Looking for opinions...

Importing a couple sets of wheels from Japan that clearly need work to clean up.

Anyone here have experience with Zephyr aluminum polishing kits and compounds? Or any recommendations to refinish aluminum?

There are tons of "off the shelf" types like Meg's and Eagle at O'Really and Peppy Boys that I've used for lighter work; but I've never really been too impressed with how much work goes into using those (because of the gradients of abrasiveness.) Using a rouge seems like the way to go (y'know, sand to high cut to mid-cut to final polish just like you do on the car's finish). Heck, even Harbor Freight sells a polishing kit for $20 that includes bars of rouge and a bunch of polishing heads. Thoughts on those?

Was considering this kit: https://zephyrpro40.com/product/supe...polishing-kit/

Tx

 

Ive always used the department store goop ... The stuff I have in my wash-bucket is Blue Magic Metal Polish. It sounds like the stuff you've previously mentioned.

I mainly use it to buff-out the intercoolers, radiator, and exposed aluminum I have on the rig.

Let us know what you decide and how it works out.

 

Thanks, bud. Yeah, I'm talking total refinish, not the weekend clean-up stuff. Will be taking off years of gunk on the faces and lips; plus minor curbing (not what this polishing is for, that's another ball game.)

Similar to this condition...

 

Muc- I wish there was some breakthrough in cleaning and polishing aluminum (particularly on race cars), but I've yet to find it. Aluminum grades and clearcoats have improved, but for restoring older wheels, it's a lot of elbow grease and the same old polish brands we've used in the past.

 

Here's a novel idea if you don't care for abrasives and drill powered buff wheels. Muriatic acid will literally burn holes in concrete at full strength. It might be possible to reduce to 50/1 soaking overnight in a plastic container or apply by hand in an inconspicuous area. A quart costs less than $10.
It might be possible to simply "etch" a new finish rather than grind one. If a test area works you can do a whole wheel, rinse and clear coat wo polish residue.

 

Yep, that's why I was curious. I'll probably go with the kit I mentioned (or start cheap with the Harbor Freight kit just to test out my supply of elbow grease.)


Interesting thought, John. I used that stuff for years in my pool. Nasty nasty. I suspect - don't really have a clue - that acid cutting will only cut the surface muck and pretty sure I'll need to get down beyond just the surface down to clean, bare aluminum before polishing. I've done some polishing of unpolished surfaces before ( hot rod intake manifold and such) and it's laborious as David mentions above. I think I'll just go and try brushing to remove the muck then hit it with power and paste if that's not good enough. But will see how porous the surfaces are before doing so. If there are no visible holes, will keep the acid in mind to cut first.

 

Any updates on what you ended up going with? I need to do something with my track wheels if I get some motivation...

I might just Scuff them up and repaint them but then I see pictures of those polished ones and I'm like that could take up all my free time for the next 8 months...

Por 15 has a degreaser that your supposed to use before you etch the metal and apply it... It's some really nasty **** and kinda seems like the acid that John was talking about.

 

I've got a spare set of G35 19" aluminum Rays wheels I was going to polish and I found a write-up on a different site. They used Aircraft remover to get off the first layers and then scraped off all the gunk. Then, it was a process of using progressively finer grit sandpaper starting at 120 with a final polish and buff.

Unfortunately, it looks like the Aircraft remover/stripper has been toned down in strength over the years and it's more of a PITA to get off the initial layers.

 

Sorry, Mike, no answer here. Wheels are in boxes and untouched. Lost interest when pandemic hit. Will pick it up again eventually.

I did pick up a polishing kit that had a couple grades of polish and different buffer pads but haven’t tried it yet.

Can’t look at it right now as I’m off mainland but when i get back in a month….

 

I've used Britemax Final Shine Metal Polish & Sealant and was pleased with the result.