Originally Posted by Dirtdrop

I disagree. You just need a cotton wheel, some rouge and something with a lot of torque to spin the wheel.
I chuck mine in a drill press. You have to apply quite a bit of pressure on the wheel. I start with 220 grit emery paper and work up to 600. Rouge will remove the scratches from the 600 grit. You can use a pad sander on some parts. I can make a black seatpost look like chrome in about 20 minutes (I polish only the part that shows). It may take you a little longer. I've had some practice. I polished my first set of valve covers in the '60s (312 T-Bird).

I dislike logos, so I strip and polish a lot of parts. Bare aluminum dulls quickly, especially if you touch it, so you have to polish it often. I use Mother's, but I'm sure there are lots of other good products.

Aluminum bike parts don't need a protective coating, it just makes them easier to live with. All of the aluminum parts on my '70s French bikes are bare and they still look like new, at least right after I polish them.