Polish Aluminum Sheet Metal to Mirror Finish

Подписаться 41 тыс.

Просмотров 43 тыс.

50% 1

Here is how I polished the aluminum sheets that I used in my TARDIS Infinity Box! A few things to remember that I didn't mention in the video. First, using metal as a mirror allows you do warp and deform the surface for different effect. Next, you can have a thinner mirror than using glass. There are other benefits too, just depends on your imagination!!
My Instructables Link:
➞ www.instructab...
My Second Channel:
➞ / hdydiy
▽▽ ▽▽
If you would like to help support this channel, check out my Amazon affiliate links below. I earn a small commission for anything you buy after clicking them, and you don't pay any more than you normally would.
▽▽ ▽▽
My Amazon Storefront
➞ www.amazon.com...
Just For Fun
➞ amzn.to/3RBtLIn
-----
▽ Here is what I used:
Tools
-----
WD40 (amzn.to/2k6XfRE)
Orbital Sander (amzn.to/2lD2JnD)
Fine Grits Sandpaper, 1000-3000 grit (amzn.to/2lDyHjF)
Buffing Pads (amzn.to/2Y7ezYG)
Microfiber Polishing Cloth (amzn.to/2lDuYTd)
(Metal Polish)
Brasso (amzn.to/2Yc2bqs)
Blue Magic (amzn.to/2StLr8K)
Parts
-----
Aluminum Sheet Metal (amzn.to/2HHzfPe)
-----
▽ Follow Me:
➞ Twitter - / howdoyoudiy
➞ Facebook - / howdoyoudiy
➞ Instagram - / howdoyou.diy
➞ RU-vid Second Channel - / hdydiy
-----
▽ If You Would Like To Support Me: (optional)
➞ www.buymeacoff...
➞ Or click the "Thanks" button below the video
-----
▽ Music:
Music promoted by RU-vid Audio Library
➞Track 1: Stellar Wind
➞ Artist: Unicorn Heads
➞ Link 1: • Unicorn Heads - Stella...
➞Track 2: Dulce Reggaeton
➞ Artist: An Jone
➞ Link 2: • Video
-----
#PolishedAluminum #MirrorFinish

Опубликовано:

26 сен 2024

Ссылка:

Скачать:

Готовим ссылку...

Добавить в:

Мой плейлист

Посмотреть позже

Комментарии : 69

@HowDoYouDIY 3 года назад

I had to change the sound on this video, so there is no longer a voice-over. You can turn on the subtitles to get the text script that I used with the instructions.

@ranavalona24 4 года назад

On second thoughts, I quite like the dull, greyish, scratched finish on my Airstream Caravel.

@peternicholsonu6090 4 года назад

I built a trailer very similar to Airstream Basecamp using 10 sheets of 4x8 new aluminium sheets. First polish on new sheets was Purple Polish and wool buffing pads. Graduated to a black foam type pad with same polish. Huge job and I towed it 2,000 miles. Watching your video prompts me to polish it again to get closer to a mirror finish.seriously thinking of a chrome vinyl car wrap instead....my mistake was first square I used fine abrasive. Those swirls still there. With factory finish aluminium I learned to avoid any scratches or abrasive. Weeks of polishing did give me 75% of what I wanted....chrome vinyl sounding good!!

@HowDoYouDIY 4 года назад

Sounds like an awesome looking trailer! I noticed the same thing when starting with I fine abrasive. Those fine scratches that it adds have been a nightmare for me to get out. Vinyl wrap would be a great idea. From experience with it, it seems to create a bit of static when the protective paper is removed from the sticky side. It seems to attract dust and lint which leaves bumps in it. It's still possible to get a perfect result. Just make sure there is as little dust as possible on nearby surfaces, including your clothes. Good luck!

@peternicholsonu6090 4 года назад

How Do You? DIY Thankyou so much....

@o0FUZ0o Год назад

I feel like some autosol with a polishing pad on a good DA Polisher would have saved you LOTS of time.

@HowDoYouDIY Год назад

I might have to give that a try. I would love to have a better way to do this.

@hojokono 5 лет назад

thats cool, i would just end up buying a plastic mirror from dollar tree XD

@HowDoYouDIY 5 лет назад

That would be my first choice for a mirror too. Sometimes it's nice to have options 😉

@taunteratwill1787 5 лет назад

@@HowDoYouDIY Sometimes it's nice to have the option, to work your ass off! :-)

@HowDoYouDIY 5 лет назад

LMAO! 😂

@beaufighter245 5 лет назад

Looks good thank you. I have a couple of sheets to polish for light mounting plates. Was using cutting compounds but found these dulled the surface possibly as have chemical base. Will try this as always plenty of wd40 in workshop!

