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Hi, thanks again for all the compliments. Polishing the aluminum was just a matter of patience and picking up tips from the Internet. When I had the bike apart during my project, I decided to shine up the cases and forks. The clear coat was stripped off with a gel stripper. I didn't have any pitting or serious oxidation. I then wore my fingers down to nubs using semi-chrome paste polish. They came out pretty good, and I was happy with them. The wheels were more involved. I wanted them shined up, but the machining finish (lines) and old tire iron scratches were a job for the local shop. They came out even better. I tried to maintain the shine using Mother's/Semi-chrome on a rag, but it was a losing battle. The aluminum was slowly dulling and it was very time consuming.
I looked up metal polishing on the web and found Eastwood Polishing. They explained basic aluminum polishing and sell everything you need. What really got my attention was they said you can get excellent results using a drill motor. I thought it was worth a try, so I bought a variety of different size buffs and some compounds. If you go to my web site,(below) you can see the results.
I'm new to this, so I cannot give much advice. You just learn by doing. You'll learn what kind of buff to use, how to apply the compound, when to clean or "rake" the buff, what RPM works best and how to apply pressure to the buff, and when to replace a buff. It's not hard to learn. You get much better results(than by hand) and save a lot of time. You won't have to fear buffing time again.
Remember: if your parts are in worse condition than mine were, you may have to take extra steps in the polishing process. Also, you will have to remove the parts the first time. It's not possible to do a good job with them on the bike. You will be able to MAINTAIN the shine without removing parts. I can buff 90% of my parts -- the other 10% (edges of cases, etc.) will need the ol' finger still (actually they have felt bobs for tight spaces). As for how long between polishings, it depends on moisture, if you cover your bike with a blanket, and if you apply wax after polishing.
If you use a drill for the initial polishing, you need both hands on the drill. So you have to rig something to hold the parts and not damage them. I was lucky to find a piece of 4"x 14" wood. After cutting it to 14"x 14" square, I drilled several 2-inch deep holes all over the board. I then used some #6 COVERED solid copper wire to make several 4-inch pins. Any "pins" you make should be at least covered with tape, so you don't gouge the insides of your cover holes. With this setup I can lay the cases flat with part of their edges out past the board, insert my pins through the covers' holes and into the board, and buff away. The heavy piece of wood helps the work to not move around. You can also piece together something using 2x4's, or tell your wife "hold this."
As for the cost, I bought several different buffs so I could experiment and find which ones were best for me. I spent $100 including shipping. I bought the aluminum wheel buffing kit (it worked great on my truck aluminum wheels also), two each of 2-inch, 3-inch, and 4-inch loose sewn round buffs, some facer buffs, a rake to clean the buffs, and some extra white rouge compound. I found the 2-inch and 3-inch round buffs to be the most useful.
Their site:
Check out all their tips so you'll learn more. This is a great mod' for the price. The first polishing is the most work (taking off the parts and stripping before polishing). After that you just lay a sheet over the bike (compound dust), buff with your softest buff using white rouge, do the tight spots with your fingers or felt bobs, apply wax, and stand back and admire. After my Electrex R/R and Dyna Ignition, I think this is my favorite mod'.
I looked up metal polishing on the web and found Eastwood Polishing. They explained basic aluminum polishing and sell everything you need. What really got my attention was they said you can get excellent results using a drill motor. I thought it was worth a try, so I bought a variety of different size buffs and some compounds. If you go to my web site,(below) you can see the results.
I'm new to this, so I cannot give much advice. You just learn by doing. You'll learn what kind of buff to use, how to apply the compound, when to clean or "rake" the buff, what RPM works best and how to apply pressure to the buff, and when to replace a buff. It's not hard to learn. You get much better results(than by hand) and save a lot of time. You won't have to fear buffing time again.
Remember: if your parts are in worse condition than mine were, you may have to take extra steps in the polishing process. Also, you will have to remove the parts the first time. It's not possible to do a good job with them on the bike. You will be able to MAINTAIN the shine without removing parts. I can buff 90% of my parts -- the other 10% (edges of cases, etc.) will need the ol' finger still (actually they have felt bobs for tight spaces). As for how long between polishings, it depends on moisture, if you cover your bike with a blanket, and if you apply wax after polishing.
If you use a drill for the initial polishing, you need both hands on the drill. So you have to rig something to hold the parts and not damage them. I was lucky to find a piece of 4"x 14" wood. After cutting it to 14"x 14" square, I drilled several 2-inch deep holes all over the board. I then used some #6 COVERED solid copper wire to make several 4-inch pins. Any "pins" you make should be at least covered with tape, so you don't gouge the insides of your cover holes. With this setup I can lay the cases flat with part of their edges out past the board, insert my pins through the covers' holes and into the board, and buff away. The heavy piece of wood helps the work to not move around. You can also piece together something using 2x4's, or tell your wife "hold this."
As for the cost, I bought several different buffs so I could experiment and find which ones were best for me. I spent $100 including shipping. I bought the aluminum wheel buffing kit (it worked great on my truck aluminum wheels also), two each of 2-inch, 3-inch, and 4-inch loose sewn round buffs, some facer buffs, a rake to clean the buffs, and some extra white rouge compound. I found the 2-inch and 3-inch round buffs to be the most useful.
Their site:
Check out all their tips so you'll learn more. This is a great mod' for the price. The first polishing is the most work (taking off the parts and stripping before polishing). After that you just lay a sheet over the bike (compound dust), buff with your softest buff using white rouge, do the tight spots with your fingers or felt bobs, apply wax, and stand back and admire. After my Electrex R/R and Dyna Ignition, I think this is my favorite mod'.
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