Age has no bearing on a great idea. I'm 70, but if a 10 y/o kid has a great way of fixing my problem, I'd be stupid not to listen to him. WISH I WAS YOUR AGE AGAIN !! Great video.
I commend you for your efforts. Without offence I'd like to give you a little advice. I've been doing this for decades and my way is much less labour intensive. First remove all scratches and nicks with a scotchbrite (coarse) 3 inch pad on your angle grinder. This is a super quick and effective method. Then use a sisal polishing pad on your bench grinder with a polishing compound that comes in a bar called "Fast cut". Next use a loose leaf pad on the bench grinder with "Green rouge" polishing compound. Afterwards clean up leftover compound on the alloy with kerosene or paraffin and hose off with water. you can then give it a quick go over by hand with Autosol metal polish and I guarantee you will have a flawless mirror finish that will require very little maintenance. No hand sanding involved and much quicker for probably a better result. Cheers, Gert Roewer from Jindera Australia.
Orrrrrr........skip all that jazz and spray some carpet or fabric glue on the part and chuck a drag queen sized handful of glitter on it. Blow off the excess and boom, looks shiny, 1 minute worth of work
Gert Roewer I’m gonna have to try your method of removing the rouge. I just left a comment about using flower to remove it I’ve been doing this type of work for some time now myself. Flower helps at least I think it does less rubbing to get it off. Thanks I’ll gonna try your method.
what impressed me the most and the fact you are saving lives,is the mask,i knew a professional buffer,he was about 53 years old had copd and then it turned to lung cancer,wear your respirators and live,LIVE,no one is immune,buffing is dangerous business,now, the finish you attained is wonderful,there are clears now that will hold the coat for about 10 years then they yellow,good job,thanks for caring and showing the correct way to buff,the clears are polyurethane and contain isocyanates and they require a respirator to spray them also,,thank you
Just an observation but it seems like you buffed all the ages off the casing. The sharp edges are critical to making it look right once you're done. A few suggestions to further improve from the perspective of someone who polishes a lot of precious metal. Only use one wheel per compound mixing compounds will not give you the very best finish. Polish in different directions for each compound and mop combo. Clean between stages ideally Best to various grades of paper on the case in different directions to avoid drag marks and heavy directional graining. Don't use too much pressure with the case as it builds heat and renders the polish useless and takes the edges off too. Finally use a soft mop with fine compounds and course mops with cutting compound.
Good job man, yer age is not important. Yer passion/ interest in them old bikes really shows. Most of us started out the same way. I'm 55 and been riding since I was 14. In fact, I learned to ride on a 1977 GS750! Nobody knows it all, yer vids help me for sure and I've been fixing on them old bikes for a long time. Scott in Detroit
I was a jeweler for 25 years, good video and agree with most of your process. One word of caution: I would never put a cloth up to a spinning wheel. That cloth could catch in the wheel if you’re not as experienced as you are doing that. Since there may be some real beginners checking your videos, I think you might want to mention that as a safety tip. Also, if you’re going to use a buffing wheel and white rouge, you could ignore the Mothers and use a jeweler’s compound called Tripoli as the first course. Cheaper and available at any supply house/online. Nice work overall. Thanks for posting.
@@kirbylee57 all metal compositions are variable, so, can’t peg a yes here with certainty. If I could put a sandpaper value to Tripoli, I’d say a course 220. That should clear any fogging. There’s also a stainless steel compound that should fly through any aluminum. Use that one with caution. Good luck with your projects.
Its ok to be young and know what you are doing. Young people don't seem to have an interest in motorcycles like they used to. Awesome video, I have been riding since 1975 when I was 10. Raced on a Spanish Bultaco Team. I learned something today, Thanks.
Very nicely done, really appreciate the way you presented the steps in a manner that is Lear and concise. Also thanks for presenting mistakes you made and what the solution was that you took.