@HowDoYouDIY 5 лет назад

I hope this way works well for you!

@beaufighter245 5 лет назад

@@HowDoYouDIY it did, all polished today and result is spot on! Thank you.

@HowDoYouDIY 5 лет назад

That's awesome!

@Hart8 5 лет назад

I'm from Poland and I must say that it's polish quality.

@HowDoYouDIY 5 лет назад

Thanks!

@wernerhiemer406 4 года назад

@@HowDoYouDIY But when will it be finish?

@HowDoYouDIY 4 года назад

@@wernerhiemer406 I finished it for this video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GZtmViBg-K4.html

@TheRojo387 3 года назад

I got Polish neighbours and am part Pole myself. Nigdy nie poddawaj!

@jparker1901 11 месяцев назад

That cloth contains used abrasive particles from coarser sanding, you should change it every time to avoid scratching the surface

@beeslandelectronics5356 3 года назад

Awesome Sir

@HowDoYouDIY 3 года назад

Thanks 😊

@jonnda 4 года назад

I've never seen sandpaper that fine for orbital sanders. So instead, I just ordered aluminum that comes polished on one side from the factory via McMaster-Carr ...Oh man, I have lots of patience, but not enough to do all that for one small 2"x8" part for a guitar project.

@HowDoYouDIY 4 года назад

Getting aluminum that's factory polished is definitely the best way to go. Although it was cool to be able to polish it myself, it is very time consuming and not exactly fun.

@jonnda 4 года назад

How Do You? DIY Precisely. In my high school machine shop class, all it took was some rouge and a big bench top buffing wheel. Buff the heck out of it until the metal was too hot to hold. Then get wipe off all the residue with soap, water, and a clean soft cloth. Boom, mirror finish. But I don’t have access to a buffing wheel anymore. So I find your video. Your method works, but yeah, it can’t be fun.

@ZippyGoFast 4 года назад

Correct me if i'm wrong /// The Hex-Logic pads Do Not have grit just different firmness for the amount of pressure being applied on the paste cutting compound added ???????

@HowDoYouDIY 4 года назад

You're probably right, that makes sense. The surface texture of the pads all feel the same. I've been wondering what the differences are. Thanks for sharing. This info is helping me to rethink my approach to improve the polishing process.

@bchighlander1964 3 года назад

Was this the 40 step polish or 41 step My good this would take years on a trailer. ?!?!!

@HowDoYouDIY 3 года назад

Yes it would. I'm still looking for an easier way to polish sheet metal

@bchighlander1964 3 года назад

@@HowDoYouDIY please post if you find a way.

@HowDoYouDIY 2 года назад

I did make a video of a much easier way to polish aluminum, but for some reason it works better for thicker aluminum than it does the sheet metal that I've been trying it on. Here's a link to that video, if you're interested: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FiqFERXawz8.html

@treasureman1198 4 года назад

That's a lot of work

@HowDoYouDIY 4 года назад

Yes it is. Always keeping an eye out for quicker options.

@fawadyusuf 4 года назад

How long it took you for this small piece ?

@HowDoYouDIY 4 года назад

It took a few hours with these tools/methods. I'm looking into faster and easier options.

@Dontspeakboutme Год назад

Adding in a diagonal from the corners would've cut this job down to half the time. Every direction possible.

@pavelroyz 4 года назад

I’m looking to sand a metal table to a polish. What should I spray on it after I get the mirror finish in order to keep rust from surfacing ?

@HowDoYouDIY 4 года назад

Pretty much anything that would repel or block moisture. WD40 would work but it would be a bit oily, and normal washing of the table would wash it off. I would recommend cleaning it well with acetone then either painting it with a clear coat or coating it with an automotive body wax. Maybe even doing both.

@EugeneVincentOutdoors Год назад

Is that a palm sander used as a buffer?

@luissilvas.945 3 года назад

Hi! no idea if you will respond to this message, but do you think this same technique could be used to polish a bike frame? thanks!

@HowDoYouDIY 3 года назад

It should work on a bike frame. I am working on another technique that should be better and easier, but I won't have a video for that ready for at least a month or so.

@wtfmfer 3 года назад

@@HowDoYouDIY Im looking for better and easier technique, and chance you can share with us mere mortals?

