KHatfull's Aluminum Polishing Thread
11-26-10, 08:42 AM
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yes I have done a lot of work on a buffing wheel, with the right compound it can almost look chrome. wear safety glasses and a work apron because you will be covered in compound by the time you finish a part. LOL if you are doing a lot of polishing it is worth the investment, if you are just doing small amounts then you can do it by hand.
11-26-10, 08:55 AM
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Khatfull, thanks for posting your methods, very timely for me.
I've read in the past about folks who use aluminum foil to achieve better polish, but didn't recall reading that you use aluminum foil. Could you comment?
I've read in the past about folks who use aluminum foil to achieve better polish, but didn't recall reading that you use aluminum foil. Could you comment?
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11-26-10, 09:10 AM
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I think Khatfull's way is great and is a good source for many people here to learn how to polish without having a garage full of tools to do the job. I own a dual wheel buffer and know how to use it along with tons of other tools that can make polishing a certain part easier, but when I do a bike part I don't mind sitting down with my Mothers polish cranking up my stereo and going to town on it. I use my buffing wheels for large items though like a side case for a motorcycle or stainless covers. I have done bike parts with it also but I do get better results doing it by hand most of the time and I think it is partly because I am working up close and looking for any defect that would need to be worked out while I have it in my hand.
11-26-10, 09:41 AM
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Thanks for the response.
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11-26-10, 09:52 AM
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Sorry, Keith, but that's a falsity. The turkey is not absorbing any of what you're basting onto it. You're just treating the skin that way. Also, simply covering the breasts with a layer of foil does not capture steam. That is not steaming a turkey.
Last edited by ColonelJLloyd; 11-26-10 at 09:57 AM.
11-26-10, 10:46 AM
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Speaking of turkeys, my daughter was attacked by a turkey this morning. She stopped at a stop sign and there was a huge male turkey in the middle of the street and a female on the sidewalk. He tried to get at my daughter but her window was closed and he just bounced off a couple of times. She thinks he got upset because her car was between him and the female. This happened in our residential neighborhood in the suburbs. I don't know where the turkeys come from, but I've seen them before. She showed me a phone picture she took of the tom. I'll try to post it later.
11-26-10, 01:40 PM
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Speaking of turkeys, my daughter was attacked by a turkey this morning. She stopped at a stop sign and there was a huge male turkey in the middle of the street and a female on the sidewalk. He tried to get at my daughter but her window was closed and he just bounced off a couple of times. She thinks he got upset because her car was between him and the female. This happened in our residential neighborhood in the suburbs. I don't know where the turkeys come from, but I've seen them before. She showed me a phone picture she took of the tom. I'll try to post it later.
11-26-10, 02:09 PM
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It's a tough time of year to be a turkey. We have more turkeys than most birds in my suburbia. They damage a lot of cars by pecking at their reflections in the paint. They're big, aggressive and very protective of their hens and chicks. I usually see them flock of a dozen or so.
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11-26-10, 02:09 PM
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. While I might have been accused above of trying to write "the bible" of polishing, "The Joy of Cooking" is truly my bible when it comes to any food preparation.
11-26-10, 02:27 PM
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Next year, Thanksgiving at Keith's house!!! After a long ride and polishing lesson.
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11-26-10, 02:36 PM
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Sounds like you're describing the lathe turned finish. Like on a typical Thomson seatpost.
Last edited by kh777; 11-26-10 at 02:48 PM.
11-26-10, 07:14 PM
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Funny thread.....
progressed from debating the finer points of polishing aluminum, to cooking the Bird.
I have my own $0.02 on how to perfect a turkey in the oven, but I better keep it to myself. Or it's going to end up like 'Campy' turkey vs. 'Shimano' turkey.
progressed from debating the finer points of polishing aluminum, to cooking the Bird.
I have my own $0.02 on how to perfect a turkey in the oven, but I better keep it to myself. Or it's going to end up like 'Campy' turkey vs. 'Shimano' turkey.
11-26-10, 09:38 PM
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My .02 - when it comes to polishing - to each their own. The more information and methods that are out there the better as long as they are properly described and any pitfalls are fully disclosed. Not of all of us have the space for a polishing wheel and the crud that it will throw in every direction. I've used a combination of fine grit sand paper and the dremel polishing wheel with a hand polish to finish off the job when I had a small apartment bathroom to do all of my bicycle restoration work and the process I used was very similar to the one outlined in the OP.
11-26-10, 11:09 PM
#43
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Let it be known that the following is my opinion.
If you use only one source for guidance on cooking, use The Joy of Cooking.
If you use only one source for guidance on polishing bicycle components, use Khatfull's Aluminum Polishing Thread.
And for what it's worth, I typically brine a turkey. I just used the last of last year's turkey broth for some killer vegetable soup.
