WhiteS2k

I have something made of aluminum that originally was highly polished. It suffered some corrosion damage to a small area. I used steel wool to remove all the damages, but now that area is dull and no longer polished (though smooth). So is there a simple way for me to polish the aluminum and bring back the shine? I don't want to buy all kind of polishing equipment just for this, so I am hoping for something simple. Is there an equivalent to silver polish for aluminum? Thanks.

mingster

really fine grit sand paper will do the trick. remember Mingster's dead pedal?

WhiteS2k

Thanks. How fine is fine (330+)? And are we talking dry or wet sandpaper? And does the kind of grit make any difference (would aluminum oxide sandpaper work on aluminum)?

HondaGal

I am going to move this to the detail forum. Lots of gurus there to help you out.

Sideways

Sanding with fine sandpaper is fine but to get the shine you need to buff it out with a buffing wheel and polishing compound after sanding. I use progressively finer grits from 200 to 1000 or 1500 then compound with a buffing wheel. You should be ok with 600 grit wet or dry.

wanabe

[QUOTE=WhiteS2k,Sep 14 2004, 04:33 PM] I have something made of aluminum that originally was highly polished.

WhiteS2k

Thanks, HondaGal, for moving this to the right forum.

And Thanks, everyone, for all the good suggestions. Now that I looked at the links, I am not sure if my aluminum object (which is not automotive, by the way) was coated or not. So in the process of removing the corrosion damage, I might have removed the coating from that area. In that case, is it all hopeless? Must I have the whole object re-coated to preserve the finish? Or should I just "strip" away the coating from the rest of the object and then start over?

I've bought some 600 and 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper and I'll try to smoothing things out as best I can. The part I was trying to avoid is having to buy a buffing wheel since the object is not that large. But besides Wenol, any other recommendations for a metal polishing compound that can be hand rubbed to polish the aluminum?

Any thoughts on a preservative after it is polished? Should I just use auto wax or lighter fluid or something else? Thanks.

HondaGal

This is why I wish Wash and Wax was not the title of this forum, because this thread/question is good stuff for here.

Plus I figures wanabe would be ontop of it

Sideways

If you have a drill you can get the arbor and buffing wheel for under $10.

WhiteS2k

I do have a drill. But it is not so much the cost of the buffing wheel, it is that the aluminum object is not that large and may be difficult to hold against the buffing wheel. But I will definitely think about it. Should I try to hold the object stationary and then move the drill+buffing wheel around or should I hold the drill+buffing wheel stationary and move the object around? Also do you have any recommentation for a polishing compound?

I sanded the damaged spot last night with 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper (wet, of course). And I discovered that the aluminum surface was originally coated. So I ended up sanding the whole object just to remove the coating from the rest of it. Now the object is smooth (mostly) with some sanding marks. It is not shiny, but sort of a muted shine to it.

Any recommendation for replacing the coating to protect the finish on aluminum?