Polishing my Kirby 561

[thevacuumguy96]

If I use Johnson Polish in the yellow container to polish my Kirby 561, will I get a mirror shine or close to it?

 

[henry200]

Paste wax is great for putting a shine on many things but I wouldn't consider using it on aluminum.  It won't do anything to remove the oxidation which is what dulls a Kirby over time.  A good quality metal polish and lots of elbow grease is what you need.  Many metal polishes now have an anti-tarnish additive which leaves a layer of protection  and slows down the oxidation process a little bit.

 

[thevacuumguy96]

I've heard Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish works really good on Kirby's. Is there any other polish or polishing alternative to use in place of Mother's Polish?

 

[henry200]

I think you'll find a lot of agreement here that Mother's is a good choice.  That, a supply of #0000 steel wool, rags for buffing, some strong fingers and lots of patience will get you a gleeming finish.  Be sure to spread a drop cloth, wear gloves and old clothes....the black oxidation you remove will leave smudges everywhere!

 

[thevacuumguy96]

Okay. Do I need to get the steel wool or rags wet at all?

 

[henry200]

Nope, no water involved.  The metal polish is creamy as it is.  When you've worked over a little spot really well, wipe it off and buff it with a dry rag and you'll see the results.  Sometimes I go over a spot several times to get better results and then one last time with the polish and a rag, not the steel wool. 

 

[kirbyrama]

Or you could

use another Kirby if you have the Handi-Butler with the buffing wheel on the flexible shaft and one of the polishing compounds; it does a great job.

 

[kirbylover]

to get a chrome-like mirror shine you will be hard pressed to get the results you want by hand. For aluminum a stiff buffing pad (either on a buffer/grinder or hand drill bit attachment) with emery (black) or tripoli (brown) compound followed by white rouge compound on a soft buffing pad and you will have a very shiny part.


Here is my G5 after emery/Tripoli/white rouge. I followed it up with Flitz which dulled it a bit for some reason :&#92
so it's not as mirror shiny as I'd like (likely looks better in the pic than real life).

 

[kirbylover]

The G5 I did with the grinder, it was a messy job!

Here is something a little cheaper and easier (less messy, more time consuming), using a hand drill with buffing kit! It may not be totally mirror shiney, but it's nice and clean looking.

(similar to this: http://www.princessauto.com/worksho...essories/8263014-14-pc-aluminum-polishing-kit )

Right side of the nozzle buffed with drill (left side I just experimenting with some flitz by hand) :

 

[blackheart]

Flitz

That is what the kirby repair center up here uses, their used kirbys always have that mirror like shine, gotta find some of that it seems to work wonders

 

[kirbylover]

Blackheart: Do you know how they apply it? (by hand I'm assuming, it's the only directions on the container). I would call it a nice satin shine, not really chrome-mirror shine. Unless I'm doing something wrong...

 

[thermokid]

I use

Never dull, it is a wadded up type material with a solvent on it.( you can find it in the automotive section at walmart next to mothers mag polish) I use this first to take off the blemishes and oxydation. Then I use #0000 stell wool with mothers mag polish, let it set a few minutes then wipe it off with a little elbow grease and it comes out almost as good as bench grinding them... Dan

 

[blackheart]

I recall seeing one of them using steel wool on one i know they do have a bench grinder...i'm not quite sure how they do it i just remember asking what they used