teazer said:I can't weld for shit, but I used to think I was pretty good at polishing. And now you have blown that myth out of the water. :-(
Do you mind sharing how you managed to get that shine and what you used? I get that new 3000 series alloy is soft and easier to polish than old engine side covers but that shine is impressive.
Haha thanks, but it’s not that impressive.
The softer 1100/3000 aluminum alloys are actually more difficult to polish in the end. They initially sand a bit easier, but it’s much more difficult to get the final shine because it’s so easy to scratch. You actually end up smearing the surface which leads to hazy areas.
I’ve polished a lot of aluminum, and the honest trick is just work and patience. If you don’t get the results you’re after, it’s because you shorted a step. Don’t move forward until you’ve completely sanded/buffed away the previous step. Sometimes you have to go all the way back to wet sanding.
I wet sanded up to 400 grit, than sisal wheel with black compound, treated vented buff with black, untreated vented buff with brown, stitched buff with white, hand polish with Mother’s aluminum polish.
I get my supplies from Caswell Plating.