Polished aluminium

[KevinW]

I spent around 3 hours polishing up my Finishline pusher fans, looked great.

Then i had a 'good' idea, that turned out to be a bad idea:

I had some wax left over from some fibreglassing, so i though a little wax polishing would finish them off and protect from the elements a little - nope, turned the almost mirror-finish into a cloudy finish

So, my question:

what is the collective wisdom on keeping polished aluminum/aluminium parts
looking shiny?

[joyridin']

I used to use Zoopseal, but I believe they are out of business. Now I use Shineseal.

ShineSeal Master Kits - SummitRacing.com

[mdross1]

Been polishing aluminum on our motorcycles and muscle cars for years have tried everything under the sun.So far once the desired finish is reached have found that AutoSol is the quickest and easiest to use.It leaves a finish that usually lasts a season.

[Roger Bray]

Originally Posted by mdross1

Been polishing aluminum on our motorcycles and muscle cars for years for a lot of years have tried everything under the sun.So far once the desired finish is reached have found that AutoSol is the quickest and easiest to use.It leaves a finish that usually lasts a season.

Have you tried Mothers Mag and Aluminum polish? I have some on hand. I'm planning on shinning up the aluminum engine bay in my car, but don't want to spend a lot of effort using a product that won't last very long.
Thanks

[KevinW]

Thanks for the replies.
After going through all the grades of wet'n'dry i have been using autosol applied by hand - see pic, before i put the wax on. was hoping for something that might protect the surface a bit longer. the zoopseal looks like an option.

[COBRA427]

If the fan blades can be removed: powder coat them clear

[emberglo66]

Sharkhide

[Skuzzy]

Not sure if it is still available, but Yamaha used to sell the clear engine paint used on their motorcycle engines.

I used it for years to coat the exposed aluminum bits on my old Norton 750. Worked liked a champ. Never yellowed, cracked, or peeled. I never had to polish all the aluminum bits again.

[mdross1]

Originally Posted by Roger Bray

Have you tried Mothers Mag and Aluminum polish? I have some on hand. I'm planning on shinning up the aluminum engine bay in my car, but don't want to spend a lot of effort using a product that won't last very long.
Thanks

Mothers is good stuff and is what I was using when I discovered AutoSol.Autosol gives me the finish/color I have always wanted and there is a difference.

[kobrabytes]

Originally Posted by KevinW

I spent around 3 hours polishing up my Finishline pusher fans, looked great.

Then i had a 'good' idea, that turned out to be a bad idea:

I had some wax left over from some fibreglassing, so i though a little wax polishing would finish them off and protect from the elements a little - nope, turned the almost mirror-finish into a cloudy finish

So, my question:

what is the collective wisdom on keeping polished aluminum/aluminium parts
looking shiny?

I like it so much I did the whole car!

[joyridin']

Originally Posted by KevinW

Thanks for the replies.
After going through all the grades of wet'n'dry i have been using autosol applied by hand - see pic, before i put the wax on. was hoping for something that might protect the surface a bit longer. the zoopseal looks like an option.

Depending on where you live, you will get 2-3 years before you start seeing any type of oxidation. Use a soft cloth to wipe them off when dirty and they look like you just finished buffing them every time.

I have my valve covers, intake, pulleys, and wheels done on my car. On my bike, I have just about everything done except the painted and chrome surfaces.

[KevinW]

- thats good news, as ive now started on the firewall.......

I think i might have developed some sort of polishing OCD condition. Meant to be going to pub tonight, and really i can only think about getting on with the #2000 grade wet'n'dry.