THE 'HOW TO POLISH ALUMINUM' TUTORIAL
 

Alright guys.... got it written up for you. Enjoy and feel free to ask questions as they arise and I will be more then happy to answer.

THE HOW-TO-TUTORIAL ON POLISHING ALUMINUM
(VALVE COVERS OR WHATEVER YOU MAY HAVE)


Step One: REMOVAL : DRY – 60-80 grit with power (DA, Palm Sander etc)
Alright guys, this is probably the MOST important step. Nothing special to this at all, remove all old paint, and really dig into the metal on this one. Any mistake or laziness on this step is VERY apparent in your final result and it is the easiest step to do, so do it well. Remove paint and make sure you bottom out all pits, nicks, etc as you must have an ‘even’ surface with no pitting left over. Leave a pitt or a knick on the surface and it carries through all the way to your mirror finish. (BAD)

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Step Two: LEVELING: DRY – 120-180 grit by hand/block
Again, this one is pretty straight forward. It still is in ‘free-style’ mode with no directional discipline. This step is to simply remove all the grooving left from the DA/Palm sander etc from the first step. Simply continue to sand whether by hand (preferably by block) to remove all the swirl circles left by step one.


Step Three: DISCIPLINED DIRECTIONAL SANDING: WET –220 grit by hand
This is where the hands start to hurt, the blisters form and the fun begins. Get a spray bottle, a bucket of water, and put on some old clothes. Begin sanding in one direction across your entire part. Before doing so, use your spray bottle filled with water and spray your sanding surface so its wet. Your bucket, dip the sanding paper in the bucket. You can NOT use too much water, but you can use too little. Continue sanding in one direction until you no longer see any other patterns formed on the surface except lines of sanding in the direction you are going. How to hold your sandpaper to get uniform pressure as well as directional sanding. (See how it is vertical path)
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Step Four: PERPENDICULAR DIRECTIONAL SANDING: WET–400 grit by hand
After the previous step has been completed, you no longer see any other marking on the metal except the directional sanding from the last step, its time to move up to 400 grit. Spray your entire surface with the spray bottle to removal all of the liquid aluminum dust and debris. (Or simply dunk your part into your water bucket). We will now begin wet sanding again (so spray your clean surface, dip your 400 grit paper in your bucket) and begin sanding now perpendicular to your previous direction and continue to do so until all of your markings from ‘step three’ are no longer visible. If you cheat on this cross-hatching and do not sand until all of the previous steps markings (scratches) are gone, you will begin to form micro pits and your finish product will NOT shine but have a white haze to it) Gentlemen, take your time and patience now. If you’ve think you’ve removed all of ‘step three’ markings….CONTINUE TO SAND because you haven’t. (Speaking from experience)
(Shown is now going horizontal and how the vertical groves have only been removed by 50%. Keep sanding until all vertical grooves are gone)
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Step Five: PERP DIRECTIONAL SANDING – WET-600 grit by hand
Same as ‘step four’ except with 600 grit. Change directions again to go ‘against the grain’ of the 400 grit. Make sure to dunk your part(or spray off all aluminum debris) and apply water to clean surface and dip your paper before beginning. Continue with 600 grit until all of ‘step four’ markings are gone and you can only see the directional markings of the 600 grit on the metal.

Step Six: PERP DIRECTIONAL SANDING – WET-800 grit by hand
Same as ‘step five’ except with 800 grit. Change directions again to go ‘against the grain’ of the 600 grit. Make sure to dunk your part(or spray off all aluminum debris) and apply water to clean surface and dip your paper before beginning. Continue with 800 grit until all of ‘step five’ markings are gone and you can only see the directional markings of the 800 grit on the metal.

Step Seven: PERP DIRECTIONAL SANDING – WET-1000 grit by hand
Same as ‘step six’ except with 1000 grit. Change directions again to go ‘against the grain’ of the 800 grit. Make sure to dunk your part(or spray off all aluminum debris) and apply water to clean surface and dip your paper before beginning. Continue with 1000 grit until all of ‘step six’ markings are gone and you can only see the directional markings of the 1000 grit on the metal.


DESCISION TIME: Show quality or just mirror finish? If show quality is desired continue to repeat ‘Step Seven’ with both 1500 grit and then 2000 grit sand paper. All wet, all by hand. Before proceeding to Step Eight

Step Eight: POLISHING TO MIRROR FINISH: Dry/Clean Metal
Alright guys, here’s were all the time and hard work pay off. On your clean metal surface, use old white cotton t-shirts (YES THEY WORK THE BEST AND ARE THE CHEAPEST…do not use terry clothes, microfiber or any other material besides 100% cotton weave) Give your t-shirt or rag a spray or two to moisten it to a damp feel. Take your mothers polish (personal preference of mine) and begin swirling polish in circles. It will start to blacken on the metal and that is GOOD. Continue and really put in some elbow grease hear. Average use should be about a dime size of polish cream on each surface of the valve cover. (Top, Side, Side, Side, Side) Use our finger picking through the t-shirt to apply and swirl. Then use the clean white spots on the t-shirt to remove the polish in a swirling motion. Once most of the polish cream is removed, again find a new ‘clean’ white section of t-shirt and again swirl like your removing wax from a car.
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Step Nine: ENJOY!!!! Put in front of face and wave to your mirrored image.

