Alright so i haven't really done much polishing other than the alen head stainless bolts in my bay. I think i have the process down, i am just not sure what products to use..

I have completely stripped the paint already
Need to sand the area down from 600-2000 or so
wash in soapy water and dry
Polish... I would like to use my buffing wheel to speed up the process but what polish should i use and where can i buy it?
wash with soapy water when i have reached the finish i desire / dry
Clear Coat? I rather not polish this thing once a month or however long before oxidation sets in.. What would be a good clear coat to use that is heat resistant and wont discolor?

I will post pictures later. Thanks in advance!








Ready for sanding..

 

Green stick polishing compound followed up with mothers mag polish. It takes a LOOOOOONG time.

 

Can i use both of these on a buffing wheel? Or are they hand polish only? Does it not matter? Where can i buy them?

Do you have any information on clear coating after the polish is complete?

I found this stuff...
http://www.por15.com/PELUCID/productinfo/PELG/

Thanks

 

Any more ideas on the correct clear coat?

Or any other hints / tips?

 

The green stick stuff is just standard polishing compound you can find at the hardware store. It comes in different colors. Now that I think of it, red may be finer. Just look at the packaging and it will tell you. You can apply both by polisher. You can google how to polish aluminum and find heaps of good advice.

 

dont clear it. use ZOOP seal. thats is what I do with my bike parts I have polished. Bought a big green bar off ebay use it on a bench grinder with 2 buffing wheels

 

That company is no longer in business lol

http://shineseal.com/

http://www.summitracing.com/search/b.../?autoview=SKU

 

looks like the same stuff I cant believe they went out of buss. you will be very happy with it

 

Im having a hell of a time getting this thing to shine. Im not a professional sander by any means but i had to start at 180 to get out what i describe as being little pores in the material. so 180-320-400-600-800-1000-1500-2000. I havent sanded enough to know what 2000 should look like but here are a few shots of the side that will show most when on the car (so i spent most of my time in this area). This is at 2000 grit and i polished a small portion but i think i need to get some better polish? or learn how to sand lol The polish i had was a white brick my Dad had lying around (Used a buffing wheel) then i hit the area again with mothers by hand... Im about ready to sell this and buy a pre polished :/


2000 grit not polished... just doesnt look how i thought it would..



Polish on the left...






Compared too...
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl...:0&tx=74&ty=57

http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl...t:429,r:23,s:0

 

I have no experience with polishing valve covers but I polish gold/silver jewellery for a living. I assume its the same idea. we use a grey first to get rid of deep scratches, brown for fine scratches, blue or green for a nice shine then red or white for high gloss shine. You need to buff at a high RPM.