"HOW-TO" Polish Aluminium? PLEASE HELP

[Karl Robbers]

I have a simillar problem but mine's on checkerplate.

I would like a polished finish and I've done a small test area and it's hard work and doesn't last.

Here's the area I need to polish. In the photo it looks OK but that photo is 6 months old and it's been in a panel shop for 2 months being painted to the aluminium is pretty dead and lifeless now.



I'm looking into POR15 paints to see if I can get an acceptable colour with an acceptable shine that will stick to aluminium and stay attached.

Bit late to mention it now, but for future reference, it would have been easier/better to use a product called propellor plate, it's already polished and holds up quite well. I've used it in 1.6 and 3mm thicknesses but there is also 5 or 6mm made, (i've only seen it on an american import truck).
Back to your problem. I have done an acceptable polish job on 5 bar treadplate using a nylon scrubbing brush, (the ones that look like oversize bottle brushes), by cutting off the handle and then chucking the brush in an electric drill. The polishing compound I used was 3M cutting compound. Be warned though it is messy particularly if your trigger finger gets overexcited. This will not achieve a mirror finish but will shine the treadplate up nicely. As you have no doubt found out buffs don't really work on treadplate, this is where the flexibility of the bristles come into their own. I use the 3M cutting compound because most of the metal polishes you buy are fine for maintaining a shine but so not have the power to actually cut and create a lustre. Your biggest difficulty will be reaching into the multitude of inside corners you have in that tub. You will be glad when it's over I reckon

[3RU]

Alclad polishes up well with Wadpol and I have used the same on Sunbeam rocker covers in a former life. Not sure where you might find the product these days but one of those old aircraft suppliers will be able to help. Cooper Air Motive etc.

As for the flash of light reflections, I cant help but think it would be hard to beat those new super bright headlights day or night !

3RU

[Morbius]

I can't believe how timely this thread is. I am in the process of designing a tool frame that is made of aluminium and want to polish it as well. I am using 6mm thick plate aluminium.

Thanks for all the great advice!

Craig

[Morbius]

These have to be seen to be believed. Makes my grandest plans look like kid's play

Craig

[eskimo]

used to polish them but the novelty wore off pretty quickly.

ditto

[Bryan]

For someone desperate enough to shout PLEASE HELP in the subject, Mr Kuttis seems disinterested in the results. Maybe he found a new fad.
A good example of why I'm disinclined to help blow-ins.

[BobL]

For someone desperate enough to shout PLEASE HELP in the subject, Mr Kuttis seems disinterested in the results. Maybe he found a new fad.
A good example of why I'm disinclined to help blow-ins.

Maybe he polished it so well he blinded himself?

Regarding blow ins, I guess they have to start somewhere. What surprises me is how many lurkers we have on these forums as witnessed by the ratio of members to guests and my guess is a lot of members are also mainly lurkers.

[eskimo]

For someone desperate enough to shout PLEASE HELP in the subject, Mr Kuttis seems disinterested in the results. Maybe he found a new fad.
A good example of why I'm disinclined to help blow-ins.

now now....thats the not right attitude Bryan...

maybe he has given up trying to keep the old caravan shiny...I know I would have...
tried that with the outside...(and inside) cabinet on the 12volt car fridge I made..gave up very quickly after it got grit blasted while camped in the sand....the inside got scratched and scuffed from all the stubbies my mates wanted to take with them on trips.....it now has this sort of non shiny very very scratched appearance which just adds to its patina

[eskimo]

Maybe he polished it so well he blinded himself?

hahaha

spec savers have sunnies?

[rusel]

Maybe the cord of the polisher got court up in the mop and now he is tied to the outside caravan. . Therefore can not put a reply post up

This thread got me thinking about some polish aluminum I put outside about a year ago so I went and had a close look at it, after give it a clean with spit and a tissue I can see some small pitting starting. Judge for yourself.

Russell

[Morbius]

Gents,

I would not be inclined to think too harshly about a lack of a rapid response to the information that has been provided.

This fellow has just spent thousands buying a caravan with a goal of polishing it up.

He's expended time and effort having a go at achieving that, on top of the money he's already spent and it hasn't been working out so well for him.

He's been told essentially that his efforts are futile.

People have raised the possibilities of other materials he could polish instead of what he has at hand. (I've even helped derail it somewhat- my bad!).

And to top it off he's been told that if he is successful, his efforts are probably going to be dangerous and might even be illegal.

Four possibilities spring to mind:

A. He's been discouraged badly and has given up on the project or of getting a response he can work with from this forum.

B. He has taken the advice provided and is talking to the relevant state authority to see if he can pull his potentially overgrown convex mirror along the road behind his car in bright sunlight. A response to this tricky question not be as quick as you might hope, and probably isn't listed in the FAQs on the web site.

C. He has limited time and doesn't surf the net on school nights as much as he might on the weekend.

D. A combination of B & C above.

E. He has been abducted by aliens.

My personal choice is anything from B-D, and preferably E over A.

Just a few thoughts.

Craig

[Dave J]

Hi,
I haven't posted for a while, but thought I would give my opinion.
As for the chrome polishing on the road in NSW (and probably other states) it's not illegal.
When I built my 4wd with fully polished tray, rear checker plate,chrome bull bar etc, etc. I asked the engineer about the shine and he said there was no law against it. This engineer was a RTA certified engineer and had done thousands of truck certificates as well as cars.

Now with polishing that sheet I would do it like the floor on my tray and use a lambswool buffing pad and autosol.
You smear the autosol on the sheet and then buff it, if it dries out which it will you have a small container of water and add a splash every time it goes a bit dry.

It you have a lot of oxide, you will need to sand with wet and dry sand paper first, but a quick polish first will quickly show up any flaws.

As for up keep, I would say a quick going over every now and again will keep it there. The autosol does protect it some what.





Dave

[zuffen]

I feel we're being overly harsh and un-welcoming the othe OP.

If we cast our minds back to our original post on a Forum (and this could be the OP's first every post) we were concerned about being flamed.

Several thousnad posts later on car related forums I no longer give a damn what people think.

We may have managed to discourage this person from ever using a forum again when there are a plethora of reasons they have not have responded.

I can think of one good reason for them to not come back

[Dave J]

I feel we're being overly harsh and un-welcoming the othe OP.

If we cast our minds back to our original post on a Forum (and this could be the OP's first every post) we were concerned about being flamed.

Several thousnad posts later on car related forums I no longer give a damn what people think.

We may have managed to discourage this person from ever using a forum again when there are a plethora of reasons they have not have responded.

I can think of one good reason for them to not come back

All true, we where all new here once, but with this forum being so friendly it never mattered if it was your first post or your one thousand post.
For all we know the guy might be away all week working.

It's a time consuming job polishing, but if your prepared to put in the time your efforts will shine literally. LOL

Dave

[Bryan]

Golly. It was a passing remark - perhaps on reflection ill-considered. I never expected such a response. My apologies for sparking 'much ado about nothing'. If a mod wanted to delete my unhelpful remarks and anything related to them I for one would not complain.