Fireman needs to polish Diamond Plate

[Kaleb]

Hi, this is my first post so here it goes. I am a fireman on a mission to polish the diamond plate on our fire engine. I have read quite a bit on polishing but am still confused. I currently have a Makita 9227 polisher with a wool pad and have used Mother's aluminum polish with it. (The kind you buy at an auto parts store) My question is this...What do I need to make the job go faster and look better? The diamond plate has been neglected to about 8 years. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[Stryder]

Well I'm certainly no expert but I guess it would depend on how shiny you want it and what it's made of.

[tomg552001]

First off, welcome to the forum. Is this a stainless steel or aluminum plate? The polisher i am thinking you have is a buffing type for car paint etc. You have a few options, but lets first start with what type of metal. Also, it may help to snap some pics for us so we can see what kind of condition the metal is in. Post back and we'll be sure to help you out.

[Kaleb]

Thanks, It is aluminum diamond plate with years of neglect. Very dirty and pitted. I'll try to snap some picks this week when I go back to work. Thanks Again. Todd

when i did the plate on all are trucks i used a high speed buffer and 2000 grit 3m polish it shined all but the top of the beaver tail ... seeing how that was my job for 6 years to keep the trucks looking good even during the winter ... but are oldest truck was a 85 sea grave that was replaced with a 2003 lafrance that now is a spare truck/parade truck