Dude I’m an old guy and your vids are awesome. You are a very talented young man. If you can teach an older dude your doing good. Cb900c fixing to drill some jets.
polished an alloy gixer frame 10 years ago, to protect the finish a mate told me to use MAAS metal polish protector, the guy was right, 10 years later it still only needs a wipe over to look like new, great stuff, really does stop the alloy furring up
I purchased this 2 months ago and have been putting it through some tests since then- I have a lot of polished parts on a few bikes. I have a polished gas cap on a Honda Cbr that no matter how mirror like I get it the finish always turns gray in a matter of a few weeks and been Repolishing this cap for 10 years. But this stuff really works great, the cap looks like I just polished it even after 2 months. Thanks for the tip mate! I have been putting this shit on everything lol!
@@EddieErion929 i recommend it to all my mates who polish alloy now, great stuff that really works, use it on my Fazer as i've polished a good few parts on it. Glad i could help mate, ride safe mate
You should use a rubbing block when sanding so that you rub away at the surface and it will be a flatter finish! You should also use heat resistant clear lacquer for metal, after you have polished the surface and that way things would remain nice and shiny.. simple!
Abrasive pads (Scotchbrite, and their ilk) come in abrasive/hardness grades differentiated by colour. The classic "greenie" pad is hard enough to scratch a haze into window glass, so maybe stick to the brown grade. That's the colour safely used for dinner plates and glassware, so you won't be hazing the finish on the aluminium you're trying to turn into a mirror. I was pleased to see you had come upon many the same truths as I've found, and for many the same reasons. You have a good, no-bullshit, always-learning head on your shoulders. We should be glad for a world of grown-ups as grown-up as you. Mind those safety tips from the various other commenters, and never stop learning. Good video. You're getting a subscription out of me, and I hardly every subscribe to anything. Cheers.
Thanks alot, you saved me alot of time ! Just bought a 550 and it's in bad shape. I'm glad you found an easy way to make it look new again! Keep it up, love your vids!
Honestly, it didn't take that long. The bench grinder with a buffing pad combined with the mother's polish (not my mom) polished the case in under 45 minutes. Give it a try sometime!
Your cleaning info is great. The step you missed prior to that, will save tons of time and give better results. Vintage aluminum on Japanese bikes is originally poorly polished and clear coated or painted silver. Whether it's fork legs or engine covers, I use paint stripper to remove the coating before doing anything. Once the old finish is removed and the surface is cleaned, you will often find aluminum that is ready to refinish on my buffing wheel unless it has road rash or other damage. Everyone has their own ideas about buffing, compounds and wheels so I won't go there, but keep in mind that anything abrasive used to clean the aluminum leaves damage/marks that you'll have to polish out later. Paint and varnish stripper from the local hardware store gives you bare aluminum without hard work or damage to the surface that has been covered for years with clearcoat.
@@youtube.youtube.01 I use automotive paint stripper. I would think that any paint remover should work fine. Once the clear coat has been removed, polishing the part is easy.
When I was just a kid, I used to watch my dad polish Kirby vacuum cleaners with a bench grinder and compound. That black buffing pad brought back a lot of memories.
I polished metals for 40 years. When you go to the final high shine stage I would use a new wheel. Take a sharpe blade and cut threw about 2 or 3 rows of the stitching on the wheel, pull off the thread. Then take something like a stiff putty knife and with the wheel spinning rub it firmly against the wheel in a back and forth motion to fluff it. Wear a mask because it will produce a lot of wheel dust. When I got ready to polish I would use a slower speed if possilbe. I would do the final high shine with either tripoli (good) or rouge (best). Or tripoli first then rouge. Refluff your wheel occasionally and especially between application of the different polishing compounds.
