Spit and Polish...

[southwind25]

((we couldnt find this though we are sure it's been talked about))

 

What are people using to polish up there aluminum..and Keep it polished.

Mike/Jen R, you mentioned something but we cant remember what it was..

any other suggestions?

This car (hopefully on it's way from texas) will be driven in the rain sometimes,

 

:7rain:

 

and we want to keep her aluminum brightwork as new as we can for as long as we can. A mirror finish wouldnt hurt either.

We have polished Much aluminum in our day, small parts with a rouge and buffing wheel, but it doesnt last and we guess thats not wise for the thin sheet..

this car wont be blindingly fast with it's 1600~~~ so maybe we can make it blindingly shiney.

 

((OH HEY..the new smileys are way fun!)

[slngsht]

Sorry... I know the search function sucks...

 

This thread should have some useful info in it

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=257

 

 

[EburgE]

I'm glad you raised this issue. I just used the Nuvite System (http://www.nuvitechemical.com/) on a brand new body and had less than stellar results: tiny microscratches, hollograms, smudgey/smokey, etc. Some areas look better than others, and the look varies depending on the lighting.

 

I have it twice--the second time using the help of a detailer friend (lots of polishing experience, but no prior aluminum experience), so I don't think it is just me.

 

I will probably try again.

 

And I may try the system in described in thread above, or this one http://www.topoftheline.com/aluminum-polish-kit.html.

 

Also here is an interesting thread on the topic showing what is possible, and some of the obstacles.

 

http://autopia.org/forum/click-brag/76762-spirit-ecstasy-1922-rolls-royce-silver-ghost.html?highlight=Rolls

 

Harold

[DeanG]

Resurrecting this thread.

 

Our car is back from getting its bodywork adjusted. I started to polish it tonight. I am trying a different approach this time around. I am starting with a cotton polishing wheel on a DeWalt 7" polisher using stick rouge. It is cleaning up quickly and by polishing with the grain it seems to be doing a pretty good job. I will try and keep this thread up to date as I play with various techniques and grades of rouge.

[WestTexasS2K]

Zoop Seal makes a good polish and a protectant to keep the oxidation at bay.

[dvl]

Wet sanding the aluminum before polishing helped considerably with my Seven. When attempted to polish without sanding, the new body was littered with microscatches and cloudiness.

 

Dave

[acpolish]

Well I guess it's time to blow my own horn. Anybody that wants to know how to "properly" polish aluminum for the best and longest lasting finish should browse my web site. Picking a brand of polish is only part of the process and not the most important. Understanding what you are working on, and with, is the most important. I hope I am not breaking any forum rules here, but you can check my site at . There is a lot of good information on proper polishing techniques, mainly for commercial aviation, but the same applies for any surface. I specialize, (since 1987) in supplying industrial polishing products, equipment & techniques, primarily for the commercial aviation industry, (Hence my screen name, "ACPOLISH"). If anybody has any specific questions, or concerns, (not personal, but regarding polishing, specifically aluminum), feel free to contact me.

 

http://www.aircraftpolish.com

[Automoda]

Wow hey! Thanks ACPolish!

 

When I was doing mine, I wet-sanded the aluminum with 1000-1500 grit. Any finer and I'd just get contamination scratches. Seems to me that the same happens when I try to color-sand paint. Anyhow, sanding is the hard part. After that I used "Magic Mix" which has a rabbit in a red-white-blue top-hat on the bottle to do the first buffing pass. Then I'd go over that with Autosol Metal Polish. Its oil-based and cuts very very well compared to Blue Magic and Mothers and other 'cream' based products. The shine is nearly mirror in some spots. Not perfect in others. Definitely has a tendency to catch swirly highlights when the sun is low. But its not bad and lasts (due to the oily polish I suppose). It was tedious. I used fake wool pads on a drill to do the buffing, and only hand buffed where I had to. My Birkin's hood was a different aluminum with some kind of thin layer on it that was different than what was below. It would not buff, so the idea of a totally shiny car was scrapped.

 

Next time I'll go with ACPolish's methods. His site is bookmarked.

 

http://herb.linkrealms.com/super7polishtest.jpg

Edited September 17, 2010 by Automoda
image

[acpolish]

Hokey Dokey!! Looks like I will have to post a "How To" on aluminum polishing.

