Help with small parts

[jungles82]

Ive been polishing for a couple of moths now my hands are sore from sanding and my finishes look like **** i start with 180 and go to 3000 grit then i use the black tripoli then brown then white on a loose sewn wheel im doing atv parts none of them have turned out perfect the biggest problem is the small areas i go trough the felt bobs like tiolet paper and leave swirl marks that i cant get out my recent part are off an 87 honda 250r the water pump cover has so many small pocket and other areas that i cant get into even with the small dremel felt bobs should i just throw it in a tumbler and pray for the best or what im frustated i have already polished parts and i cant even make them look good can anyone give me advice on what to do? I really need the help thanks matt a lost but found agian member the hole reason i started this was a 700 dollar bill to have a guy do a half a$$ job on some of my parts but his still look better. If i cant figure it out im gonna invest in the powdercoating stuff and just cheat its nice low maintenence and easy to clean.

[mpierich]

Maybe you ought to go one piece at a time - show us a piece you're having trouble with and we'll discuss it. Actually the answers are already here if you do a search, but asking specific questions will probably get you more answers.

[amerdunbar]

The dremel is fine for initial cleanup of the little nooks and crannies - but I've never had any felt bob or little wheel give me a good finished result. Do the nooks and crannies first, then finish with a bigger wheel on a buffer that you can put some pressure on and smoosh it into the piece good. Compound will collect into the little crannies, but hot soapy water and a soft bristled brush takes it right off -usally leaving a nice shine. As far as sanding, a nice even wetsanding with 400 grit is usually enough. I'll go to 800 grit, depending on the part, and then to a semi-dry white bar. Everyone has a different technique, and not all aluminum parts polish up the same. The only thing I can say is practice, and don't be afraid to experiment with different wheels and compounds - what works for one piece may not work for all of them.

[jrow]

jungles82,

First off read the sticky at the top of the page "motorcycle polishing 101".
What you want to do is match the finish of the metal your trying to polishing to the sandpaper. If it's smooth and doesn't have any bad scratches in it then polish it. If it has scratches then sand the scratches out and polish. You can finish your sanding with 320 or 400 grit wet and dry, anything finer is a waste of time. The Emory rouge is about 400 grit. Buffing: try using a spiral sewn buff with Emory first, then proceed up to white on a loose buff to finish. Clean your buffs often.
Agreed, it is tough to get into buff some low areas, try using facer buffs that might help.

John

[jungles82]

Thanks for the help guys i trieto just use 400 wet sand and it left alot of sanding scratches so i went back over it with 600 then 1000 then 1500 got rid of the scratches but its still hard to get into tight spots im working on a honda 250r cylinder the metal was really pitted from the factory crappy casting so i used a 120 grit flapwheel and smoothed it out but has anyone ever tried to use a vibratory tumbler to polish small parts that i cant get at with the wheel or felt bobs.

[destroyer125]

A tumbler is not going to do what you are wanting it to do.

[jrow]

jungles82,

Your waisting you time and money sanding up to 1500 grit with wet and dry sand paper. As I stated before the Emory rouge is about 400 grit! Sanding up to 320 - 400 grit and then polish with Emory, tripoli or white and you will be OK.

John

[jungles82]

well i dont know if im using the same stuff as you but mine looks like a big black brick and smells like a crayon is that the right because this stuff on a spiral sewn wheel it wont take out scratches from 400 or even 600 it will take out 1000 grit scratches with a little work but it turns out way better if i use 1500 but like ive said ive tried to just use the 400 but it looks crappy so thats why i go to 1500 do you have any suggestions on what i should change?

[jrow]

jungles82,

Are you buffing across the scratches, as close to 90 degrees as possible? Are you raking your buff often? How hot is the metal getting? How much pressure are you putting on the metal when you are buffing?

"looks like a big black brick and smells like a crayon" That would be the Emory Rouge.

John

[jungles82]

IM raking the buff often and im trying to get as close to 90 degrees as posssible its hard sometimes and ive tried with alot of pressure so the metal get so hot it burns my hand but i dont do it like that just when i get ****ed at the part for not turning out but most of the time i just use slight pressure and the metal get a little warm bot not bad enough to wear gloves cause its hot.