish. For the final step, use Mother's Billet polish to get a brighter mirror finish.

You can apply by hand or with a polisher, each has their advantages.

Oh man, that's su-weet.

[Blue Jays]

My three typical choices are Mother's Mag, Flitz, and Simichrome.
Mother's Mag seems to clean and protect titanium pretty well, too.

[muttley]

I've tried all the polishes already mentioned and have had the best results with Flitz and another polish not yet mentioned called X-Treem metal polish, incredible stuff.

[choke]

Flitz is the best I've ever used.

[zennmotion]

I've used Mothers, but instead of a buffer wheel I suggest using an occillating multi-tool with a buffer/polisher attachment if you're going to buy a tool, as a multi-tool doesn't take up bench space, it's safer to use, gets into small spaces better (such as crankset spiders) and has 1,000 other DIY uses. You can also use an attachment with fine-grained sandpaper to reduce both the use of caustic lye and elbow grease. After a power drill, it's the 2nd most useful power tool I have for handy-man, honey-do projects

[verbs4us]

Been using Simichrome for years but a 1.76 oz tube is now $10 to $15, which seems crazy (ok--it's German engineering but still). What is your second go-to choice?

[parris]

I've used both Flitz, and Nev-R-Dul (sp) which I believe is now sold under the Eagle 1 brand name for decades. Of the 2 I prefer Flitz. If I have heavier work I'll use wheels and compounds though.

[martl]

Originally Posted by veggieburger

I'm picking up a raw aluminum frame and I want this baby to shine. Blinding bright, like an old American Airlines commercial plane.

What would you use?

A full frame? I would use a polishing machine (like a bench grinder but with longer axle) the more powerful the better, an assortment of polishing wheels - one can buy sets, sisal for the rough work, then flappy cotton--and most importantly, quality polishing agents.

This cuts down time and effort needed tenfold - believe me, just been there for my Scott Scandium repaint.

[one60]

Jestco is a great resource for rouge and buffing wheels. They also provide 'how to' details on the site.

You'll first need to determine if the frame has been clear anodized or is truly raw. If its anodized that coating will need to be removed either by sanding or with anodize remover. If the frame has any texture such as a brushed finish, it will need to be removed or leveled in order to achieve a mirror polish. Fortunately aluminum is 'soft' and easily worked.


https://www.jestcoproducts.com/airstream-polishing.html

[Dave]

I have a 1 hp buffer with a shaft on both sides of the motor that I bought at Eastwood for polishing stuff on my hot rod. I also used to work in a plating shop where I polished parts all day long. To do job right you need both a big buffer and small hand held equipment.

I'd sand a small area with up to 600 grit and then polish, since the metal is thin and you can't push too hard on it. You'll quickly figure out it's not worth the trouble.

[PTinz]

Originally Posted by parris

I've used both Flitz, and Nev-R-Dul (sp) which I believe is now sold under the Eagle 1 brand name for decades. Of the 2 I prefer Flitz. If I have heavier work I'll use wheels and compounds though.

+1 for Nevr Dull, a $5 can last for years, can be used for hand or machine buffing.