Topic: need polishing help!

[skidooextreme]

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[url=http://[URL=http://s1282.photobucket.com/user/jordanhamblett/media/IMG_20131017_172012_zpsdf00d8b5.jpg.html]]



need help with the orange peal....220 to 800 grit and then black, red and white polish and this still happens

[heyitsrama]

looks super smooth, i went with more of a brushed aluminum look the other day.



wirebush
then 180 grit -> 240 grit
then cleaned with gasoline
followed by a matte clear coat (rustolium)
*EDIT*
the bottom picture is the crankcase that became scrap after taking 4 months to figure out that the shaft had rusted through

[Elan]

Did you jump from 220 straight to 800?  I would at least slip in a 400-600 in there too.  are you wet sanding?

[skidooextreme]

Wet sanding And yes...220...400..500..800..

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[Cougars750F0]

1st Steep get the parts clean before you do anything and do not use gasoline. You need to remove the impurities and stains from the aluminum caused by brake fluid, oil, road grime and gasoline. I use a mild acid to remove stains. The acid will turn the aluminum dark. You will need to wash off the impurities that will rise to the surface. I find that common anti bacterial soap works well. Do not use a wire brush or you will create a lot more work for yourself. You will need good lighting and then work your way up to the finer paper. Keep the parts clean at all times. The spots that I'm looking at are from impurities that were never removed or the gas that you used to clean them. When you sand without cleaning first you can push the impurities into the aluminum. If impurities are in the aluminum it will never have a high gloss shine. You may end up having to get it clean before you go any further and use a good quality polishes. I found out the hard way Good luck with your project!

[skidooextreme]

I used wd-40 as the, "wet" agent in the beginning.  I switched pretty quickly telling myself that was stupid.  For 90 percent of this project i used soapy water, so i dont know why the wd-40 stayed around.  I have some industrial grade lime away that i will try to get rid of the stains with.

[Cougars750F0]

Wait a second! I think I know now what I'm looking at. Did you remove the factory clear coat? Even if you don't think there's  any there can be traces of it that wont show up until you clear coat it again. That's what it looks like to me. If you use the acid cleaners it will show up and you can see where you need to remove it.

[skidooextreme]

I used oven cleaner 2 times before sanding, so i hope thats not it

[Cougars750F0]

I don't know if over cleaner will remove lacquer. Its designed for baked on oil and grease. Some of the old Honda lacquer is really hard to remove. I used acetone and Naphtha and still had to sand it out. The good thing is that it dried it out and made it easier to see. Do not use lacquer thinner to remove the lacquer from aluminum It will turn the aluminum a dark gray! Welcome to the processes of polishing aluminum! There's a lot of great information out there.