Probably a Newbie question...

[supradedupra]

I read the tutorial... opened a dozen links... and I've got a few questions. This is what I'm working with:



Here are my questions:

Is the liquid WHITE ROUGE better than the bar?

Are the wheels better for this? or the Mushroom Buffs?

Is an Electric Drill maxed out at 4" diamter wheels?

In the Motorcycle polishing thread, it said something about a red compound? I can't seem to find where it's at.

When polishing, should I sand it first? or just start with the wheels and follow the 3 step process?

Thanks in Advance

[jimcarry]

Re: Probably a Newbie question...

The piece you are showing looks like aluminum
pretty simple to polish. I like to use the bar compound my self I think its all just preference .
The piece looks smooth and as long as it actually is should not need to sand .
Go to this link it is a complete online book offered by Caswell to help you with all your polishing questions . For a final polish on aluminum I like to use Yellow Compound leaves a great finish
others use red or white
Hope this helps http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/buffman.htm

[pickleboy]

Re: Probably a Newbie question...

not to be disagreeable with the moderator but you most always need to sand. i have done a few intake pipes and there is small die marks form the forming process that will show up as soon as you start to buff. as for the drill i would recommend more than that due to the fact it will not have sufficent torque to get the finish i assume you are looking for(mirror). i would find a polisher to do the work for you if you dont want to spend much money or will only be doing this one job. or at least get a good size bench grinder to start with, a buffing machine is better but a little pricey for starters. i prefer the vented wheels due to the fact they keep the part cooler and hold a charge of compound better. the best results i have gotten is with the following: sand starting at 320 grit, if this reveals no deep tooling marks or scratches move on to 400 grit wet. then 600 wet. then i start to buff with a vented wheel with emory. you should get the shine you are looking for at this stage if not keep working it till you do. then i finish off with a loose wheel and white bar. after that you need to decide to either have it clear coated with powder or find a good sealer wax (not auto wax) to seal the job or it will oxidize in just a matter of weeks. or the other choice is zoopseal, which will seal it for a good 1-2 years. also you are in luck as caswell sells all the stuff i just spoke of. best start in all this is as jim said though start with the online buff manual, and order a caswell catalog so you can see all the buffing and other stuff the carry. best of luck bro.