Last minute questions before I start

[pikkashoe]

Well I feel like I have read every thread on here. I just ordered some materials to start polishing the lips on my wheels, but I have a couple questions.

1. I have read that you should polish one way, then switch to 90 degrees from the original motion when switching compounds to get rid of scratches, how would I do this if the lip I am polishing is only about 1.5 inches wide.
2. Is red rouge the same as jeweler's rouge, and whats the best wheel to use to apply this.
3. I ordered a spiral sewn wheel, a loose cotton wheel, emory bar and white bar. Now the condition of the lips is pretty good, i just want them to have the show car finish, is the brown/tripoli necessary, I have read in a bunch of threads that on aluminum, most people skip it.
4. Whats the difference between using the white rouge and white liquid rouge, any advantages by using one over the other.

Below is a picture of the area Im working with, gets kind of tight by the spokes.

[pickleboy]

welcome to the forum bro. in your case with a thin lip it would be ok to only go in one direction. question 2 is yes red is jewelers rouge. wheels for this would be loose cotton or canton flannel. # 3. if the condition of the lip is real good and not much scratches you can start with tripoli. i dont use it for the most part but most of the parts i polish need a good bit of sanding first and emory works better on scratches. your call but if in doubt get an extra wheel and tripoli. start with it and then if it doesnt work back up to the emory. #4. they are almost the same stuff if the wheel is almost perfect then you may only need a couple loose cotton wheels and the liquid to bring them back to show shine. the bar is for a little more cutting. think of rubbing compound vs. cleaner wax. hope this help and good luck.

[pikkashoe]

Thanks Pickleboy

That cleared up my questions, time to get to work on these wheels.

[pikkashoe]

One last question, im trying to determine whether to get 4 inch or 6 inch wheels. I know this is based on the RPM of my drill, and thats where I am stuck, my drill is an Sears Corded 3/8 inch hammer drill with max rpm of 1200.

Now remember my lips are pretty much polished, so I wont need a lot of work to get them perfect, but will 1200 rpm's be good enough to get the final finish im looking at.

Even using a 6 inch wheel, maximum SFPM will be 1800. Should I also get a drill or attempt first with the one I have?

[pickleboy]

well bro i would get 6" wheels and try what you have. if it dont get the shine you want then invest in a fast drill.

[pikkashoe]

Sounds good to me.