New to the metal polishing thing

the pads i got from home depot are junk the did a little cutting but they fall apart the part looks ok but not what i want ... it had a lot af cast marks to start with but i just started with a buffing wheel and compound i should of sanded it them went to compaound ....

well i resanded and went over with a new set of pads and i got a nice shine going .. but i still got marks from the old casting ..... i am converting a old motor from my lathe and then try it again .... i will put a pic on in a few days of the before and the after .... this is my first project that will end up on my car .... i still got the whole top end and other parts to go .....

i put a pic of the few things i polished in the gallery part of this forum ... they are ok but i still need to work on them more ... thanks for all the help so far

what is the fastest cutting compound that caswell sells that will work on alumin.and what size wheel should i put on a 1hp motor?