Polishing and Sanding Aluminum

[cwcad]

I washed the Black truck the other day with Optimum No Rinse and noticed that the canopy was looking rather bad



Anyway, since I had the truck all cleaned up and the aluminum on my canopy was looking horrible on top of the shiny black truck I took out some Poorboy's PP using a PC with an assortment of pads.




PP was doing it's job but I was not satisfied so I used 300, 1000, and 1500 grit sand paper with my PC and went over it six times using two pads of each grade of sand paper.



Then I hit it with PP polish again. Still not perfect but I think you can see the difference.



the thing that makes me laugh is the fact that the work was only about an hour but I spent six hours sitting and standing looking at my work. Wife was gone and the LD was in school. So left to my own means I did what I know is fun. Boy it was fun to be outside for a whole day working on the truck.

This is how it looked the next morning.


I am back to detailing and it feels good!!

	Poorboys World Products Poorboy’s has made a name around the show circuit for fantastic products at great prices! Its ever-growing popularity is due to word-of-mouth testimonies from novice detailers through auto enthusiasts about the brilliant results no matter what your level of expertise. You’re going to love Poorboy’s!

	Optimum No Rinse Wash Shine Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine is a true breakthrough in car care. It’s a multi-purpose product that serves as a rinseless wash, a quick detailer, and a clay lubricant, depending on how much water you add. Learn More About Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine at Autogeek.net

[Poorboy]

hey Kirk the truck looks good but you probably need a rotary to really heat up the aluminum if you want a mirror

[BLUELINE 1]

The truck looks great!

[cwcad]

Thanks Guys!!

Steve, I tried with the rotary for about three minutes. I am just not strong enough to control a rotary .....YET!! As time passes this will remain a work in progress. I was actually surprised at the change. I am going to get some dedicated polish for it sometime in the future.

[Stephan]

Looks great, glad to see you back to detailing.

[Beemerboy]

Truck looks great and talk about some chrome highlights....that's got to be some work keeping up

[Poorboy]

Originally Posted by cwcad

Thanks Guys!!

Steve, I tried with the rotary for about three minutes. I am just not strong enough to control a rotary .....YET!! As time passes this will remain a work in progress. I was actually surprised at the change. I am going to get some dedicated polish for it sometime in the future.

I understand you can also try some SSR2.5 for the first pass and then the PP both with the PC

[cwcad]

As it happens I am working on the opposite side this morning. I am off to the store to get some dedicated metal polish to try.

Would SSR3 work as well Steve? I have both was just wondering....?

[Poorboy]

Originally Posted by cwcad

As it happens I am working on the opposite side this morning. I am off to the store to get some dedicated metal polish to try.

Would SSR3 work as well Steve? I have both was just wondering....?

SSR3 would be a bit too abrasive for that kind of aluminum

[cwcad]

Thanks Steve,....again!! I am off to try SSR2.5 and see how that works.

[BlueZero]

cwcad, I sent you a PM.

If it's okay with the rules you can post the link if you want to.

[Beercan31]

CW

Loong time no see, hope all is well with all.

Be very carful using a "Rotary" on Aluminum, here heat is your enemy, your working with a thin temperamental metal that "could" distort from heat.

In the past I have used a rotary on Aluminum oxygen bottles and Aluminum Diamond plate I have found the product i was using dried or worked past its limit extremely fast with in seconds at low speeds I did not have very good results, sling was a huge issue also.all in all I found nothing works better than your hand. I have in the past used with a DA with a slightly better than good results.
This is a trade secret for ours, a 5 year run with First place. SHHHHHHHH Image of check - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
"Heavy Metal®"
RED: Coarse Abrasive Polish,
GREEN: Medium Abrasive Polish,
BLUE: Ultra Fine Abrasive Polish
in everything I have come a crossed I NEVER have used red.... I call it liquid steel wool.
if you'd like to review this produce here is a link. Impressive Reflections - Heavy Metal Polish
take a some time to view the "See the Results" and "Hints and Tips"
looking at what you have at best you will need only blue, green as a back up for hard to polish spots... we have backed up this regime with Poorboys pro-p with some nice results on chrome, Aluminum showed a slight hue... (I did not use the Pro-p on aluminum a fellow member did i can not speak for his process)

Good Luck My Friend
Post B4's and After's

	Poorboys World Products Poorboy’s has made a name around the show circuit for fantastic products at great prices! Its ever-growing popularity is due to word-of-mouth testimonies from novice detailers through auto enthusiasts about the brilliant results no matter what your level of expertise. You’re going to love Poorboy’s!

[cwcad]

Thanks for the information BC. It has been a long time. Glad you posted with the info and the link. Steve advised to use SSR2.5 and I went out and did it. Will post pictures tomorrow.

Will look into this metal polish link as well for I know that I will be back at it again all to soon.

[norahcrv]

Originally Posted by cwcad

. . . I am back to detailing and it feels good!!

Unlike Beercan, Steve & BlueZero, I don't have any good advice to share, but I just have to tell you that it made my heart smile to read the above!

And if you haven't done so yet, you really should check out the trucks that Beercan has done . . . they are really first class!!

[cwcad]

Originally Posted by norahcrv

And if you haven't done so yet, you really should check out the trucks that Beercan has done . . . they are really first class!!

Yes Norah, I did check out the link of shiny trucks. They were beautiful.

I am glad to be back detailing. I do not know which feeling made me want to get better. the feeling of being hungry to eat something or the guilt that I felt each day for nine months that I had not done any detailing that day. Doing anything is better than doing nothing. I am back to doing something everyday.

Thanks Norah!!!!!