@HowDoYouDIY 3 года назад

The technique is not quite yet ready, but it's looking promising. I'll upload a video when I get it sorted out.

@SkylerTauntsrandomstuff 4 года назад

what does the sand paper feel like? I would imagine that fine it would feel much like writing paper. the finest we have here is 400 grit. I want to try to mimic sand Paper that fine, my care provider doesn't want me ordering stuff off the net

@HowDoYouDIY 4 года назад

I apologize for not responding sooner, I've been trying to think of a way to describe it. The best way I can think of to describe the way it feels is that it's between the texture of 400 grit and plane paper. Not sure of a good way to mimic it. But I do know that toothpaste is a bit abrasive. If you need to polish something small, you can use a little toothpaste and water and rub it into the surface with a cotton cloth. But if it's something big, that could get expensive using toothpaste. I'm also not sure how polished that would get the surface. Hope this is helpful?

@raulely6694 5 лет назад

two days polishing and not even close to the original edge of the plate!

@HowDoYouDIY 5 лет назад

It is a time consuming process, but I was purposely staying away from the edges. Didn't want to be sanding away at my work mat.

@gavins7542 4 года назад

what alloy is that? 6061?

@HowDoYouDIY 4 года назад

I'm not sure what alloy it is. It's whatever was at Home Depot.

@TheRojo387 3 года назад

How many reps of the process before you have a surface shiny enough to reflect IR light?

@HowDoYouDIY 3 года назад

It depends on how clear of a reflection you need it to be. The surface will reflect IR light without any polishing.

@os838hr 4 месяца назад

negativna ocena iz razloga, nevidim cemu sluzi ovaj video, ? NEDOSTAJE KREATIVNOSTI, i kakva korist od videa, ako za jednu Aluminijsku plocu ulozis 100 evra za materijal. ??

@---lu7cw 4 года назад

Imagine doing this to a MacBook XD

@HowDoYouDIY 4 года назад

It would be awesome having a MacBook with a mirror finish!

@GoatZilla Год назад

Uh, all you had to do was use the correct compound from the start.

@HowDoYouDIY Год назад

What's the correct compound? This is definitely not the best way to polish it. I'm still interested in improving the results.

@GoatZilla Год назад

@@HowDoYouDIY You only need yo take it to maybe 400 grit then use something like Meguiar's aluminum polish.

@HowDoYouDIY Год назад

I have another video where I followed those steps. It worked great on thicker aluminum, but for some reason it didn't work so well for this same sheet metal. Here's a link to that video, if you're interested in checking it out (I understand if you're not interested) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FiqFERXawz8.html

@GoatZilla 9 месяцев назад

@@HowDoYouDIY Sorry this took so long, I haven't been messing with metal for a while. I happened to be making an aluminum shield so I figured I would polish it. That was an old piece of aluminum sheet I had laying around, and I used NO sandpaper, just straight aluminum polishing compound, by hand, one pass. I uploaded the results of that in a video. Again, literally one single pass by hand, no sandpaper, you can see the before and after. And it's literally shiny, not matte like your results.

@ernestoesparza2194 4 года назад

Why use wd40? I use soapwater

@HowDoYouDIY 4 года назад

I'll have to try this with soap water, haven't even thought of that.

@ernestoesparza2194 4 года назад

I used to polish leading edges before they were installed onto aircraft. The customer was very delicate with the final finish. Also try using windex or any glass cleaner mothers polish rubbing compound.ATT. very messy process use with caution lol jk with that said a little goes a long way. And a tip depending on scratches i started from 1000 grit dry all the way up to 4000 then repeat but wet then use buff pad. Good luck!

@HowDoYouDIY 4 года назад

Thanks for the tips! I'm doing another project in the next month or two that will need me to polish some again. I'll follow your advice.

@Last-survivor7394 4 месяца назад

That was a waist of time

@Dahna_ 3 года назад

the polishing pads have different grits or levels of polishing so why in the world would you keep going back and forth from coarse to finer then back again to coarse . you are defeating your own efforts! that's why it never got to a mirror finish.

@HowDoYouDIY 3 года назад

That's a good observation. It's because the finer levels cannot get out all of the scratches and roughness that prevent a perfect mirror finish. Have to step back to the levels that can. This seems counter-productive, but a polished scratch in the metal is still a scratch, and it's more noticeable when it's polished. It's best when you can get everything perfect on the first try, but that doesn't always happen. Also, I mentioned in the video that I wasn't trying to polish the whole piece to a mirror finish, just the center.