Polishing stainless and aluminum

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pikey
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Polishing stainless and aluminum

Post by pikey »

I have been polishing stainless steel for a living for 2 years. I have gone down every possible avenue concerning stainless/aluminum polishing. the techniques I am am about to describe are tried and proven.

I used to work for a company called stainless cycle. many of you may have bought fasteners from this company on ebay . I have gone on to find new employment due to the fact that the owner is a complete asshole who has obtained everything he has by screwing people over and treating people like crap. In this thread I will insert links that will take you to the distributor which the aforementioned prick purchases his fasteners from. also included will be links to suppliers of the buffing equipment that we used in our shop. you can get stainless metric fasteners at a fraction of the price that my former employer charges. Dont get screwed. DIY!



This post will primarily cover how to polish stainless fasters, however all these techniques will work with any other stainless parts.

Getting Started: your machine...

you will first need a a decent bench grinder/buffing machine. Just like motorcycles, you wanna get the most horsepower and rpms you can afford. A higher horsepower machine means the buffing wheel will not slow down when pressure is applied. consistent high rpms is the key to polishing quickly and thoroughly. you can buy a relatively decent bench grinder for less than $100 at your local hardware store. make sure that your machine is tall enough that your buffing wheels do not touch the surface of the bench....duh! i will post soon what brands are good and where to get buffing machines.

Your buffing wheels....
you will need 2 kinds of buffing wheels. 1 soft wheel and 1 hard wheel. for polishing allen head bolts and very small stainless parts, you will seldom need to use the hard wheel. for hex head bolts and large stainless parts you may need to use the hard wheel a bit to get the finish you desire. remember to never mix nonferrous metals on one wheel. if you polish stainless on a wheel, never polish aluminum on the same wheel. we typically use 2 inch wide wheels, however you may want to get some narrower wheels to get at some hard to reach places.

Compounds....
you will need 2 kinds of compound, white rouge and emery. each serves a particular task and should never be mixed on the same wheel. you can find where to get these compounds on the aforementioned link to general topics. after trying many other kinds, these are the compounds that I have found to work the best. I will soon list the exact item numbers for these compounds so you can be sure to get the exact compounds that I use.
http://www.tptools.com/Default.aspx

Rakes....
you will need a decent wheel rake to periodically clean your buffing wheel. you can get these at most hardware stores for very reasonable prices. you can also get them at the same place I recommended to get compounds.
http://www.tptools.com/Default.aspx

Polishing stainless allen head bolts:
http://brikksen.com/

Now that you have your machine set up you are ready to polish.

Loading the wheel...
when using a new wheel you will need to apply a generous amount of compound at first. when polishing most 6mm and under allen heads you will usually only need to use the soft wheel. on larger fasteners or fasteners with porous or pebbly surfaces you may need to use the hard wheel first, but I will cover that in a bit.

Time to polish....
When using the soft wheel only use the WHITE ROUGE compound! after applying a generous amount of compound firmly push the top of the bolt head on the wheel, focusing on one half of the head at a time. be sure to move the head across the wheel evenly to ensure even wear of the wheel. If you do not do this you will wind up with a deep groove in the wheel, rendering it nearly useless and shortening the life of the wheel.
continue on the side of the head periodically checking the finish until desired finish is produced. then work on the other half in the same fashion until the top of the head has a nice mirror finish.
now to polish the sides of the head, place the side of the head against the buffing wheel and slowly turn the bolt against the rotation of the wheel then with the rotation of the wheel. continue until the desired finish is produced. make sure that your last rotation is with the rotation of the wheel, as a light downward stroke will clean excess compound from the head of the bolt.

as you are polishing, you will notice the effectiveness of the wheel begin to fade. this is due to the compound wearing off. You will need to occasionally add compound to the wheel. REMEMBER!: WHITE ROUGE ON THE SOFT WHEEL ONLY!!!

Hex head bolts, Large allen head bolts and larger stainless parts:

Using the hard wheel....
Using the hard wheel is very much the same as using the soft wheel with a few exceptions. The first difference is the use of emery compound as opposed to white rouge. Emery is a much heavier and more abrasive compound, allowing for the elimination of light scratches and imperfections in the material.

When polishing larger allen head bolts....
Prep the wheel using EMERY COMPOUND the same way you would prep the soft wheel with white rouge. follow the same procedure as before only this time using slightly more pressure than you would on a soft wheel. once all the imperfections are worn smooth, wipe the head of the bolt with an oil free shop rag or old tee shirt, to prevent compound transfer when you move to the soft wheel.
now finish the bolt on the soft wheel in the same fashion you would a regular allen head.

Hex head bolts....
For a perfect finish on hex head bolts, the the casting on the head must first be ground off. By casting I mean the raised letters on the head of the bolt. You can remove this casting by using a flat, belt bench sander. apply the top of the head to the moving belt with light pressure, ensuring that the head is pressed flat and evenly to the sander. continue in this fashion until all the casting and any pits are removed. make sure all of the sanding lines on the head all run the same direction.
Now you are off to the hard wheel again. apply a generous amount of EMERY COMPOUND to the hard wheel. working on one half of the head and making sure that you are polishing AGAINST THE GRAIN of the sanding lines, make even, slow strokes across the face of the wheel. dont be afraid to apply some pressure. switch to the unpolished half of the head and and repeat. continue until all signs of imperfection are worn away.
then turn the bolt so that the top of the head is facing either right or left. (depending on if you are right or left handed) polish each side of the hex head until all signs of lines or imperfections are gone. clean the head with a shop rag or an old shirt. repeat the process on the soft wheel.