Hey Bud,you’re on your way. I started the same way ,then this is what I found to (wish I had pics)truly give a mirror sheen to my 1978 kenworth tractor fuel tanks and Alcoa wheels. I started at Blue Beacon truck wash for the well known acid/brightenerbath to clean all grime and crud off which turns aluminum white. Now it’s time to cut,you can start with black jewelers rouge for ruff and scratched up aluminum then red the white the blue rouge for the final luster. You can skip colors depending on the condition of your subject. I found that moving slowly back and forth in a straight line starting at the bottom and moving upwards to the top was best for my subjects. I could stand 5 ft away from my fuel tanks and count whiskers! The tightly sewn cutting wheels,safety glasses and resperator are all you need. Well a day off ,good tunes, a container of Blue Magic or Mother’s or a mag POLISH of your choice and a Girl friend/Wife/Ole Lady who isn’t afraid of sporting /helping with the project she will be modeling !!! Happy Polishing
Tried some of this on a 50 year old Norton and WOW. It brought the shine back to a show room glow on the engine side cover and other aluminum parts. Mom didn't pay me either.
Clear coating a surface entails a lot of work. This is why most people prefer polishing./ once buffed and polish I have found ProtectaClear adheres to metals and has a tough clear finish! Great video and Bikes/
Keep the shine for longer, on my Classic Bikes alloy components I wipe them over frequently with Kerosene ,Alloy loves it, like a Sun Screen Barrier for Alloy. 🇳🇿😎👍
Covers are pretty easy, getting into cases themselves is a trick. I polished the cases of my 74 Harley Ironhead Sportster along with the outer covers. A Rotozip with polishing mandrels works great using Mothers or Wenol compound. Finish it up with red rouge and clean using WD40 and then wash with soap and water making sure to dry completely. Never dull or Mothers will keep it looking great. Also a great way to make those fork lowers look MUCH better.
*whistle* purdy! Great tip about the steel wool man! I truly would not have thought anything about that. Steel wool is great for smoothing in between coats of spray paint, but I'll never use it on bare aluminium again.
I use it on bare aluminum all the time and don't have the problems he mentioned, but it is not a final step, must be polished afterwards to go from smooth to shiny, and yet it makes the surface too smooth for good paint adhesion if you were planning on painting as he ultimately decided was the better route for longevity which I agree with.
4 года назад
Try starting off with a nice cleanse,the. Wet sand 1200-1500 then I do a rough hand polish with an almost rubbery sponge before hitting the polish wheel followed by another hand polish
Have you ever tried autosol metal polish with abit of kerosene on a rag before does amazing job on oxidized aluminium wheels then finish it of with mothers metal polish youll be very amazed how it looks.....
I'm with you man... I've been using autosol now for 40 odd years. I've tried a lot of others... Keep coming back to autosol... They are the original metal polish...
try corn flour and water buff first when finish by hand polish but go in one direction only ,corn flour will not turn black like mothers and leave the haze . its cheaper and the end resole will look like chrome - thats how the experts do it
I humbly suggest A $17 Horrible Freight Gravity Feed Blaster Gun with 20 oz. Hopper. It works well on aluminum hubs and heads where its hard to reach with a wire brush or scotch pad. Use plain ol Arm and Hammer washing soda. 1 Lb box is 57 cents. Good thing about soda is it dissolves with water leaves no grit in bearings. Then after blasting spray on some Aluma Bright to brighten the aluminum and rinse off with water. Then use a spray can of Ever Bright or Hi Temp clear coat to seal it. It wont look shiny mirror polished but looks almost factory casted new. Use a respirator and use a fan to blow dust away to the side while blasting so you don't breathe it accidentally. Blasting saves a lot of time.
Suchergebnisse Ergebnis zur Übersetzung Deutsch Englisch Aussprache lernen the boy knows what he is doing. One who has a true idea. Thank you for the work of making the video ... Greetings from Germany Karlsruhe
I would recommend you (1) wash the part and rise with very hot water,(2)blow dry with hair drier allow the moisture to evaporate (3) spray with High Temp Clear Engine Paint in a dust free area. This looks really good on bead blasted parts very well such as old aluminum intake manifolds.
