Topic: Mother's Powerball?

[Johnny5]

Anyone use this to polish aluminum? Just curious how well it works.

[cafe2be]

I have used it on cars, works well. You cant polish with it, but will shine the hell out of polish metals. I usually sand up to about 2500 grit and then buff out with mothers.

[dustyc]

Works great for cleaning spokes.  I agree that it won't polish heavily oxidized aluminum easily.  But if you're just maintaining a polish, it works good. 

I might have pushed mine farther than they expected by getting it bunched up in the spokes a few times, but it started ripping a little too quick for my taste -considering the price, which is kinda pricey for a cut up sponge on a stick.  But it makes quick work of spokes, which makes it hurt a little less. 

I don't know if I want to open a can of worms(oil thread anyone?), but I'd like to hear input as far as the best polish folks have found.

The best polish I've found so far is Eagle One Nano-Polish with anticorrosion. 

[fuzzybutt]

wenol polish then their protectant, hands down the best one i've used expensive but worth it.

[moham]

I thought this was going to be a lottery thread...

[KingCustomCycles.com]

If my mother wins Powerball, I want a Honda 

Mother's is next to worthless

Flitz available at gun shops and airshows

Met-all wadding polish is what pros use on polished airplanes

Remember, only pure aluminum will give a pure chrome like shine.  Alclad is the term used for pure aluminum bonded to an alloy substrate now I am two tired.....

[goon 1492]

I have use the poor boy way for years and it works pretty good for not going to a higher grit, this is what I am working on right now. I went 220, then 400wet, then steel wool 0000 with Meguires chrome polish and rub rub rub rub rub rub adub rub. I am getting a buffing setup hopefully soon...... Also if you hit it with the steel wool without polish after you get it polished once with the polish it will shine even more just don't rub adub too hard. The ones in the picture I will hit one more time without polish and then rub it out with a buffing wheel.

Now everyone in the class would you please share your tips on how to up keep the raw polished goodies.
Preferably paints that are made to stick to polished surfaces, We use spraybond here at work but I don't know how well it holds up to high temps(200f and close to it) .

[Johnny5]

Hey Goon,

Nice job on the polishing. It looks really nice. I guess Im not really going for the "turn my aluminum into chrome" look. I just want the clean semi-shiny finish.

I wonder how often you'd have to polish those sidecovers to keep up that finish? Twice a year? I have no clue.

[ken736cc]

I recently purchased a power ball. I am not impressed. I will try it om my spokes. For maintenance, I like S-100 polishing soap.

[goon 1492]

Thanks Johnny5, I will get to do a thread on all my goodies one of these days.... The one thing I am curious about is the upkeep on unsealed aluminum. I have had prety good luck with unsealed polished aluminum but it also had been kept out of the elements pretty good and that helps alot. I have heard that it can be clearcoated but it has to be perfectly cleaned and degreased, unless you go with something like what I stated above that is made just for polished metals. One thing also is that I would reccomend taking the aluminum to higher than what I did because you can still see very fine scratches from the steel wool, but like Johnny5 said I wasn't looking for the "chrome look" either it shines good enough to show that its polished.

[sparty]

This is the best stuff I have ever used to clean and polish metal.

http://www.master-formula.com/?gclid=CNX7mO6X7JYCFQu-Ggod_kKTsA

I use the Metal Gloss and then the Sealer Gloss and it lasts a year before you have to polish it again.  I bought it at the Barrett-Jackson Auction and got two bottles of each for the price of one bottle.  Aside from metal polish, One Grand Blitz Wax http://www.onegrand.com/  is the best wax for paint bar none.  I also use their Omega Glaze and it blows all others away.

Sparty