Polishing instructions?

[metalmonkey47]

Hey guys, I'm wanting to polish my valve cover on my A15. I'm a total noob to metal polishing, so is there anything I need to know specifically? What kind of compound do I need to invest in that would work well? And also, what do I need to do about sealing it to keep it from rusting?

[izzo]

Wire wheel it to get all the paint off, SOS pad it to get all the grease and rest of the junk off. then just get one of those bench wheel buffer deals and goto town! Sanding only gets it so so, you can use some high grit sand paper and smooth it out mostly, then just run it under a buffing wheel. some aluminum black compound stuff will work..

 

http://www.toolplanet.com/product/4-pack-BLACK-Polishing-Rouge-Buffing-Compound-for-Aluminum?utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=googlebase&cvsfa=1799&cvsfe=2&cvsfhu=313030353731

 

should be able to get it at a napa or hardware store sometimes. Dont think the brand matters, just threw that link out there for a reference....

[metalmonkey47]

Thanks man! That just about covered all of it. Seems quite simple now that I know the steps.

[izzo]

haha yeah. just go easy with the wire wheel, if you can use a brass one or even use some aircraft remover to get rid of the paint. might save you a little smoothing out? I never had a problem with it tho.

 

Just fyi, seems like the polish goes away after a while, some people put clear coat on there but it chips/peels after a while and kinda looks like poo... might be better to just leave it as is and re-polish it once n a while. ill let someone else chime in on that im not sure :D

[metalmonkey47]

I got aircraft remover, so maybe I'll give that a shot, eh? lol

 

All I'm concerned about is the rust :P Clear coat sounds like a good idea though!

[Skib]

haha yeah. just go easy with the wire wheel, if you can use a brass one or even use some aircraft remover to get rid of the paint. might save you a little smoothing out? I never had a problem with it tho.

 

Just fyi, seems like the polish goes away after a while, some people put clear coat on there but it chips/peels after a while and kinda looks like poo... might be better to just leave it as is and re-polish it once n a while. ill let someone else chime in on that im not sure :D

 

 

ya a polished cover requires maintenance, if you want it to look nice you have to keep it looking nice.

 

Iv got a polished one for an L6 and I ran it for a while and then swapped it for a painted one cuz it was kind of a PITA to be cleaning and polishing it all the time

 

 

it looks nice if you keep up on it tho :D

[metalmonkey47]

You think Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish would do the trick??

 

http://www.amazon.com/MOTHERS-Mag-and-Aluminum-Polish/dp/B0002JMV2E

 

 

I got some in the garage, so I figure it might be worth a shot.

[hang_510]

All I'm concerned about is the rust

AL doesnt rust ;) (is the cover steel ???)

 

You think Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish would do the trick??

 

I got some in the garage, so I figure it might be worth a shot.

essentially what i used.

 

didnt go for a mirror finish, just clean AL :cool:

[SurgeL320]

dang, your in for some boring ass polishing. Let me explain it to you in detail from start to finish with all the equipment and materials you will need but i promise if your not patient enough then dont start because you will abandon this project.

 

You need 400, 800, and 100 grit water sandpaper. You got the aircraft paint remover already so your good there. At least a 6" bench grinder . You need the black and green polishing compound . and atleast 2 polishing wheels , one hard for the black compound and one soft for the green compound.

 

 

Remove the paint well. water sand with 400 sandpaper to first till its all smooth and even. Hit it with the 800 next , this will beging to somewhat polish it , The 800 step is very important as all the imperfections you failed to remove and failed to polish will show up in the next step.

 

After you hit it real good with 800 go to town on the bench polisher about a 4" radius at a time with the black compound and hard wheel first. You want to keep enough compound so that it will cut into the metal but too much will burn and melt it and it will loose its metal cutting properties . Use easy to medium pressure you can hear the motor stressing if you go too hard.

 

Once you feel you have enough shine then hit it with the green compound and soft wheel.This is the final step and it will clean up the aluminum dramatically and give you the best shine you will be able to achieve . You can keep alternating between hard wheel and soft wheel if you feel you missed something . Also , you want to keep the wheels clean by using a rag of something with teeth to remove the old compound . This is aluminum so it doesnt rust , it will haze up with dirt if not polished correctly though

 

 

To do a good job with a 6" bench grinder it will take about 8-12 hours . Let me know if you have question , Im alway polishing stuff

[hughdogz]

Yeah, aluminum won't rust but it will sure oxidize just like iron. In fact, it is more prone to oxidiation than iron, since it's electron affinity is roughly three times to that of iron:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_affinity

 

Anyway, Mother's is the best polish I've used hands-down. Don't use the "Platinum" stuff...it costs 4x more and is not nearly as good as the standard stuff.

 

I totally agree with SurgeL320 about using wet-sanding over wire wheel, since the wires will take off all the sharp edges...

[Duncan]

A stock A15 valve cover is metal and NOT aluminum. It might polish up okay but keeping it looking good is going to be a LOT of maintenance..

[hughdogz]

A stock A15 valve cover is metal and NOT aluminum. It might polish up okay but keeping it looking good is going to be a LOT of maintenance..

 

Huh, no kidding. I learned something new today! :)

[datzenmike]

Rust is a term used with iron but it still is oxidation. Al 'rusts' but only a very thin layer of dull aluminum oxide shows. Ever notice an aluminum door always looks the same and never rusts holes in it even after 60 years? Any holes in aluminum is likely from electrolysis. Anyway if you can keep the oxygen in the air from the al surface it should stay shiny. Perhaps a wax polish or something that seals air out.

[metalmonkey47]

Okay, I learned a TON today! Thanks for all the help guys. I got it started in my spare time. (I started painting the car today. Check the build thread if you want to see pics.)

 

It seems to polish up pretty decent, considering I haven't spent more then an hour so far on it.

 

It's nowhere near done yet, just got a head start on it until I have more down time.

 

 

 

[hang_510]

aluminum oxide is for... removing oxidation! :lol:

 

 

 

It seems to polish up pretty decent, considering I haven't spent more then an hour so far on it.

i think the polished steel and a clearcoat will look great!

maybe color on the square base/ behind the lettering?

 

 

[metalmonkey47]

aluminum oxide is for... removing oxidation! :lol:

 

 

 

 

i think the polished steel and a clearcoat will look great!

maybe color on the square base/ behind the lettering?

 

 

 

I sprayed a clear on it earlier to keep it from rusting since I'm painting the car as a priority. It looks pretty good! I'll get pics in a few days when I get back to it.

 

I though about painting it like that too. Seems like a bitchin idea ;)