[mtlplshr]

hey man,i feel your pain!!first,what rpm is the drill you are useing?when i cut rough alum.,i use a 4600 rpm sander/grinder with a "ventilated" or a spiral sewn wheel.used with emery or tripoli,you can cut 400 grit scatches out easy,even 220 grit if you work it hard enough.never start sanding any courser than u have to.if you can access the frame with a palm sander,i would go 180 or 220 first.then 400 thoroughly,emery on spiral (you should have a nice clean shine by now)and finish with a soft wheel with green or white rouge.i started polishing with a 2600 rpm buffer,and had very good results with it,but expierience has shown a faster rpm cuts much faster and better than a slow one.you can cut out a lot of sanding marks with a 5000ish rpm machine,a hard wheel,and emery rouge.i have never sanded any finer than 400 grit.if you plan on doing any serious polishing,a good buffer/grinder is the first thing you need.i just bought a 4600 rpm sander from sears for $99.but it is a good size machine.i saw they have a var. speed drill that goes to 2500 rpm in their catalog for like $59 that i'm gonna get to use with 3&4 inch wheels to get into tight spots.i hope this helps you out