Last edited by ColonelJLloyd; 11-26-10 at 11:13 PM.
11-27-10, 12:18 AM
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Good on ya, Keith.
Let it be known that the following is my opinion.
If you use only one source for guidance on cooking, use The Joy of Cooking.
If you use only one source for guidance on polishing bicycle components, use Khatfull's Aluminum Polishing Thread.
And for what it's worth, I typically brine a turkey. I just used the last of last year's turkey broth for some killer vegetable soup.
Let it be known that the following is my opinion.
If you use only one source for guidance on cooking, use The Joy of Cooking.
If you use only one source for guidance on polishing bicycle components, use Khatfull's Aluminum Polishing Thread.
And for what it's worth, I typically brine a turkey. I just used the last of last year's turkey broth for some killer vegetable soup.
Brining is something I haven't ventured into yet, although I'd like to give it a whirl one day.
11-27-10, 01:08 AM
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I think both approaches are good depending on circumstances. Sometimes on entry-level stuff at a bike co-op you'd want to do basic clean-up and shining of some parts, but it's unlikely you'd have nice c-record seatposts that'd you want to spend time and get up to a mirror shine with proper polishing compounds. I'm going to see if I can fanangle my way into getting the old bench grinder at work set up for polishing and begin learning more.
11-27-10, 05:52 AM
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You know what they say about opinions; they're like bumholes, everybody's got one and they all stink. Lots of good info on the original post. Is it a lot of time consuming hand work? Yes, but sometimes that's what it takes. I have a 3/4 horse Baldor with one inch spindle, a very nice, pro quality buffing machine, but I didn't buy it for and rarely use it for bike parts. And, I know how to use it. Aluminum, however, is a very soft metal. The softest I ever work on. My only concern with many of the methods suggested on this forum is that they essentially change the part so much. Rounding over edges, diminishing the definition of the lines of the part, blurring the edges of any engraving, etc. If that's Ok with you, or you can use a buffer and get the results you're after, more power to you. But many of the techniques I see recommended on the forum remove a lot of metal. It seems it's the difference between restoring a part, and re-finishing a part. One of the most valuable aspects of the original post is the technique of going up through the grits, step by step, removing scratch marks with the next higher grit before moving on to the next. The proper approach to polishing any metal. Is it easy to put aluminum on a buffing wheel and bring up to a mirror shine. Yep. It's soft stuff. Can you save a lot of time and steps by buffing? Of course. But there's a place for hand polishing too.
When recommending a buffer I was thinking large part like a seat post or something, smaller parts like a head tube badge should be done by hand for some of the reasons you have listed, also the head tube badges are usually a softer aluminum and you should beware of a buffing wheel on them.
11-27-10, 09:28 AM
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FWIW, I often find when hand polishing stuff it is easier to hold the part and move it, rather than the rag, especially with small parts.
11-27-10, 09:57 AM
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My buffing wheel is mounted on an arbor so I can spin it with my drill press. It has pleanty of torque so I can apply all the pressure I need to and I can vary the speed by moving the drive belt.
I don't agree with OFG. Sometimes you have to remove perfectly good anodizing if you want a polished finish.
I don't agree with OFG. Sometimes you have to remove perfectly good anodizing if you want a polished finish.
12-01-10, 02:52 AM
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Keith (or anyone else, for that matter), a few questions:
1. How long would you estimate you spend sanding with each grit--say, for example, if you were sanding a non-drive crank arm?
2. Have you ever given the full treatment to a pair of rims? Any concerns with effects on the braking surface?
3. Do you wear any gloves, and, if not, how do you clean your hands afterward?
Thanks for the great thread!
1. How long would you estimate you spend sanding with each grit--say, for example, if you were sanding a non-drive crank arm?
2. Have you ever given the full treatment to a pair of rims? Any concerns with effects on the braking surface?
3. Do you wear any gloves, and, if not, how do you clean your hands afterward?
Thanks for the great thread!
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12-01-10, 07:23 AM
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Keith (or anyone else, for that matter), a few questions:
1. How long would you estimate you spend sanding with each grit--say, for example, if you were sanding a non-drive crank arm?
2. Have you ever given the full treatment to a pair of rims? Any concerns with effects on the braking surface?
3. Do you wear any gloves, and, if not, how do you clean your hands afterward?
Thanks for the great thread!
1. How long would you estimate you spend sanding with each grit--say, for example, if you were sanding a non-drive crank arm?
2. Have you ever given the full treatment to a pair of rims? Any concerns with effects on the braking surface?
3. Do you wear any gloves, and, if not, how do you clean your hands afterward?
Thanks for the great thread!
2. Rims, I buff away but try not to go too overboard on the sidewalls. The entire sanding buffing polishing routine removes very little metal.
3. No gloves. Dawn dish detergent.