Buffing and polishing...Bohemian style ;)

Been doing some polishing on my xj project bike and had some questions from other members so I thought I'd just post the info on a new thread. Sorry if this is redundant info that has appeared in other threads...
Here's what I've been doing on parts from my engine. Here's the latest cover I did. It didn't look to bad to start with , but you can see some blemishes in the finish even after the initial polish.


First I took the aircraft cleaner to it. Sprayed it on , let it set for 10-15 min then wiped it off. The gave it another coat and cleaned the 'YAMAHA' out with a nylon brush and running water.
Then I took 1200 grit wet/dry paper, used wd40 for the wetting agent and a rubber sanding block and sanded everything down. Always try to sand in one direction so you don't get any deep gouges. It's just like wet sanding a paint job. If you get a piece of grit between the paper and your item being sanded, you'll hear it. Wet everything down to remove the grit and sand some more. When I got done sanding it had a nice satin finish to the part.


For small tight areas like these, you can get a polishing kit from Harbor Freight for about $15. I also got a kit for my dremel tool from HB for about $8 for even smaller/tighter spots.



This is the setup I used on this particular piece:



Polishing is kinda like painting a room, do the corners and small spots first and then the wide open parts last. After I got the corners cleaned out I used this polisher.


Got this from...where else HB...for $80

Here's a little vid of how easy it is to polish with a buffing wheel..

First this is how I load the buffing wheel with buffing media...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKZKvy9pBp8

Then the actual buffing of the part
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDKM5OTvJXs

The trick w/buffing, I am finding, is to use firm pressure on the wheel. The buffed part can get pretty warm where you're buffing so sometimes I'll use some leather work gloves I have....that and it hurts a lot less when the wheel grabs your part and buffs your hand instead of the part

After about 10-15 minutes of buffing with the white compound and then a little cleanup with 'Never Dull' polish the part looks like this.


Not as nice as new chrome...but for right around $100 and some elbow grease, I can live with results like this.

Here's the buffing kit from Harbor Freight
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=98707
I used the white compound that came in the kit to buff this piece out.
And this is the buffing kit I got for my dremel tool...
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=47644

If I have a part that is corroded I'll use this on it first.





It's like a scotchbrite pad for my die grinder. They're pretty flexible so I can get 99% of most parts with that, then I'll proceed to sanding with 800grit, then 1200 grit, then buff.
Kinda hard to see in this pic, but the transfer case cover had some corrosion action going on.



I used the die grinder w/the black pad (which I got from Grainger's Supply) I only sanded the areas the pad couldn't reach with wd40 and 800grit ( I got lazy on this one)
Here's before the buffing..



Here's after..



I will probably go back and sand this down again w/1200 grit so it has a better finish and matches the other parts better.

Here's some things I have learned:
* You don't need HAVE to sand finer than 400 grit wet IF you start buffing with the black compound. That's basically a 400 grit suspended in wax. The exception is odd shaped areas where you may find it easier to use sandpaper than a buffing wheel. Personally I prefer 'block' sanding larger areas with at least 800 grit....but that's just me.You'll only know which cases are which through experience.

* YOU DON'T WANT TO BREATHE THIS STUFF, OR GET IT IN YOUR EYES. It can get really hot with safety goggles and a particulate mask, but you'll live and see longer.

* Pressure is the key. Push the workpiece into the buff hard enough that you really slow it down. There's a magic point where you go from changing the look of the piece a little to achieving a mirror shine. It jumps that gap very quickly when you get the pressure, speed, and volume of compound right. Once you figure that out you can buff very quickly.

* Pushing a piece of metal into a course wheel that's spinning at several thousand rotations per minute can really create an effective projectile!


* Actual buffing machines are better than grinders with buffing wheels, because they stick out WAY further and you can really get a lot better angle on your workpiece.

* Don't clean up the buffing compound with harsh chemicals! It's very sad to watch instant, splotchy oxidation appear on a freshly polished part because you used something too harsh. Stick to chemicals that are designed for cleaning & polishing aluminum!
Well that's about it for my input...

 

all I can say is wow. Very impressive work. Come and do mine next.

 

well done, will you do the forks as well? and what is aircraft cleaner?

 

Think he meant to say aircraft stripper

 

Correct Mn...

 

Looks beautiful. It's amazing how quickly it goes once you have all the right compounds, wheels, die grinders, and buffers assembled in one place. It is actually fine to see a ratty old oxidized piece of AL turn so bright.

If you can't find aircraft stripper Strypeze from your local hardware store works great. For sure you want to remove all traces of the old clear coat before you start sanding by hand. It is a pain, so don't be afraid to use the stripper more than once if you need to.

 

Mad_Bohemian:

Everything you have said plus the pictures are an awesome addition to the polishing threads on the site. You're the man when it comes to this! I have also down this technique and can only add one thing to your writeup...cover everything up in your shed or garage that you don't want coated with the waxy fibres that the polishing produces.
I didn't the first time and a year later, I'm still finding places in my garage where the nasty stuff is hiding...which is another reason for wearing a good mask and glasses. I now run a shop vac with the nozzle inches away from the buffing wheel to catch most of these fibers...so I need ear plugs as well.

