Frame frustrations

[Josh]

I am currently working on an R1 frame and have had trouble getting that mirror shine that i see on some other bikes. I have little experience but i know the basics. this was my process....
Sanded with 180 all the way through 2000 using water and cleaning the surface with enamal reducer between switching grits. I then started with black compound on a spiral wheel. Then moved on to the brown compound with a spiral wheel and then white compound with a loose wheel. the problem in the end is that it looks hazey and i can see the fine scratches in the metal. I cannot feel the scratches but i can see them. the smaller areas of the frame look nice, but the large area is the main problem. I use a Millewakee drill that runs at 2800 RPM,s. does the tempature of the metal have any affect? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also, I dont think it is a compound build up problem because I use the enamal reducer before and after each step.

[mcaswell]

What's the purpose of the enamel reducer in this process? A degreasing agent? If done properly, you shouldn't need any additives.

What size wheels are you using on your drill?

What was the condition of the metal before you began with the black compound? BTW - Black works best on a sisal wheel, Brown on the Spiral Sewn Cotton. You shouldn't need white when polishing aluminum, but some people claim good results. Use it with the Spiral Sewn wheel also.

The purpose of the Loose Cotton wheel is to get into areas the Spiral Sewn cannot. It's not a softer (less abrasive) wheel than the Spiral Sewn.

There's quite a few posts on here already about hazy aluminum, which I think you've read already based on your post, but perhaps a re-read of them would be helpful. Some are quite detailed and offer good suggestions.

[saiyan7]

For one thing, starting with 180 grit sandpaper is excessive and will make scratches that are near impossible to get out. That is your first problem. I am going to assume you did this to rid yourself of that nasty anodized finish. YOU MUST USE CASWELL'S ANODIZE STRIPPER TO SAVE YOURSELF COUNTLESS HOUR OF WORK. Some people suggest oven cleaner, but that does not work half as good as the stripper in a paste form. If you need help making the anodize stripper into a past I was very successful doing this. Once you have stripped the coating you can move directly to 400 grit. Make sure you rake your wheels every two or three minutes and consistently apply very small amounts of compound. A wheel that is matted with alluminum will only produce a hazey finish. At this point I would suggest that you go back to 600 grit and work your way to 1000 grit. Start with emery at that time instead of going all the way up to 2000 grit. Remeber to rake you wheels often. Keep me posted as to your progress and I hope this helped.

[Josh]

I used the enamal reducer as a cleaning agent. I am using 4" wheels from home depot which suck. The metal was very smooth and uniform with no visible deep scratches in it.


Reply to saiyan7- you are right about using the 180 to get through the anodize layer but I also used it to knock down some of the welds. So basically I dont even need to sand past 1000? I thought that the finer you sanded, the shinier the finished product? I will try the methed you suggested and keep you guys posted on my progress.
Thanks

[saiyan7]

although sanding past 1000 grit will produce a shinier finish, you are nowhere near that level of perfection so don't worry so much about that. You can acheive beautiful finish without all of that work.

[Josh]

I just resanded the frame from 600-1000 and then started with the emery and moved to tripoli. the finish is better than it was before but it still is not anything I would take pride in. I am wondering how much time should I spend with the emery before moving to tripoli. Dont say until it is perfect, because I dont know what PERFECT is. Will the emery take out all of the scratches and make it ALL most like a mirror shine? Should I just go with the emery untill it looks like it is not getting any shinier? I think I need new wheels also, but how do you tell?

thanks

[saiyan7]

Well Josh,
I have been polishing for quite some time and have yet to produce a finish that I am proud of. When it comes down to it, you just need to step back look at where you were and then look at where you are. Chances are it looks better than you think. Be happy with your finish and only strive to improve from there. That way frustration never becomes an issue.

[Josh]

thanks for the advice saiyan7. You probably already noticed that I am a perfectionsist much like yourself so it is easy for me to get down when I cant get something right, but as you said it probably looks better than I think. I am going to spend some more time with the emery and see how this works. I will keep everyone posted of my progress

[Josh]

maybe someone who has polished an R1 frame can help me out here? Is it harder to get a mirror finish on something that is concaved (dips in instead of out)? The area of the frame which I am having the most problems is where it goes from convexed to concaved. This is the biggest area of the frame and is also the most noticable. It is also the hardest to sand because the frame starts turning upwards towards the neck as it concaves. Has anyone else had any trouble polishing concaved parts? If so any hints or info would be of great use. Also if anyone has any close up pictures of a polished R1 frame that they could send me so I can see what to expect from a finished product. Nuhz24r6@yahoo.com thanks

[Josh]

well, the polishing is going allright but still not up to my expectations, and i need to get it done before bikeweek. I have acheived a mirror finish but you can still see some scratches at different angles. I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this. The frame looks perfect when looking down on it but if you get at eye level with a light behind you, you can see the many fine scratches. I recently just finished my heel gaurds and have notice that preperation is everything. You must take your time sanding especialy with your first grit of sandpaper. My heelgaurds are perfect so now I know that i can make my frame perfect I just need to be patcient. Once i am finished I will post some pictures. JOSH