How to polish aluminum

gazzz wrote: Thank you, Scirocco!

katit: I couldn't say  how long it took to finish the cover as it wasn't continuous work: to run  the project and workshop I make some parts and do the work to order.

Here is a copy of my answer about polishing:

Polishing" is 90% surface preparation and only 10% polishing itself. The better you prepare surface - the better is result. Usually I do it in this way: firstly I remove cast defects, seams and so on where it’s possible. This work I do with help of sandpaper wrapped around rubber blocks, delta sanders (have two of them) and Dremel. Then I sandpaper dry with sandpaper up to 800 grit manually and with delta sanders and Dremel. After dry sending I do wet sending (up to 3000 grit).

Then it’s time for first polishing. I use various headpieces for Dremel for hard to reach places. For other cases I mostly use buffing cloth wheels installed on bench grinder. Once surface polished all defects (traces of sandpaper and so on) became visible. I remove those of them that could be removed and do second polishing.

Some aluminum parts need to be polished long and in all directions to became perfect, while for other parts long polishing makes no good, as it exhibits tiny defects (like pores). Of polishing compounds I use two: mostly liquid Doctor Wax Metal Polish and solid past (supposed to be Diamond polishing compound , dunno of what concentration, but it works just good ).

Here are some additional tips and tricks:

www.gazzz-garage.com/2019/03/23/kz650-ca...ome-tips-and-tricks/