I should have something up soon, (depending on how busy things are this week).

:cheers:

ACPOLISH

[slomove]

I am known to polish my Seven once a while with pretty good result (road quality not show room). However, one thing that bothers me is the exstensive rock pitting I get at the lower side panels after a few 1000 miles . That prevents any meaningful polishing unless I sand down the tiny pit craters which I don't really care doing too often.

 

Did anybody ever try the paint protection film on polished aluminum? May not be as super mirror shiny as bare polished but may also last longer?

[KiwiBirkin]

I am known to polish my Seven once a while with pretty good result (road quality not show room). However, one thing that bothers me is the exstensive rock pitting I get at the lower side panels after a few 1000 miles . That prevents any meaningful polishing unless I sand down the tiny pit craters which I don't really care doing too often.

 

Did anybody ever try the paint protection film on polished aluminum? May not be as super mirror shiny as bare polished but may also last longer?

 

Slomove it beats having those pits in a nice paint job which would show up much worse with the millage you do and some of the roads you drive on. I really considered painting my whole car about 14 months ago but since covering some 20000 km's and seeing what stone chips have done to the paint of the rear guards I wouldnt paint the the side panels on any Seven car I owned now.

[Jim F.]

For the above mentioned reasons, that's why I've elected to keep the Al. bodywork in a semi-polished condition i.e. clean, bright, non-mirrored finish. I absolutely love the look of a highly-polished Seven w/ complimentary paint, but the maintenance aspect puts me off a little. Every other year or so I take about 2 hours to go over the car with Metal Armor and am totally happy with the results. Haven't done it yet this year but will over the winter sometime. The only paint I have is the Cat. yellow nosecone and four fenders. That and the Jet-Hot side exhaust make for a very pleasing portrait, IMO.

[MHKflyer52]

slomove,

 

An acquaintance of mine has a polished aluminum Cobra and he has a clear film on it in the high abrasion areas and you have to look very closely to see it. He seems to like it a lot and says that it has reduced the amount of up keep greatly. I will see if I have some photos of his Cobra and post them up as it is just amazing and very bright in the sun.

[slomove]

slomove,

 

An acquaintance of mine has a polished aluminum Cobra and he has a clear film on it in the high abrasion areas and you have to look very closely to see it. He seems to like it a lot and says that it has reduced the amount of up keep greatly. I will see if I have some photos of his Cobra and post them up as it is just amazing and very bright in the sun.

 

Thanks, that would be interesting. But I don't want to imagine what it takes to get the film laid up without folds on the compound curved surfaces of a Cobra. I did put it onto the painted surfaces of my Seven (nose and wings) and that was already a royal pain in the behind.

[Automoda]

I use that "Clear bra" material on the front of my rear fenders, despite the aluminum plates. You can curve it a bit around the edge of the fender, but not all the way. They want way too much money for it, but it does a great job. My paint under that stuff is flawless and the aluminum panel is horribly pitted after a few hundred miles. It would be expensive but I think you could easily have a seven's side panels done in it. How well does it handle exhaust-pipe radiant heat? I dont know.

[acpolish]

Rock pitting and/or corrosion from pitting is the ultimate problem. You can apply a single part high solid clear urethane but... there are a few drawbacks to this method. In order to get the paint to adhere properly you will have to etch the aluminum, which will greatly degrade your shine, (or depth of image), plus will be subject to the same chipping or pitting, plus will require eventual replacement which is a major pain. A viable alternative is the application of a clear "leading edge" tape, (available from 3M™ in may sizes) on the problem areas. All that needs to be done is, after polishing to the desired level, is to wipe the area clean with MEK, (Methyl Ethyl Ketone), to remove any polishing residue, and apply the tape. Very long lasting and will not significantly reduce the degree of finish and easy to replace at any time, without affecting the finish underneath. The finish will not oxidize as it is now sealed from the elements and really well protected from anything short of a small direct meteorite strike. (Make sure you get 3M™ leading edge tape as this stuff is tough, clear & has excellent UV barrier characteristics. UV will dis-color the aluminum underneath.)

 

Cheers

ACPOLISH