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:U: Ineed to do somepolishin my self. Nice Write up

damn boy!!!!!!!!!!!! that turned out hella good!!!!!!

Wow Looks great Nice Job !

Excellent :c:

Yeah, looks great. You do nice work.:U::U::U:

And now I know how to do it, finally! Thanks! :c:

Great post :u:

Thanks for the great info.:U:

wow! :U: Looks like allot of hard work!
Thanks for the detailed and informative write up!!

Thanks man

:c:

:humm: wonder how this would work on a set of aluminum wheels? :humm:

how bout i send mine to ya and let ya try:U:

:lol88:



I think I may try it today on the bent wheel I got and see what happens.

Sweet!

NO FAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You only had 4 to do!!!!!!!!!!
Nice work!!!!!
Maybe I can get the wife to do that????
:humm:

BTI

:U:

that motor looks sharp. nice job :U:

Query - URGENT
 

Hi....I am trying to polish Al using emery paper. The thing is Rougher grades ( up to 320 ) are very shiny to look at. But the smoother grades of paper deposit a Black coating on the surface that on washing with water / acetone does not go away...

Hence I am not getting any mirror like finish, though the surface is extremely smooth...

PLEASE HELP....:scare2:

Sounds like what happens with old sand paper or paper that's been damp for a long time. This is the only time I've seen this be an issue.

For small pieces like what was done in the write-up a buffer wheel on a grinder will make life so much easier and quicker using buffing compounds. Even on bigger pieces for the finishing steps I use an auto buffer with regular scratch removing compounds to polish em up with.

But this is a great write up showing how anybody can do it themselves at home with no special tools and that's what were all about here. :c:

Thanks and Questions again
 

Thanks Uncle Babba for your promt reply

This is for a science project. I need Al pieces of different roughness ( measured using a profilometer) which I am able to make using different grades of emery paper. What I'am not able to do is to make the smoother grades look like a mirror and reflect more light while the rougher grades are having visible scratches.

My procedure is :

1) Procure the Al pieces ( 3 x 3 cm), they are already quite smooth as sold commercially as Al sheets (20 gauge)

2) Take the reqd grade of emery paper and polish it for 2 mins by attaching it to a spinning wheel on a polishing machine.

3)600+ grades are quite dull in appearance.

Is it because I'am not working my way down through each grade and straightaway going to the smoothest grade ?
Also I'am not using any polishing/buffing process. I think the emery itself shud do the job..


Please Help

Go to page 1 of this thread and read teh original post - the info is all there.

Hi Dr.Evil,

I have seen the first page. I still need to know how to remove the black colouring i get when polishing with grades 600+ which I do not get while polishing with grades lesser than 400..

Please Help...

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Hi Doc,

I have read the first post in the thread. I want to know how to I avoid the grey colouring that happens when polishing with grades 600+. It's like a fine material that is not removed by water /acetone. Also this does not happen for grades lesser than 400. It's only with the smoother grades.
Also I;am not using any buffing or polishing agent..Cud this problem be because I'am not working my way down to the smoother grades and instead just using the required paper only (since the initial pieces are itself quite smooth)

Please Help...I'am a little desperate now, as this is part of my project due for completion soon..

Aluminum will always leave dark gray deposits unless a buffing agent is used, hence the reason for needing one. Even just friction with plastic (such as in a water bottle cage on a bicycle) will cause ugly gray streaks on the plastic that are almost impossible to remove.

I think using a die grinder with a buffing wheel and some aluminum polish will help a lot.

If you need to maintain the rough finish and just remove the black then just use polish and a rag. That rough finish you are talkin about is known as a brushed or satin finish.

I use Muratic Acid with rubber gloves and fine steel wool,then Mothers.

great write up! Just wondering how you keep it looking good once you have it all polished up? just regular coats of the aluminum polish?

I usually polish it up once a year with mothers, otherwise a few squirts of windex throughout the year will keep most of the debris and moisture loose and away.....

and know we know and knowing is half the battle G.I. JOE :jump::tttt:

After reading this thread and I have taken out the intake to clean it, the bug bite me.

I would love to polish the intake, the water return bridge and the valve cover.

My question is: would you remove the "support braces" at the intake? It would me much easier to trim them off.
But I don't know if this could effect the strength of the intake?
I'm also going to polish the inside of the intake to a mirror like finish. No more casting flash or leftover metal inside. I would like to provide a smooth surface for intake air.
Not sure if it will bring any benefits, beside from making more difficult for soot and oil to stick on it.

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