Getting Started (project pics)

[TimayZ]

Learning how to polish i'm doing a Turbo housing for a buddy. This is about the third thing I have ever polished(and hardest thing also). I'm fairly happy with it to be honest. I feel I could do a lot better in the tight areas once I get the right equipment.
My question is around the wording is it "ok" to leave it like that with the pitting?(hard to see in the pics but there is some there) Is minimal pitting around lettering normal? It seems it would take me forever in a day to get rid of it...even after I order some abrasives for tight areas.....
I did 180 greaseless
320 greaseless
Tripoli on a treated wheel
Color on a soft cotton wheel.
Sounds easy but it took HOURS. I guess I have some refining to do. I just found this site and plan on ordering some abrasives for the tight areas....

[TimayZ]

[TimayZ]

[Heavykote]

Is that the same housing from the first pics? If so then I think you got it! Very nice work...Eventhough, you can see the imperfections. It is going inside an engine and if you didn't get paid pretty good for it then as far as I'm thinking It'll do...

[TimayZ]

I doubt ill get paid much for it specifically(at least in comparison to how long it took me to do). I'm doing a few things for him and this is the first one. We will figure out a price for the entire job as a whole when i'm done.
Yes the pics are the same housing in order of when I started on it. Thanks for the compliments. It does not look as good in the tight areas, but I dont have the tools to do that yet and like you said after it's installed you wont be able to see them anyhow....

[fxstcguy98]

Looks pretty good. Just a suggestion that might speed things up for you, it seems like you make some pretty big leaps in grit sizes. Next time try this
180 greaseless
220 greaseless
320 greaseless
black(emory)/sisal
brown(tripoli)/spiral sewn
white/loose
Sounds like more steps, but you will spend less time on each step.

[TimayZ]

Originally Posted by fxstcguy98

Looks pretty good. Just a suggestion that might speed things up for you, it seems like you make some pretty big leaps in grit sizes. Next time try this
180 greaseless
220 greaseless
320 greaseless
black(emory)/sisal
brown(tripoli)/spiral sewn
white/loose
Sounds like more steps, but you will spend less time on each step.

Thanks! Looking at the pitting on the first pics would you have started with 80? It seemed getting the 180 to cut fully took a while. And I heard with 80 you loose the grit on the wheel faster then 180. Any secret's to get the greasless abrasive to stay on the wheel longer? Right now i'm using a little color for lube on the abrasive wheels (just what I was told)

[TimayZ]

Also,
If you all are really board any suggestions on what pieces to buy for the tight areas... ill need to abrasives and some blobs for the polishing part? Just wonder which steps to get an even surface. It seems if I use a small sand paper roll ill get waves while trying to sand it down....
http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/mush_buff.htm
and these?
http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/cartrolls.html
or these instead?
http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/flap_wheels.htm

[jrow]

TimayZ,

The compressor housing on a turbocharger is the hardest buffing job that I have done.
I started out with 120 grit cartridge rolls and progressed upward to 320 grit. Your right it will leave gouges, I moved my die grinder rather fast to minimize the gouges, works pretty good. After that I used the 320 grit greeseless to smooth everything out.
I then went to 400 grit wet and dry sandpaper. I used a piece of plastic which was fairly flexable and wrapped the wet and dry around it and wet sanded. I proceded up to 1000 grit and then buffed, as you did. As the casting is really hard it takes a while to get it buffed so it will really shine, but it will.
If you have a Dremel you can get felt buffs for it, for the tight spots. Take your buff and run it over a piece of 80 grit sandpaper to get it to the right size, then buff away. If you try to sand the pits out you will leave flat spots so there is not much you can do with those. After I finished and washed the housing, I used vinegar to clean out the crud that was in the pits, that works pretty good or you can use brake cleaner.

Hope this helps.

John