 

Seems to me it would be so much easier if......





























I just shipped my stuff to the Mad Bohemian!!! :lol:

 

Sure is amazing what can be done with alittle time and some polish. These engines look great all polished up like chrome.

 

i am curios to see if a soda blaster could be used as a polisher too...once the clear coat is off i wonder if you could use the blaster at a 45 degree angle to obtain some kinda polish...hmm

 

It might work if you want more of a satin type finish,but if your going for a polished look, I don't think it'll work. Here's wikipedia's description of polishing:
Polishing is the process of creating a smooth and shiny surface by rubbing it or using a chemical action, leaving a surface with significant specular reflection and minimal diffuse reflection. When the surface is magnified thousands of times, it usually looks like mountains and valleys. By repeated abrasion, those "mountains" are worn down until they are flat or just small "hills." The process of polishing with abrasives starts with coarse ones and graduates to fine ones.

 

thnx Mad, you know i was thinking along the same lines as a water torch...but that would really require much more PSI ...and something other than soda I would guess, thank you for the HOW TO , it will make my job alot easier than trying to burn the clear coat off with the dremmel tool

 

I'm a newby to restoring and renewing my XJ. What do you do if you don't have access to all the equipment you talked about and what are the "must haves" to get started?

 

Wow looks great I used parts of your process on my bike too.

 

You can do it all by hand or use some of the techniques with a drill. By hand is labor intensive but not too bad. Get some 800, 1000, 1500 grit wet sandpaper. Use wd40 or water as your wetting agent start with the lower grits and work up. you can use 2000 to finish but I used Mother Mag and Aluminum polish.

 

My polishing rig is an electric drill clamped upside down in my workmate. I like to do the final polishing by hand, I feel it gives it a "warmer" shine.

You can pick up a cheap "buffing kit" for electric drills from Home Depot or Sears for less than $20.

Aircraft paint remover followed by 800 wet then 1200 wet then you can start polishing. Or go to 1500 wet then 2000 wet before polishing if you want the "chrome" look.

No really special equipment necessary, just effort.

 

Great news. Thanks guys for the info. I should be getting started on the polishing process in the next week or two. I'll be using your tips all the way. By the way...where do you get aircraft stripper?

 

I'm attempting to polish with the electric drill too, but I'm nervous about it clamping it down. bigfitz Is your drill trigger operated? If so, how do keep the trigger down? What if it vibrates out of the clamp or the plastic cracks (or is my drill too cheap to attempt what you are doing)? I'm looking for safety advice with this setup.

 

The drill has a button to lock it "on" in one of two speeds; I have a "drill clamp" thingie that came with the workmate and I will be the first to admit the Rube Goldberg-iness of the whole thing. But it works. I'm going to be polishing up a brake backing plate this weekend, I'll shoot a couple of pics.

Alec; I got mine at Home Depot but Autozone (and most auto parts stores) will have it in the paint section. For REALLY persistent baked-on old lacquer coat, you can use Permatex spray gasket remover.
If you use that stuff, do it outside and BE CAREFUL, even a microdrop will burn like hell. Wear gloves and eye protection no matter which stripper you use.

Another tip: I'm a big fan of those pre-formed aluminum foil baking pans they have at the grocery store. They come in a variety of sizes, are cheap and you can throw them away once you've wrecked them.

 

I clamp my drill in a 4" bench vise works fine.

 

Becareful clamping in the vise. If you get to tight you can cause distorion in the chassis and put too much strain on the motor. My local Menards was moving from one building to another, they had a whole bin of drill clamps for 75 cents. I bought 5 or 6 of them at the time. Now I've got one in the basement, the garage, and on my bench in the back yard for when I work on stuff outside. 2 are left for replacement when one breaks.

 

Oh dummy me, my drill's got a lock button too...I can't seem to find any drill clamps at the hardware stores near me (Lowes, Home Depot, Sears). I saw one DIY post that mentioned using a hose clamp...

 

Ok, I just got back from my first attempt at polishing the brake drum using the mounted drill and final drive housing free handing the drill. This may be obvious to some, but watch out for the chuck, or where the chuck might be when the buffing wheel grabs a corner and runs away. I gave up trying to grind out the nicks and just figure it'll give an otherwise shiny piece "character."

Maybe I should have just sprung for the <$50 grinder at the Depot... next time.

Also, it might have been a good idea to cover the brake drum with a thin towel when reassembling, the axle pinch clamp put another nice scratch in the drum.

 

More Buffing and polishing...Bohemian style

Started cleaning up the front end today. Here's what the forks looked like before. The both looked pretty much the same.



After a couple applications of aircraft stripper they looked 100% better, but I could still see some blemishes in the finish....so as much as I hated to..I fired up the buffing wheel. Here a side by side of before and after buffing



While we're at it... what do you guys do to your buffed aluminum to seal it so it doesn't start oxidizing??? I haven't worked on the motor in about a month and when I took a look at it all the polished covers were getting hazy with light oxidation on them :twisted: At least I was able to clean them up with some mag polish...