Large stainless parts:
The finish you will get from polishing large parts will depend on the texture and grade of stainless you are working with, and how much time and effort you are willing to expend. stainless is typically much easier to polish than aluminum, and usually achieves a much more reflective finish.
when polishing large parts, always start on the hard wheel, and only go to the soft wheel once you are certain you have finished the entire part on the hard wheel. you can go back, but be sure to thoroughly wipe the part of all compound before switching to another wheel.

Finishing up:
Now that you have polished your part to a near mirror finish, you may be noticing a bit of left over white rouge and some fogginess. DONT grab a shop towel or a tee shirt! these materials are too rough, and will dull your finish. many people make this mistake and end up with crappy looking parts. The secret is microfiber cloth. wipe the entire part clean with it, making sure to keep using a clean portion of the cloth as compound begins to stick to it. this will prevent you from just smearing compound from one place to the next and never getting it all off. it may take a few cloths to clean one part. After cleaning the part it should look stellar! some people like to use a stainless polish like Mothers to finish up. I usually dont, as this can create hazing or fogginess.

Aluminum parts:
Aluminum polishing is performed in the same basic manner as stainless. the results however are much harder to come by. aluminum often requires sanding before polishing. To do this start with 400 grit automotive wet sandpaper. sand your part in a bucket of water, not submerging it but keeping it constantly wet. sand the entire part, creating sanding lines moving in one direction. once the part is completely sanded with 400, repeat the process with 600, then 800, and ultimately 1000 grit sand paper. always go with the grain of the previous sandpaper. as you go along you will see and feel the surface of the aluminum changing and becoming brighter. once finished sanding you can move onto the hard wheel. You can use the same kind of wheels and the same compounds that you would use for stainless. just make sure you dont use an old stainless wheel for polishing your aluminum and vice versa. once you use a wheel, mark the side of it with an "A" or an "S" so you can tell them apart. aluminum polishing is basically the same as stainless. it just takes a lot more time and effort. Be sure to clean your part with a rag between wheels. just as before, finish up by cleaning with a microfiber cloth.

I have done my best to be as thorough as possible in this description. If you have any questions, feel free to ask away. I am here to help with any issues you may have. I hope this thread takes the mystery out of polishing.

PRECAUTIONS!!!!
Polishing creates a lot of dust and debris. be sure to work in an area you dont mind getting dirty, and I mean filthy! always wear a dust mask and protective eyewear. YOUR PARTS WILL GET HOT!!!! It helps to wear gloves and have an alternate part to work on when the one gets to hot to handle.
You must be fast! 'Cuz you were haulin' ass when I passed you!

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djalbin
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Post by djalbin »

Thanks for the Tech Tips ... and welcome to the EXUP Brotherhood.

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Don
1994 FZR1000
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FZRDude
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Post by FZRDude »

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Awesome First Post pikey!!!

:welcome ot the 'Hood
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In Memory Of John "Silver" Douglas (Dec. 08, 2008) R.I.P. My Friend.

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pikey
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Post by pikey »

hope this helps out! I am a former fzr 1000 owner. I had a 95 exup with stage 3 dynojetting and cams with k&n filters and a vance and hines ss2r highmount racing exhaust. I loved that bike with all ny heart and soul. there was definitley a few tears shed when a crank bearing on the big end of the no. 4 went bad. I parted the bike out, and sold the parts on ebay. had a bunch of dead beat bidders so I still have a few parts. Also Im looking for a new fzr or maybe a less than perfect R1 if anybody is looking to sell. also thanks for the welcome fellas!
You must be fast! 'Cuz you were haulin' ass when I passed you!

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FZRDude
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Post by FZRDude »

List up the parts that you still have in the "For Sale" Section.
There are some who call me........Tim?
In Memory Of John "Silver" Douglas (Dec. 08, 2008) R.I.P. My Friend.

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pacer
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Post by pacer »

If you have the front fender I am interested. PM or email me.

pacer760@cox.net
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97 YZF750

pikey
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Post by pikey »

nah, the front fender is gone. I will go through all my parts and make a list for everybody. I will put it in the sales section of the forum.
You must be fast! 'Cuz you were haulin' ass when I passed you!

sickle44
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Post by sickle44 »

Awesome Post Pikey!

I actually had a run in with Greg the wonder seller on eBay, what an ass!!!
Michael
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Gotta get the new siding up on the house.
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Post by willi »

i have just gone out and bought a polishing kit. but its one you atach to a drill. i got it off ebay :roll: but im hoping it will do the trik.?i only want to do the forks and buff up the wheels wich are already polished.will this do?
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/KAWASAKI-ZX10-ZX ... dZViewItem
89 FZR1000
07 CBR1000RR
07 HYOSUNG COMET 250R
Image http://www.freshfm.com.au/

pikey
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Post by pikey »

the kit you got probably wont make the kind of polish you see in the diplay pics. in fact the forks in the display appear to be chromed. there a million polish kits out there and I havent had any success with any of them. I have done a little with a dremmel and a tiny wheel to get into some nooks and crannies. but as far as a drill goes I dunno.
You must be fast! 'Cuz you were haulin' ass when I passed you!

pikey
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Post by pikey »

hey there sickle44, what happened with your transaction with "greg the wonder seller"? hope you didnt get burned too bad.
You must be fast! 'Cuz you were haulin' ass when I passed you!

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