[orionz06]

Originally Posted by ZiE

So should I forget about the 2000grit and go for the mothers mag?
That will get all the micro scratches out of it?

2000 grit is critical, wetsand with it

[ZiE]

Yeah I did it with 2000, what I am asking is should I wetsand with 2000 until all the microscratches are out, or will the mothers do that?
Will 2000 make it a mirror finish is pretty much what i am trying to ask... lol.

[orionz06]

wetsand with 2000 til you cant see any differences being made, mothers will take out those sanding marks and leave you with a polished part....

so yes

wet sand
mothers
repeat if needed

[ZiE]

oooooh, Mothers mag is the ****!
lol

[tmass_1]

i think i'll try and do the mikko pm8 style polishing on my clear dm7.

I'll use mothers mag, then chrome and i'll electrical tape off the parts i don't want to polish. I'll do it by hand with sand paper.

any suggestions?

[AceOfHearts]

When you say Wet sandpaper, do you mean add water to the sandpaper or buy specific stuff called "Wet Sandpaper"

Also when I go up in numbers, polishing clear alum. Do i go up 200-220-240-260 or 200-400-600-800 etc etc?

[joeyg233]

thanks for the tips!!

[orionz06]

Originally Posted by AceOfHearts

When you say Wet sandpaper, do you mean add water to the sandpaper or buy specific stuff called "Wet Sandpaper"

Also when I go up in numbers, polishing clear alum. Do i go up 200-220-240-260 or 200-400-600-800 etc etc?

the sandpaper is dipped in water... but it does come packaged as wet or dry

as for the sucession of grit, 200-400-600, etc is adequate, but make sure you get to atleast 2000 grit if you want it to look nice... the most work is done with sandpaper, not the buffer

[selfinfliction]

Originally Posted by orionz06

the most work is done with sandpaper, not the buffer

that is completely incorrect. here is my mini i polished last night without using any sandpaper at all: (it was all gloss blue anodize beforehand)

[orionz06]

Originally Posted by selfinfliction

that is completely incorrect. here is my mini i polished last night without using any sandpaper at all: (it was all gloss blue anodize beforehand)

you began with a smooth surface... all you had to do was polish out the anodizing... my statement you quoted neglected the initial condition.... plus it addressed his question from 200-2000 grit, and at that point (2000 grit) the surface has some shine to it...

i have taken many anodized products to the buffer and polished them in mere minutes... doesnt take much with a pedstal buffer and the correct compound...

[selfinfliction]

Originally Posted by orionz06

you began with a smooth surface... all you had to do was polish out the anodizing... my statement you quoted neglected the initial condition.... plus it addressed his question from 200-2000 grit, and at that point (2000 grit) the surface has some shine to it...

i have taken many anodized products to the buffer and polished them in mere minutes... doesnt take much with a pedstal buffer and the correct compound...

guess you didn't understand... i hardly ever use ANY sandpaper whatsoever.

check this, it a rough cast aluminum wheel from a 2002 zx6r, no sandpaper was used:



or maybe the entire motorcycle being polished without a piece of sandpaper being used is enough to persuade you?



or maybe a cast supercharger (no sandpaper used) is what it'll take:

before & after





i've got thousands of pics from turbos to valve covers, to motorcycle parts and full motorcycles, and rarely does a piece of metal see sandpaper in my garage

<edit> to add, the very few pieces that do require sanding are usually flat surfaces with uneven casting, or wear to it and sanding is needed to flatten it. then i will use a 220 grit, then a 400 grit and that's it. i don't even own any sandpaper above 400 grit

[erikiksaz]

So if you're not using sandpaper, what do you use?

[orionz06]

Originally Posted by erikiksaz

So if you're not using sandpaper, what do you use?

the correct wheel and compound...

I do understand, but i will take a stab at this and assume that the kids in here dont have all of the equipment necessary to do so... I have never been fortunate enough to work with smooth parts either...

[selfinfliction]

Originally Posted by orionz06

the correct wheel and compound...

incorrect again, secrets of the trade i've got over $1k worth of stuff i use, just no sandpaper

[orionz06]

Originally Posted by selfinfliction

incorrect again, secrets of the trade i've got over $1k worth of stuff i use, just no sandpaper

well, the correct wheels and compound can still do the same thing... there are many ways to get a polished finish, but for most sandpaper is the easiest start...

cant all afford chemical polishing...

[selfinfliction]

Originally Posted by orionz06

cant all afford chemical polishing...

i don't mess with coatings (i'm guessing this is what you mean by chemical polishing)

now it's really confusing isn't it?

[orionz06]

Originally Posted by selfinfliction

i don't mess with coatings (i'm guessing this is what you mean by chemical polishing)

now it's really confusing isn't it?

eh, i have my ideas... but i can still produce those results without sandpaper...

[McDee]

selfinfliction, considering this is a DIY thread, you aren't really contributing here.

[TIJUANAIRONMAN]

Originally Posted by selfinfliction

incorrect again, secrets of the trade i've got over $1k worth of stuff i use, just no sandpaper

So why are you posting here? Nobody gives a rat's *** how you do it unless you are willing to share that information with other members of the Nation. GTFO!

[alabama_lowlife]

he's most likely using a polishing compound called greaseless compound. you hold it to the spinning buffing wheel and it melts onto the wheel. you allow the greaseless compound to dry on the wheel and it becomes almost like a grinder, but flexible. it removes the pitting from cast aluminum without gouging it too badly. from there you move to progressively finer buffing compounds. i like to use sandpaper when the surface i'm buffing is rather flat. some people are better than others when it comes to polishing. the most impressive thing i've seen to date is a coke can. i'm not sure how he didn't warp the heck out of it, but he didn't.

[orionz06]

Originally Posted by alabama_lowlife

he's most likely using a polishing compound called greaseless compound. you hold it to the spinning buffing wheel and it melts onto the wheel. you allow the greaseless compound to dry on the wheel and it becomes almost like a grinder, but flexible. it removes the pitting from cast aluminum without gouging it too badly. from there you move to progressively finer buffing compounds. i like to use sandpaper when the surface i'm buffing is rather flat. some people are better than others when it comes to polishing. the most impressive thing i've seen to date is a coke can. i'm not sure how he didn't warp the heck out of it, but he didn't.

nah, he said he didnt use compounds...