Polishing aluminum

[rivstg1]

I thought my 505 emptor was pretty good, but during my restoration of my 1935 Model C......yikes. The results show I need to work more on that 505!! Also, notice the size difference between the two!

 

[bikerray]

The fact that the C emptor is smaller and that the bag also has a smaller opening.

 

[lesinutah]

Hmm

Other than the calcium buildup in the lip where the bag goes there is a few black spots.
I do know a secret to remove it but I swore I wouldn't tell.
There is another thing that helps. It's a buffer rake. It gets the excess polish off buffer so you don't get those black marks.
The c emtor was before the war. The 505 was after the war.
There was abundance of fine metals before the war. They were building a bomber an hour in its peak. The fine metals were gone. I wouldn't say it's bad but I'm betting the 3c emtor is tge finer metal.
Nice job on both of them.
Les

 

[madman]

What did you use to polish it?

 

[lesinutah]

Hmm

I guessing a micro fiber towel. Wax on wax off. Just like that.
Jk
Les

 

[rivstg1]

0000 steel wool, then mothers' polish with my Kirby Hand butler! on some hard spots I'd wet sand with 2500 grit sandpaper then polish

 

[human]

I've discovered that the combination of Nevr-Dull and Mothers does better than either product alone. I briskly rub the metal surfaces with Nevr-Dull wadding until the surface is wet with polish and it has turned black, then I use Mother's with a buffing tool on my cordless drill, buff until the surface is nearly dry and then wipe away the residue with a paper towel to reveal the shine. I might have to go through those steps two or three times to achieve the shine I'm looking for but I'm always pleased with the outcome.

 

[lesinutah]

Compound

If you buy polish compound. You go from brown to white to green.
I think all compounds are the same. Harbor freight works exactly like the one I got from Kirby needs.
If you have a handi Butler they have compounds. There the sausage looking things in the boxes. They work too.
Les

 

[texaskirbyguy]

I polished up the pieces of a Heritage today and discovered something...
I used to use a cordless drill with the 4" buffing wheel and it did 'okay' but required a lot of force. It had a max RPM of only 1200.
Getting tired of changing batteries, I got out the corded drill with a max RPM of 3000. This higher speed REALLY helped! I got some fantastic results without as much effort. Much more torque as well. I could not get the stains out but the dull non-stained parts are like mirrors.
SPEED is what you NEED!

 

[lesinutah]

Rob

The omega nozzle you sent with super deep large scratches on it. I spent about an hour sanding it by hand. It had tons of smaller scratches so I wanted to blend it.
It's the worst I've had. It is almost done. I'm going to bust out my Kirby sander and finish it. I'll leave no trace it was handled by Freddy kreuger.
Les

 

[lesinutah]

B4

And after.

 

[madman]

Yeah, speed is good. Polishing compound on a stitched cotton buffing wheel - red then white - then mother's on a loose cotton wheel. Also, if you sand to 2500 grit, you might try going over that again with 3000. I find 3k is a bit closer to the polishing compound... actually I can barely tell the difference between 3000 and black compound. Of course, compound doesn't leave sanding marks.

The video in the link below is only slightly unrelated. The first half of it is all about polishing, granted it's a different method and material, but the concept is the same.

 

[huskyvacs]

Has anyone here ever polished with a bench grinder (buffer?)

I watched this video and it looks easier than it seems on video.



I've never used an electric grinder before or turned one into a buffing machine with pads on both sides so I wouldn't know where to begin. I know you have to use compound sticks - I bought those as well as the grinder. Just not sure what pad types to use.

 

[madman]

Husky - there are several types of buffing wheels. The basic ones you'll want are stitched cotton wheels for polishing rouge / compound, and a loose cotton wheel for stuff like Mother's. You'll want one wheel for each compound, to not cross contaminate them. Replacing the wheel on a grinder is not hard. The trick is to leave the nut loose. Before anyone cries about the nut flying off, the direction of the grinder's rotation tightens the nut on its own. The only problem with a bench grinder is that you need a dedicated bench to bolt it down to, so it kind of occupies a space permanently.

 

[rivstg1]

husky, yeah I have one....harbor freight model, its good but would be better if it was a 1 horsepower model ( that I don't think is offered from them). I"ve only recently got it up and going working on my early Model C kirby, its definitely stronger/more efficient than my hands butler. I"ve got to buy better polishing wheels though as the one that came with it is real hard(dense) but also is out of balance ( as is the grinding wheel which is the biggest complaint for this model)

 

[vacuumkid47]

Huskyvacs

Use a stitched buffing wheel and a loose sewn wheel (one for coarse polishing and the other for fine buffing). Find a grinder that is at least 6", or use a drill with a 3" wheel w/ an adaptor.

 

[huskyvacs]

Yeah the grinder bench is one of the issues. Luckily they sell universal-fit ones that will fit older models.

I'm just scared of the part ripping out of my hands mainly. I got some tarnished metal vacuums on purpose to practice with (nothing rare or valuable).

I'll try and find the cotton pads. I'll bookmark this thread and check back later on. Need to get workshop set up first, just makes it easier to know ahead of time.


Thanks guys, you're the best!

 

[lesinutah]

Solved

They have bench polishers 6"& 8".
You can get loose cloth wheel. You have to do research as a majority are trash.
The first pic attached is best quality I've found.

The second picture is bench buffer. It's cheaper than harbor freight by $10 or $20.
I actually have 2 bench buffers and one bench grinder converted to buffer.
There's 4 wheels one for each rouge.
I have 2 worx benches. I move everything down the line.
Lesj