 

I haven't sealed mine - I just hit it with mothers a few times a year.

 

Has anoyone polished other items like the grab bar or the triangular brackets that hold the rear pegs?? Would this technique work on them as well?

 

Dude those parts look amazing. I am truely truely impressed, i never thought that they could be polished up that well. You have inspired me and i plan on stopping by harbor freight on my way home from work.

 

Yes and yes.

 

Hey Mad, I've heard of people using pledge furniture wax to seal up the finish. Of course I'm sure that it would need to be re-applied a few times a year. Thats what I plan to use on mine unless, someone can give me a better idea. Also if there is a better method that comes along, pledge would be an easy buff off to replace it with.

Cheers
Ken

 

I have a side-by-side comparison of my triangle brackets in my gallery.



Didn't do the wet sanding, just aircraft stripper and course/fine polishing wheels on a drill with compound. Wet sanding probably would have taken out the small imperfections that are visible, but it's WAY better.

 

You're absolutely right about that Chaz. You can still do too. If you sand through that top layer it will polish up nice without the blemishes... Nicely done!!

I actually just did my passenger brackets yesterday and put them on Ebay .... gotta get funds to continue on my xj project

 

I HAVE to do this!!! Great, just another project for me!!

 

Here's a short video I did showing how easy it is to buff with a buffing wheel. I'm no authority on the subject and there's a lot of other vids on how-to, but this will give you an idea...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDKM5OTvJXs

 

How did you get the YICS emblem to come off of the alternator cover?

 

You can use a heat gun or a propane torch and warm up the the cover on the inside where the emblem is (you might even be able to use a hair dryer but it would take longer), then I used a very small screw driver to pry up the end just a little . Then I used a large screw driver with a wide blade and carefully pry it off. If you're real careful you might be able to reuse the emblem, but you'll have to flatten it first. I'm planning on making some custom emblems to fit in mine so I wan't too concerned if the original got wrecked in the process.

 

Ah, ok thanks for the info. Any polishing I do this year will with the parts on the bike, so I won't be attempting what you described. I'll just tape it off. But now I know how if I ever want to, anyway!

 

One other thing I'll pass along to anybody my inspirees you WILL want to come up with some sort of 'blast shield' to help control the dust and fibers from buffing. Here's what I made out of some scrap wood and a piece of inner fender I had laying around.





Ain't the prettiest contraption but it works pretty good. The hole in the back is cut just big enough so I can take my shop vac hose and put in in there. Then I have the shop vac running while I buff. You'll want to get some gloves as well since the parts are going to get pretty warm while you buff them....

 

<most embarassing compared to my garage.

 

Where does one get aircraft stripper?

 

I was able to pick up both spray can & a liquid pint at Autozone. I'm sure you can ask for it at any place like a NAPA too.

Cheers
Ken

 

Mad bohemian....this looks awesome!
http://s262.photobucket.com/albums/ii98 ... triple.jpg
Was this a lot of work? I have to replace my fork seals this winter and I have been doing this polishing and want to get the forks and now this tree. Thanks!

 

Hey kcoop. sorry for not answering sooner... The tree required a bit more sanding than the other parts to get it where is was smooth enough to produce a shine, but nothing that a little patience can't overcome

 

Yeah, I took mine off and started polishing it...ran out of patience.....got it to shine but not great....still looks good. Like I mentioned in my thread, Im going to pull off the valve cover and go to town. Wish me luck!

 

I think this is all awsome and stuff, but i do have a concern/question.
How does polished aluminum hold up to weather, mud, rain, hot sun .... what is a good sealant, and what is the maintenece up keep, if they get really dirty do you have to do it all over again? I don't mind doing the work, but would like to know the big picture?

 

Polished aluminum engine parts, etc. stand up to the elements just as any painted surface does. It's takes cleaning and polishing every now and then. You don't have to bother sealing it with any clear coat. Just polish with Mothers every season and keep it clean.
I did some of the side covers on my bike 5 years ago and they still look as good (like chorme) as the day I did them. Just clean and shine with a soft cloth is all it takes. They've been thru rain, dirt and mud and clean up just fine.

 

ok,i was just thinking exposed aluminum would rust/deteriorate fast.

Zigzag

 

No problem with it corroding at all. Like I said, I'e had mine polished for 5 years now, exposed to all kinds of elements (rain, nud, even snow) with no corrosion or loss of shine. I just keep it clean and wipe it down preiodically, and it keeps it's shine just fine. I am referring to the side covers on the engine, which are suseptible to all kinds of road debri during normal riding.
I may strip the paint off the forks and do them next. I found it easier to keep polished parts clean than painted ones.

 

Thanks for the info, starting rear wheel today.

 

Before I start polishing?
I got mothers aluminum polish, but should i get the compund stuff, so fill
in the small pits?

Z

 

something else i just seen on you tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgl3khKPDV4&NR=1
is acetone washing after buffing and before clear coating ???