Wheel Polish Question

[Rams]

Getting ready to put new shoes on my baby, have an extra set of wheels for her.
They have some wear and discoloration on them and I'd like to shine them up.

Went out and bought some Mother's Aluminum Wheel Polish, the results are OK but, not up to want I want.  After spending several hours the last two days trying to polish these wheels, I'm at my wit's end.
I am using a drill driven cone shaped sponge looking thing to apply the Mother's and it's done a pretty good job but, there are still spots that I can't get polished to my satisfaction.

Suggestions are welcomed, what do you use?   This assumes you do clean them up.
Looked into the chrome option but, that's out of my reach. 

Rams

[Jess from VA]

That spongy buff isn't bad for already pretty clean wheels, but I had to use stiff cotton wheels to burn off pretty tarnished aluminum.  And I didn't even start using the cotton buffs until I had worked hard on them by hand with OOOO steel wool and aluminum polish first (then hot soapy water with stiff bristle brushes).  Then I polished with the drill.

And when using buff wheels, it's real easy to walk the drill arbor on the wheel with permanent marks.

Like these:  


Not these flimsy ones:



And I used polishing compound bars, not Mothers.  Started with the aggressive compound, finished with the stainless or white diamond compound.  After using for awhile, you take a flathead screwdriver to  the spinning buff to clean it out before reloading with compound (lightly).




Finished with paste wax to keep the polish nice, though that actually reduced the shine a bit.

[JimC]

Ron
Jess is right on with his directions above.

BUT, I have found that everything works much better if you get some good 400 grit wet sandpaper.
THEN I go to 600 or 800 grit to take the sand scratches out. You have to keep the wheels wet for it to work easier.  If there are still sand scratches, use some 1000 grit wet paper. They will end up looking like a satin finish.

THEN, You can use the buffing wheels and compound that Jess recommended after sanding all the stains and small nicks out of the wheels. , after that they will come out close to chrome.

You can expect to spend 2 to 4 hours, (hour or more per wheel side) more if they are really bad. AND, do not wear good clothes, the sanding and buffing dust does not come out in the wash, it's a filthy job.
Much cheaper than chrome plating though.

Most of the stuff can be had at Harbor freight, or a decent auto store that sells paint.

Jim
 

[Jess from VA]

Not a bad time for a dust mask or bandana over the nose either, I snorted up a ton of fuzzy cotton dust and was sneezing my head off.  And eye protection.

The red jewelers rouge bar is for delicate work and a waste of time on the wheels. 

Brown tripoli for the cut.  White stainless or diamond for the finish.

I never tried the wet sanding, but you want to scrub as much crud off as possible before ever polishing.

[Rams]

Ron
Jess is right on with his directions above.

BUT, I have found that everything works much better if you get some good 400 grit wet sandpaper.
THEN I go to 600 or 800 grit to take the sand scratches out. You have to keep the wheels wet for it to work easier.  If there are still sand scratches, use some 1000 grit wet paper. They will end up looking like a satin finish.

THEN, You can use the buffing wheels and compound that Jess recommended after sanding all the stains and small nicks out of the wheels. , after that they will come out close to chrome.

You can expect to spend 2 to 4 hours, (hour or more per wheel side) more if they are really bad. AND, do not wear good clothes, the sanding and buffing dust does not come out in the wash, it's a filthy job.
Much cheaper than chrome plating though.

Most of the stuff can be had at Harbor freight, or a decent auto store that sells paint.

Jim
 

 

Now ya have me wondering if I can get the wife involved.   She's much better at cleaning and the dirty jobs than I am.  

Not a bad time for a dust mask or bandana over the nose either, I snorted up a ton of fuzzy cotton dust and was sneezing my head off.  And eye protection.

The red jewelers rouge bar is for delicate work and a waste of time on the wheels.  

Brown tripoli for the cut.  White stainless or diamond for the finish.

I never tried the wet sanding, but you want to scrub as much crud off as possible before ever polishing.

I usually wear safety sunglasses and am obviously not afraid to wear a mask.

But, I have another question, should I clear coat once I've reached my goal?
I'd prefer to not have to repeat this in the near future.....  

Rams

[The emperor has no clothes]

A few years back Pancho made a setup where a drill drove the wheel around for polishing. As I remember it seemed like a pretty slick, economical setup. I don't know if the pics went away with photobucket. But, it's worth looking at his post.

[Alien]

Here's a video of a Valk wheel being polished.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KGHuzv8qB0

[Rams]

A few years back Pancho made a setup where a drill drove the wheel around for polishing. As I remember it seemed like a pretty slick, economical setup. I don't know if the pics went away with photobucket. But, it's worth looking at his post.

Yeah, I've seen that video.   Pretty cool set up if, you're leaving the wheel mounted on the bike.   I assume that's the one you're talking about.

In my case, the wheels are off the bike, I have an extra set and those are the ones I'm working on.
Once those are looking good, I'll switch out tires and wheels and start on the other set.

Here's a video of a Valk wheel being polished.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KGHuzv8qB0

Oh, that video.   Hadn't seen that one before.  Pretty cool.  Thanks   
Unfortunately, I don't have all that nice equipment.

Rams

[Alien]

The video I posted has the whee;ls off the bike.

[Rams]

The video I posted has the whee;ls off the bike.

Now, I see that.   

Damn, that's the end result I'm looking for!

Now, how about that clear coating?

Rams

[Chrisj CMA]

The video I posted has the whee;ls off the bike.

Now, I see that.    

Damn, that's the end result I'm looking for!

Now, how about that clear coating?

Rams

 

Bombs Away. This was a Florida coast wheel when I got it. Rough and dull. That was almost 19 years ago and all those years in North Florida. No clear coat and it never corroded again. Bombs Away without power tools.

[Jess from VA]

I concur on Boms Away.  Best chrome/aluminum polish ever made (better than White Diamond which is also good).  It's a liquid, not a paste (a huge plus), but if you knock it over it's gone. Never seen it in any store, and you have to hunt on-line.

A good clear coat should last.  But a bad job may be a big mess on top of all your hard work.  Some folks can use rattle can with good results.  Not me.  

Painting is a whole nother skill, and a perfectly polished wheel may not be so easy to get a good stick with paint (clear coat).

Wax is all I did.  And that took off 20 percent of the new shine.  But it did stay cleaner longer.

If you commit to scrubbing off the wheels once in a while they can stay pretty polished.  Especially with two sets of wheels.

[Rams]

Appreciate the advice and feed back.
I looked for Bombs Away, that looks and sounds like the way to go.
Still looking for it.   So far, this is what I've come up with:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bombs-away
I kind of doubt that will get me to where I want to go.  

Edited: Found it.  https://wingstuff.com/products/2689-boms-away-metal-polish-sealer
Rams

[pocket aces]

Check it out here. I think this is the guy who makes it. Bombs away

https://www.captainrichardsbest.com/bomb-s-away

[Jess from VA]

The liquidy Boms Away flies off a buff wheel like water, so use very sparingly (and keep mouth closed).

Better to cut with compound, then back polish with the Boms away.

With buff wheels, the best plan is one for brown tripoli, one for white stainless/diamond, and 1-3 with nothing to clean off the compound.