Polishing tips for carbon fibre and aluminium

[ashes_mtb]

Hi there,

Have a carbon and aluminium frame thats in desperate need of a polish. I've read a thread where someone mentioned a friend polished a carbon frame with bike polish and destroyed it.

Want to know what (if any) options there are for polishing carbon fibre?

Also, I've read plenty of tips for polishing raw aluminium (mothers alu polish) but was wondering what the best bet was for clear coated aluminium?

Thanks
Ashes

 

[pinguwin]

I don't have any idea about polishing carbon fiber but my immediate reaction is DON'T. Maybe you can, maybe you can't, I wouldn't risk it. Contact the manufacturer and see what they say.

As for polishing Al, mother's works fine. One issue is that Al that is clear coated probably doesn't need to be polished as the clear coat will prevent oxidation. If your frame is scratched, these can be removed by very, very fine abrasive papers (not sandpaper as it doesn't really use sand, being nitpicky here) followed up by mothers polish.

Pinguwin

 

[nugget69]

Hijack!!

How do I know if my frame is clear coated?
It is a PACE RC300?

Does this matter?

It has a few scratches on it and I reckon it would be superb to get them out.
Would it be suitable to use the approach you suggested? - i.e fine abrasive paper and "mothers?"
Where would I get the paper from and what is "mothers"!!

Thanks

 

[SLIM]

"mothers" not available in the uk , try autoglym , white paste , halfords

 

[nugget69]

anyone any ideas on the fine abrasive paper?
Are we talking fine wet and dry?

 

[pinguwin]

The 'sandpapers' I'm referring to are available at some hobby shops in the U.S. but are probably available elsewhere. I didn't even know about them until a friend gave me some. He worked with model railroads. So try a hobby shop or shop that deals with metal finishing and if they don't have it, see if they have suggestions.

Pinguwin

 

[Elev12k]

Hi,

I always work with (I do not know the English word, but I try to explain) a very fine steel wool, a kind of Scotch brite stuff. I got from a friend who worked at Stork (previously Fokker) and it was the only stuff allowed for use on aeroplanes etc.

 

[SLIM]

some of the sanding "papers" from hobby shops go down to a grade of 12000 , and feel like a rubbery compound , looking like an eraser

and you can polish marks out of clear plastic with them , so wont be a problem getting something suitable for aluminium

 

[pete_mcc]

I thought that alot of the 'cheaper' ali frames had clear coat on them but frames like the Pace were actually silver anodised (even thought they are silver, so it doesn't look anodised, if you get my drift...). Please shoot me down if I'm wrong though! As far as carbon fibre I always used furniture polish as it tends not to contain nasty solvents that could destroy it. Beeswax ones give a nice finish and stop the mud from sticking

 

[REKIBorter]

I am restoring a Parkpre Pro Image frame which has a laquered polished alu frame. I have been using Nitromors (paint / varnish stripper) to remove the laquer and then Autosol (metal polish) to bring back the shine. Takes a long time and lots of hard work but has the most satisfying of end results. As for scratches, most of them are only laquer deep and only the very deep ones remain when finished. Still looks beautiful when done.