Cobra wheel lip polishing

[madmaxx]

Disclaimer I am not responsible for any injuries or damage due to the following suggestions!!!! Perform at you own risk. This is to polish aluminum wheels that are heavily oxidized and or pitted!!! Use safety glasses, gloves, respirator as Rouge and aluminum can cause serious health issues

The following tools, supplies required:

1) 7" polisher/sander cable of 3500 rpm.
2) The following kit:

Kits shipped within the United States goes for $63.75. shipped to to you. You'll be able to polish 10 rims plus. Call me at with questions 608-408-8637 Wayne

After you order a kit and you have questions you can text, email, or call.
I will be able to assist you with any situation that you may have. I just don't sell supplies, I am a polisher by trade.

Kits contain
(1) 8" Pro. grade buffing wheel
(1) set 4" safty flange 5/8" arbor
(1) 2lb. Tripoli polishing rouge
(1) 16oz. Rouge Lube
(1) 4pc. Steel wool.

This would be everything you need to polish. To achieve professional results.

Thank you again, Wayne
(608) 408-8637


You can order the above individually and save $20.00 but hey the guy put it together he deserves something!!! I don't know him but saw his video on u-tube.

1) If heavily pitted wheels you will need to sand first!!!! Only use an orbital sander. 2" harbor freight $24.99 plus sanding wheels. The reason you want orbital is to make the sanding marks/scratches you make to be in all directions. Your eyes can't follow them if any remain when you are done polishing. Straight sanding lines stick out like a sore thumb!!!

Depending on how bad the pitting start with 220 grit than 320 grit than 400 grit than 600 grit than 800 grit. You can stop here if you prefer a very very shinny wheel but not a mirror/chrome finish, I prefer this. If you want mirror go up to 1200 grit followed by 1600…

Do not attempt to sand by hand as you are wasting time and making straight lines. It goes very quick with the mini orbital sander!!!! Buy wet/dry sandpaper and cut to fit your 2" pad or multi-tool sand paper pad. You are creative enough to determine how to make the sand paper stick tot he pad be it velco, double side tape/carpet tape etc. you can buy hook and loop 2" pads but they want to sell you a 100 sheets for $25.00 when you need at most 1 per wheel. keep the sandpaper wet while sanding!!

Once you are done sanding than we use wayne kit. His buff wheel and rouge will easily take out 800 grit scratches. Watch his youtube video!! You can polish out a wheel in 6 minutes!!!!!!

If you want mirror finish, go to home depot and pick up a cotton sisal wheel $6.00 and some red rouge, now use same process as with the first "cut" stage but now do color "shine". If you really want a mirror get another cotton sisal wheel and use white rouge.

First wheel will take you a hour with the aforementioned kit. The last wheel will take 15 minutes.

Caution be careful if you polish items other than wheels, as the buffing wheel will launch whatever you are working on into your face if you are not positioned correctly including water pumps (don't ask). I wasted 12 hours before finally getting it right. The most important tip is never sand straight always orbital!!!!

I was quoted anything from $75 to $150 per wheel so as you can see for the price of one wheel if you already have a sander/polisher you are good to go if not the harbor freight 7" sander is $34.99 although it may not last long as their stuff usually doesn't. Don't be smart and use a 7K rpm grinder as many use on Youtube, first the airway wheel is not rated at that speed and you scare the aluminum surface with surface speed over 5500fps.

You have to use an airway wheel as it has a lot of stiffness to work the 800 grit scratches out!!!!! The yellow rouge Wayne kit comes with does a great job and you can finish with it. The shinier the surface the more the most minute blemishes are highlighted!!!! Sometimes more is less in overall appearance. The polishing step is the easiest and the most satisfying.

Do not overload the wheel with rouge just touch off on it!!!! It goes along way an you will not even use a fraction of the 2 lb brick he sends. His kit is for semi-truck wheels and tanks, our wheels are much small.

If your wheels are lightly oxidized, do not sand just buff!!! you will blow through all 4 in 1/2 hour and they will look incredible. Once again polishing take little to no time. It hard to mess up as you can always sand and start over!!!! or polish and see the results and go back and sand if you need. You can polish scratches and they will shine!!

[Trueoo7]

Do you have a link to this video?

[madmaxx]

Search Wayne Stoegbaur. You will be shocked at how easy it is. My wheels were 6 years old and never touched, I imagine most don't need any sanding just a quick buff.

[madmaxx]

They make greaseless compounds one can place on a buff to do the sanding, as you can imagine there are many ways to skin a cat!!!!

[madmaxx]

Originally Posted by madmaxx

They make greaseless compounds one can place on a buff to do the sanding, as you can imagine there are many ways to skin a cat!!!!

I did a buddies jeep wheels today, rough shape. started with 400 on most visible pitted/damaged areas until smooth, than 600 on whole wheel followed by 800. Than used "waynes" kit. Turned out spectacular. the 2" orbital buffer is the key but it is a air hog.

[madmaxx]

Originally Posted by madmaxx

I did a buddies jeep wheels today, rough shape. started with 400 on most visible pitted/damaged areas until smooth, than 600 on whole wheel followed by 800. Than used "waynes" kit. Turned out spectacular. the 2" orbital buffer is the key but it is a air hog.

I forgot his trucker lube rouge is a must, it makes the polishing process very forgiving and adds a lot of shine! In factor That is where I stop and can see my reflection in the wheel.

I would almost suggest a quick polish. Then you will know if you need to sand and what grit if any. 85 percent of time you don't need to sand!! Only if you can feel the pitting with a finger nail do you sand. No hand sanding!!!! Orbital buffer which makes a uniform scratched surface with millions of randomly oriented scratches so they don't appear as scratches!!

[madmaxx]

The best way to attach the sandpaper to the hook and loop pad is to use felt with tape on the back. Cut it to size. It cheap, works perfect and you have unlimited grits to choose from as 2" round pads are not common. The felt sticks to the pad and the sticky side holds the paper even when soaking wet.

I got a new dewalt 849x polisher, heck I had to reward myself!. In the end I am getting out of wheel polishing unless they are mine.