How to polish aluminum (not skins)

[C-GRVT]

There are certain parts that (I think) I would like to polish. For example, the canopy tracks for the sliding canopy.
Suggestions as to how to polish aluminum parts? Is it just a matter of a polishing compound and elbow grease? Surely there is a method.
Bill

[D-Dubya]

Like anything else, it's really pretty basic once you get the hang of it. And where you start depends on what condition the surface is in its original condition. I'm building a tip-up, so i'm not sure how rough the slider rail is. If it's like most of structural aluminum parts, you may have to start out with a Scotchbrite wheel--either the big one in your grinder or the little 1" diameter guys that chuck up in a pneumatic die grinder. That may be too aggressive, but on some parts, that's all that will knock down the roughness. After that, a little dressing up with the 240 grit paper that you've probably used before should clean those marks up.

Next, you just start working progressively up the grits with wet/dry sandpaper. I usually start out with 400, then go up through 600, 800, 1200, 1500 and then 2000. Make sure you use water to keep all the stuff flushed away, and rinse the part in between each grit paper.

Finally, you can use any of the polishing agents made for aluminum. I've used Met-All, but Nuvite (sp?) is another name. You can buy a kit that has several polishing bonnets, the spindle, and the polish. I usually chuck the spindle up in the drill press and use one of tufted bonnets that came with the kit. That frees up both hands to hold the part being polished.

The trick--and this is important--is to use the polishing compound sparingly. Just a little dab will do you. Seriously, just touch your fingertips in the compound and then touch the spinning bonnet to transfer the compound. It will turn black as you're polishing, and that's okay. Put a little more compound on and keep on going, but don't load the bonnet up with compound, or it just about quits working. Don't know why, it just does.

A while back I tried polishing my firewall using lots of polishing compound, and got very frustrated. Then I read an article in Sport Aviation (I think), that emphasized using it sparingly. I went back and did it as they described, and it made all the difference in the world. Now, if you're starting with Alclad or the stainless firewall, skip all the wet/dry sandpaper and go right to the compound.

This may sound like a lot of work, but it's really not. I polished my fuel caps in about 30 minutes, and you know how rough they start out. Good luck!

[CNEJR]

F7 Nuvite, then C, then S grade. Ditch the sandpaper.

[alpinelakespilot2000]

Originally Posted by C-GRVT

There are certain parts that (I think) I would like to polish. For example, the canopy tracks for the sliding canopy.
Suggestions as to how to polish aluminum parts? Is it just a matter of a polishing compound and elbow grease? Surely there is a method.
Bill

Bill-
I've polished one of my slider tracks just to see what they look like. I bought a buffing wheel from Lowes/HD and chucked it up in my drill press arbor. Using the progressive polishing compounds also sold at Lowes/HD, I got it pretty shiny with maybe 20 minutes of work. It's easy to do while off the plane and it looks nice.

Eventually, however, it's going to need to be repolished but will be more difficult once it's installed. Consequently, after seeing a builder at Arlington who black anodized his, I'm leaning toward that direction.

[llavalle]

Originally Posted by alpinelakespilot2000

Eventually, however, it's going to need to be repolished but will be more difficult once it's installed. Consequently, after seeing a builder at Arlington who black anodized his, I'm leaning toward that direction.

Another option is painting it with a clear enamel. It will preserve it's shine for much longer. I must agree that an anodize is the ultimate solution and it does not cost much.

[Bruce]

Bill,
NO SANDPAPER

Nuvite G6 then F7,C,S.

They look great.
Boomer