getting frustrated

[chiliuno]

hi all.
i'm trying to polish a sand casted aluminum intake manifold from it's original state into a mirror. i've seen pictures of this done on this sight. i've even managed to a few spots on the manifold shiny. getting the whole thing done seems next to impossible.
first off, i was sold greasless compound in four diff grits, starting with 80 and moving on up to 400 or something; the stuff was completely unusable for me, wouldn't stick to anything but my arm and chest as it sprayed on by, and what little did effectively get on the peice didn't work at all. i have since bought a rotary tool, a set of air tools and a big 'ol compressor, many diff little flat wheels and of course some more casswel stuff. the only thing i've had any luck with at all is the black emory compound with a sisal wheel- my valve covers look awesome at any rate.

what's the damn deal? how do you guys get in the nooks and crannies of these things with any sort of wheel? i can't seem to do it. i'm ready to throw this damned thing out the window- any pointers?

[chiliuno]

alright, screw this...i'll take any advice that you all have, but if anybody wants to make a some dough polishing this manifold, i'd be happy to send it to you!
email me at chiliuno@ziplip.com

[tomg552001]

Polishing takes time. When using greaseless, you have to move the wheel very slowly with a lot of pressure against the stick. I recommend using a old nut and bolt as a mandrel and a 4 inch spiral sewn wheel on a 3/8 hand drill. In order for the greaseless to take, the wheel needs to be raked so all the fuzzy stuff is gone, than applying pressure to the stick tap the drill triggor until it starts moving slowly and the compound is taking to the wheel. The greaseless will start taking slowly and begin to build up, and as you use the wheel more it will be come easiar to build it up. Make sure you let it dry for a few minutes aswell, or as soon as you put it to the manifold to sand, it will just fly off. Dont get frustrated, you bought all the stuff, so you might as well give it a try.

[polishinginc]

Polishing an intake is one of the hardest things to do. Especially with limited experiance.
Have you done any prep work prior to actual polishing?
I use a da sander to get all of the easy to access and flat and curved areas sanded smooth, and various grit cartridge sanding rolls to get into the tight areas where no polishing wheel will ever get into.
The highlighted areas are where I couldnt use a da sander.


What it looks like


Just remember to keep at it and eventually you will learn some techniques thru trial and error that are very usefull for polishing.

[chiliuno]

thanks for the responses fellas...i had no problems getting flat surfaces to shine, but my manifold is alot more complicated than that one and my skill level alot less than yours, lol...i sent the damn things out. for a few hundred dollars, i'll get the complex stuff done profesionally and stick to the easier work for now.

[spydersac]

http://us.f1f.yahoofs.com/users/beb0...d9yQ_A_hnbepea click the link *hope it works* i havent figured out how to post pictures on here yet ? if you have a look at this tunnel ram i have almost completly ready for polishing after about 5 hours of work sanding grinding hand sanding , it just takes time and the use of what tools are needed for the job , after you have done one the second one will take way less time my first tunnel ram took me way to long and not near the job i get now*20 + hours* , like anything be patient and you will go farther and have better results wished i had a finished picture sorry ! bryon

ps. its good someone explained how to use the greasless properly? i was ready to throw mine away too!