polishing an alloy frame?

[kleinalpine]

Hi can any one give me some good tips on polishing an alloy frame and the best products to use? Cheers Ben

 

[feetabix]

if medieval monks had owned mtbs they would have spent years polishing them as it would have proven their devotion to god far better than horse hair vests.......it will test your sanity and give you crankers wamp worse than a school boy with a dog eared copy of 'razzle'.........if you are committed/insane/daft enough to read past that point then you will need course down to very fine grades of emery cloth to remove imperfections from the frame and then repeated application of autosol with cotton cloth as the very last step to get the final finish......thats assuming its all structurally sound and just needs polishing......some will then laquer a frame dependant on its material and intended use.......loads of threads on here showing peoples techniques and results......it is however the work of the devil himself......dont say you were'nt warned!......

 

[t-stoff]

Pretty much what feetabix said, use wet sandpaper from 500 to 1000+ / 2000 for mirror like look, keep cleaning with soap to spot imperfections. After all the elbow grease, use autosol apply it in small circular way then clean/polish with a different cloth. You'll use it regularly to keep it spotless. Good luck!;D

 

[kleinalpine]

polishing !!

Thanks for the advice!! looks like im gonna have fun !!!

 

[bj]

Just used T-cut on mine, then spray with Silicon once it's dried after washing.

The bike looks pretty much the same as it did 3 years ago when I polished it. Found it to be much less maintenance than I was expecting. There is no lacquer on the frame.

I tend to use this particular bike in summer for lightweight bridleway use so probably not very representative. For me, the finish outweighs any maintenance duties.

 

[Matthews]

Meguires NXT, awesome stuff , I was well impressed when I did the E3.
Matthew

 

[whyterider]

This is my method - Micromesh:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MICRO-MESH-MI ... 4aba87258a

Followed by Peek:
http://www.diy.com/nav/rooms/indoor-cle ... kies=false

Results can be seen in GT link below.

 

[Antfox]

I have just started work on my zaskar , started with 400 , 600, 1200 and then 2000 wet and dry and some super fine wire wool.

Get some rubber gloved too or you will have black hands for weeks

I have brasso for the initial polish , then some Belgum Alu polish but have been speaking to the VW people I know and they say to try Mothers polish, it's super fine and leaves a thin barrier film to stop going dull so fast.

The 2000 paper is crazy smooth feels like your using paper.

Ant

 

[lewis1641]

you can save yourself a huge amount of time by getting a mop and compound kit off ebay then going to WWW.thepolishingshop.co.uk they sell a compound that cuts from 300 grit. personally I sand up to 800 before using it.

you will get a much deeper shine using mops and compound.

and dont lacquer after. it will only cause problems

 

[Antfox]

This place is about 5 mins from us !

Ill pop in and have a look