primary chain cover prep help

[grommit]

hi to all,
well after weeks of reading in this forum i am nearly there on starting the prep on my Enfield Bullet's primary chain cover,please could anyone advise, i think on looking at it (sorry a bad pic) it isnt that bad, but i need to strip n clean,and you guys say estimate at what stage to start depending on the condition of the metal, i just havent a clue at what grit to start with and finish with,it will be by hand to start with til my new sander arrives,direction of sanding etc. the piece is alluminium.
darn it!! nearly forgot i need to get my hands on some Easy Off.
many thanks,
brian

[pickleboy]

the easy off is only needed if the part is previously anodized. as for your case i would start around 220-240 grit and see if that is coming smooth if not back up to 180. always start at around 200 grit unless you see deep scratches or road rash. this will keep you from doing more work than needed.

[grommit]

hi m8,
i've just replied to your message on the oven cleaner thread and asked about this whilst i was on it...ha ha and you had already answered this.
thanks m8 so its 200 grit,most of the threads i have read is go to 600 and no more,please can you confirm my exact grades you recommend and wet aswell.i've just looked at your chart you give me when i 1st came on but i'm a bit confused
p120= 120 grit us
p320= 260 grit us
p400= 300 grit us
p600= 380 grit us
p1000= 550 grit us
p1500= 800 grit us
p2000= 900 grit us
p2500= 1100 grit us
200 i take it is course and it gets finer or was i just askin an obvious question there.
am i right on the next part
to be honest alot of my parts i could start with cleaning and then straight into spiral/tripoli for the cut(back to sisal/black for worse scratchs)and finish with loose/white for color...would blue be also an option at that stage.i was hoping harbarfreight would get back to me today ref buying a buffer from them..oh well i've waited this far,patients is a fertue so they say....I BLOODY WANT IT NOW..ha ha
cheers m8
bri

[pickleboy]

i would recommend the following progression if using the "p" grit paper.
p320 to start then p400, p600, p1000 wet, p1500 wet. then to the wheels, spiral with tripoli then spiral sewn with white. finally a finish buff with loose and white or red. if using the us grit # i would start with 240 then 320, 400, 400 wet and 600 wet. when wet sanding i add a small amount of liquid dish soap to the water and keep the paper flushed with lots of water. this works good if you have a deep basin or sink to sand in and have the water contained. that way you can sand and dunk the part to clean and rewet.
as for the last part of your question, i dont use sisal on aluminum parts, i feel it scratches more than it helps. i use vented wheels and emory for first cut then if i do it right i can get almost mirror shine from that. then i move to a spiral and white combo. finally i use loose cotton and red for a final color buff. hope this clears things up a little more.

[grommit]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.........YOU THE MAN cheers m8 armed with me 'P' sand paper i'll be off to the garage and practice some prep...dont worry the part isnt needed.
i am cut n pastein all the advice you all give and once the page is full i print it off,i.e the grit chart,wheel n compounds etc. always handy as a reference in me garage..instead of rushin to the p.c. along with the free booklet.
well impressed pal,thanks.
brian