crandress 

I want to remove that dullness on my aluminum parts. I have used Blue Magic metal polish cream, which works great, but is messy. Is there a like spray on/wipe of type solvent for this that works well?

Thanks - Chris

Chombi

...Don't think so...to brighten up and polish dulled aluminum parts, we always had to put in some polishing compound (automotive aluminum wheel polishing compound works great!) elbow grease and get messy black oxide under our fingernails..... You always have to cut into the surface corrosion that dulls up the aluminum from being exposed to the environment, so it's never a quick spray on/wipe off affair to do so....
Tell us if you find something like what you are looking for as it will surely make the day for many here!

gaucho777 

I use these when polishing: Gojo HiTactile Professional Technician Gloves. They are $7 at the local auto parts store. A nice thin rubber that is both durable and not so thick that you loose feeling of the part you are polishing. No more black soot in my skin cracks and under fingernails. Blue Magic is good (works on a variety of metals) but I prefer Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish for aluminum polishing.

OldsCOOL

Mothers. If you like that mirror aluminum shine.

wesmamyke

You can try nevr-dull. It's a can of pre soaked bits of wadding, you pull a chunk out and polish away, requires very little buffing after. It's more of a touch up but works well.

Amazon.com: Eagle One 1035605 Nevr-Dull Wadding Polish - 5 oz.: Automotive

TugaDude

This. I was skeptical but bought a can and was impressed. I agree it is best suited for refreshing already polished parts that have begun to dull.

okane

I just used Mothers for the first time. Works great. Will it help to retain shine with a coat of wax?

rootboy 

Yes. A little. Problem is it will still oxidize over time. Just more slowly. And then, you have to polish again. This time you have to remove the wax and then polish. A bit more work. But a good hard paste wax will help them retain the shine.

vonfilm 

Semichrome polish

Jeff Wills

Another vote for Mothers. And you can't get away from the mess- the "dullness" is oxidation of the aluminum, and you're removing it. No way around it.

okane

I could remove the wax when shine dulls with a strong dishwashing soap or something like that Awesome stuff at the dollar store, then remother!

wahoonc

Polishing aluminum is a never ending process... ask anyone that keeps polished aluminum trailers or aircraft (not mine BTW I prefer shabby chic)

Aaron

auchencrow

I prefer Mother's myself. - But be careful not to get your bike too shiny, or the other bikes might take her for a jaded strumpet.

Grand Bois

There have been a lot of threads like this. Mother's always gets lots of votes and there is always someone that recommends Simichrome, but can't spell it.

OldsCOOL

I sure hope you dont have Weinmann concave rims. What a pain.

specialmonkey

I have a 27" x 1 1/4 Weinmann aluminum rear wheel I notice has some white film on parts of it ... I guess this is aluminum oxide?

Does this look like something that can be remedied?

Does anyone recommend using a buffer bit kit to polish this? I was considering buying some Mothers aluminum polish with some buffing bits ...

In these pics, the darker area seems more normal and aluminum like, while the whiter area looks like the oxidized film, but I can't tell if the oxidization is above or below the aluminum (but guess it's above?), and wonder how the polish works, does it wipe the oxidization off, or wipe it away, and is the resulting cleaned-up area then lower than the surrounding non-oxidized aluminum areas?

DIMcyclist

I'm not sure which brand of polish I use (never really checked the label); I picked it up at Auto-Zone; it's whatever you polish mag rims with & it works well enough.

But... I do wear nitrile gloves, which come in a 100-pack for about $10 at Harbor Freight.

Lascauxcaveman 

It's possible your rims are damaged with oxidation, or just dirty and need polishing. You won't know until you get them really clean. Also they could be anodized under all that dirt, which means you can't really polish them, but will look pretty nice once they are well cleaned.

Once you get around to the polishing part, you can use a Dremel or similar rotary tool for that. 1/8" shafts with replaceable felt tips are readily available most places rotary tools are sold; also online in many places. I think it's the easiest way to polish a dull rim w/o taking it apart. Before and after:



I think I first scrubbed these mostly clean with an old toothbrush and whitening toothpaste (the old school stuff that tastes a little gritty). Then followed up with the Dremel tool and a couple felt tips with Mother's Metal Polish.

Vintage Raleigh

Ok, first use some (easy off bam) oven cleaner to remove the oxidation for a few minutes - don't leave it on too long as it will eat into the aluminium and turn it black. Then some aluminium polish - done!

Bikerider007

Depending on the last time it was polished, it can take several polishes. Unless it large enough to buff, which many parts are not.

Lascauxcaveman 

Although, if the rims are anondized, the EasyOff will eat that, too. So you should first decide whether or not you want to keep the anodization. If you definitely want polished aluminum, then go go for it.

easyupbug 

After polishing it will last a lot longer if you use Blackfire metal sealant or Wolfgang metal sealant or others that are made for the specific task of keeping the shine.

Vintage Raleigh

Absolutely, for eg will remove anodising on Cinelli stems.
It's worked wonders on un-anodised 27" Weinmann rims, GB stems, Weinmann brake levers etc.

raverson

Zephyr Pro-40 is the best metal polish out there and is easy to use. One bottle, used sparingly on bike components, will literally last for years.

https://www.amazon.com/Zephyr-Pro-40...7NJ6TGKG4MVKB7

Lazyass

Blue Magic is messy? How much do you use? You only need a tiny amount. And get a 10 pack of microfiber cloths for $10 at Walmart, they wipe it off well.