Nice video. After reading most posts I cannot believe no one pointed out that your grinder/buffer is way to fast and can burn aluminium. 1000-17500 rpm is cool. No more.
White Diamond Polish will take oxidation out by hand. Mothers does make the best and their sealant is A+++ Definitely give White Diamond a try though 🤘🏻🤘🏻
Good work dude, I just rebuilt a 2009 Harley FatBob, has the aluminium rims, and a few other aluminum parts that were oxidized, that mothers does work really well, I have a few different ones, had to use a mothers ball and drill to get it looking pretty good! Keep up the good work!
Bling Master Aluminator is the best metal polish on he planet. Nothing is better, faster or lasts as long. Watch the BlingMaster videos and you will be amazed.
I agree mothers is the best. I have used dozens of other polish compounds, and mothers is the best by far, but it is the last step after the white rouge, because it is finer grit that the white rouge. If done proper "ocd style", you will end up with a black chrome look with mothers.
When your sanding, use oil or lard, for lube, one direction your sanding, the opposite direction, your polishing. You also need a softer finishing wheel
Very nice. The result is so nice. I'm defently gonna try it on my bike. I have a Honda CX 500 a MZ 150 and a MZ 250. So thank you for your video. I live in Denmark and our climate can be hard on the metal parts.
Look up "Master Formula" brand metal polish and sealer. The Polish takes a fraction of time to bring to mirror-like shine. Then the sealer makes it last a lot longer than polishing alone. Also, when using sandpaper by hand on flat surfaces, wrap the paper around a soft pad, folded up cardboard if nothing else, or a small piece of wood. You can also go to Autozone, NAPA, O'Reilly's etc... and get an autobody tool kit with nice sand blocks. Using your fingers alone, not realizing it, but you can rub finger sized grooves in your surface. The blocks are focused on to highest points of contact, leveling down to base surface. But seriously, look up Master Formula. Once you try it, you'll throw Mother's and Meguiars garbage out the window.
Just thought i'd throw my input in here. The engine case looks great, I think you could take it 1 step further. You should try some buffing compound (buffing stick) as they call it, I apply that to the wheel on my bench grinder and go to town. I can literally compare it to chrome. I also use mag and aluminum polish to clean up the job, I apply by hand though!
@@consubandon A smart feller I know told me to use a good old Pink Pearl eraser as a sanding block for smaller curved surfaces as it conforms nicely but still keeps a plane. Works a treat.
After polishing the aluminum, wax it with NuFinish car Wax. It has polymers to helpseal the aluminum, and make it NOT oxidize so quickly. I polished all the aliminum engine parts on my H-D Super glide
Thanks...great video. Labor intensive...no getting around it, but the results speak for themselves. A old MC mechanic told me to use silicone spray as an easy way to keep engines from oxidizing over the winter months. BTW, what HP buffer is needed? I have a 1/3 HP buffer and it will stall if you press too hard on the buffer..plus, my hands get too hot from the friction heat. Enjoy riding those machines, too!
i believe you have to seal the Al. and copper if you dont want it to oxidize again. even if you lleave it a bit dull and a fine roughness for the clear the clear will cover it and add a bir more shine.
I have an aluminum shifter knob whose paint is coming off. What should I do? I was painted candy red (think about those Mustang color). Now the paint on the edges is fading. Thanks.
Sighhhh wish I could apologise for looking young at the start of my videos, BUT I can’t wait to see to your video on how to restore a old manky neglected sink, the before and after should be spectacular to say the least!! nice video though LOL
nice to know I can easily fix my engine cover on my yamaha vstar 250. just one question, after polishing should a spray be applied to protect the aluminum or is just fine as is? thanks.
You can spray on a high heat clear coat for some extra protection but it probably won't stay on a polished surface for too long. It's probably best to just repolish as needed.
