Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[polisher]

Ive had many people over the years ask me about polishing metal etc so this may help out. ( thats if you understand my spelling )

Basic Tools for the job

idearly need at least 3/4 hp one minimum, 6"or 8" bech grinder
Hand drill
Gloves
Face resporater
PAITENCE


Basic needed
pig tail for hand drill £6.00
pig tails for grinder, left hand & right hand one about £30.00
if its got a coating ie paint , you will need paint stripper, £8.00
wet and dry sandpaper, 120, 240, 300, 400, 600,1000,1500, and finaly 2000 grit £16.00
stiched sisal 4"+ cotton wheel £5.00 (for grey compound)
stiched 4"+ cotton wheel £5.00 (for brown compound)
colour wheel £5.00 (for green compound)
calco wheel (for white compound)£5.00
grey cutting compound £7.00
brown compound £7.00
green compound £7.00
white £7.00
proberly need some felt bobs etc £5.00

thier is many people thats sell polishing kits etc, all i can say is you are taking a gamble if they are any good etc, ive bought many so called cheap wheels and polish etc and it dont pay in the long run tbh

these are only rougth prices for what you need

do as follows
strip the part down completely
give parts a real good clean remove all greese etc
apply paint stripper to remove paint or laquer etc ( if its painted or laqured) never youse wire brush
sand down the entire part going thru the grit paper working your way up to 2000 grit
make sure you remove the scratches from each previous sanding ie sand one way then the other with the next stage of grit size paper, if you dont it will show thru when polished, never youse 80 grit paper as its not worth the agro to sand out, from grit sizes 120 to 300 youse dry, after that sand down with other grits using water and a bit of washing-up liquid in it
wash down with soapy water after every sanding stage, if you dont you will get some of the loose ali you sanded in the next grit stage and will scratch it.

once sanded then grey compound , brown, green, white on polish wheel
after every polishish compound wash down with break fluid to remove the compound
you can only use a buffing wheel for one type of compound

once you have done the compound stage, then you can use a soft coth with auto sol or simular to give that shiny mirror finish,
as alli is so soft you have to be very carefull with it as it marks so easy

be warned its take a lot of pratice to use these compounds properly on a buffer, pratice pratice
its not as easy as it is typeing this out

ive done it for 20 years and still learning, the day i no it all i will jack it all in

get ready for a lot of swearing and a good few hours to get a mirror finish, and to be honest i have never known any one get a mirror finish that have just started doing polishing etc, but i wish you luck

if you want me to polish any parts send me a picture so i can see what the size of the part is etc and condition it is in.

bell me if you want to chat about it etc, as its easy for me to say what you need to do over the phone etc , will freely give advise

tel : 01790 753209 or mobile 07757 990448


best reagrds rob

ps hope this helps a bit, not saying i am right every one has their own methods, all i can add to this is if your stuck contact me, via pm phone email etc
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INEED OF A METAL POLISHER SHOT BLASTER OR POWDER COATING then contact me

[Penman]

Hi
Welcome to the community, I always like reading about techniques and methods like the above.

Can I suggest that you take your email off the posting and embed it in your profile page as where it is it could be picked up easily by spammers, it will still be accessible to members.

[polisher]

with time and a few swearing this is what you hope to end up with, yes its a modern car

regards rob
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INEED OF A METAL POLISHER SHOT BLASTER OR POWDER COATING then contact me

[wrinx]

...and if you do DIY polish, watch out for the machine "grabbing" the workpiece

I used to do a fair bit of polishing, mainly brass, on large industrial machines (5hp???)...a few bits have flown across the workshop

wrinx
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www.alfaromeo155.co.uk | www.alfamatta.co.uk

[Nic Jarman]

Wear latex or nitrile gloves when using a polishing wheel. Never use cotton or any substantial material as one can end up loosing a finger or two. That goes for lathes and grinders too ( ties are never good near spinning machines ).

[polisher]

I wouldnt advise any one wearing latex gloves while metal polishing,
as for metal polishing compounds have to heat up to work properly, thus if you wear latex gloves whilst on a polishing buffer wheel you are going to get burnt as the heat build up is a lot, so forget the latex and wear rigger gloves and take it easy and be carefull, and not silly as with latex

regard rob
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INEED OF A METAL POLISHER SHOT BLASTER OR POWDER COATING then contact me

[richardlw]

I did a lot of this for my Corvair. Basically what you said, but my grinder/polisher is only 1/4 hp and the finest sandpaper available here is 1000. Also, I found that a good pair of mechanic's gloves is better than Nitrile. But definitely use gloves. the wayward wheel will get you

Also don't be afraid to do some hammering.
I've put together a little tutorial in pdf for those that like pictures.
Polishing Car Trim

Here are a few shots of what I did.







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