Polishing Body Tub

Polishing Body Tub

Author
Discussion

Chrisp5782

Original Poster:

630 posts

137 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2014
quotequote all
Hi,

I'm planning on polishing up the bare aluminium on my Caterham and was wondering if anyone had any top tips or knows of a product to make the job slightly less labour intensive?

I've got to do the whole body tub so I can see it being a fairly lengthy and unpleasant experience!?

snapper seven

713 posts

213 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2014
quotequote all
I seem to recall Mothers Mag & Aluminium polish and Belgom have been mentioned positively a few times in the past.

Also I think many say polish using a forward and backward motion rather than round and round if you see what I mean.

Prepare for some arm ache!

Cheers
SS

Farlig

632 posts

151 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2014
quotequote all

Chrisp5782

Original Poster:

630 posts

137 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2014
quotequote all
Farlig said:
That's amazing!!!!

I wasn't after a finish quite that good but now I've seen it...............see you in January '15 when I finally come out the garage!

Farlig

632 posts

151 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2014
quotequote all
Chrisp5782 said:
..see you in January '15 when I finally come out the garage!
Have fun!!

KN02LEY

72 posts

118 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2014
quotequote all
They used to use this stuff on EE Lightnings

Wadpol

john7

267 posts

215 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2014
quotequote all
I've used various including the ones mentioned above however I found that Autoglym Metal Polish is probably my current choice. It doesn't 'shine' as much as the others but it does add a little more of a protective coat to make the shine last that little bit longer. It take me about 4 hours to polish the ally using a soft paper towel to apply, soft paper towel to rub off and a soft cloth to finish and achieve a super finish. It's a labour of love.biggrin

Chrisp5782

Original Poster:

630 posts

137 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2014
quotequote all
Well there seems to be plenty of options out there, I'll give it a go this weekend while she's at work and report back the results (if anyone's interested of course!?)

mickrick

3,700 posts

172 months

Thursday 24th July 2014
quotequote all
What condition is your tub in at the moment?

If it has the factory brushed finish, you will need to take that down first. Polishing will highlight any imperfections, so you need to nib those out first.

If you're a saddo like me, you'll find it very therapeutic smile

Chrisp5782

Original Poster:

630 posts

137 months

Thursday 24th July 2014
quotequote all
mickrick said:
What condition is your tub in at the moment?

If it has the factory brushed finish, you will need to take that down first. Polishing will highlight any imperfections, so you need to nib those out first.

If you're a saddo like me, you'll find it very therapeutic smile
Your car looks amazing, it must have taken forever, even with a machine!

Farlig

632 posts

151 months

Thursday 24th July 2014
quotequote all
Chrisp5782 said:
Your car looks amazing, it must have taken forever, even with a machine!
You should see his boat project - even more amazing (if you like that sort of thing of course!!!)
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
A bloody good read too anyway wink

Oh and last I saw he's looking for a bike project so I guess we'll never see Nuvite II finished - eh Mick??laugh


Edited by Farlig on Thursday 24th July 15:45

mickrick

3,700 posts

172 months

Thursday 24th July 2014
quotequote all
Thanks for the kind comments. smile
Farlig, what you don´t know, is that in between my 8 year house resto, (we're finally in!) the boat, and Nuvite II, I have managed to fit in a bike project and finished it wink
So I have space for another project hehe
You have to line the projects up, so you can flit between them at leisure. people are so impatient these days, no sooner you start something, folks want to see it finished! wink

Anyway, back on topic, OP I would recommend you go over the tub with 3M super fine, and micro fine foam pads before polishing. This will remove the original grain effect of the alloy skin.
As for polish, my favourite is a clue in the linked thread wink I also use fleece material for polishing, as normal cotton body shop cloth tends to scratch the soft aluminium.
Good luck with it, and ahem... we like pictures wink

Regards,
Mick.

Farlig

632 posts

151 months

Thursday 24th July 2014
quotequote all
Haha - well done - where´s that documented then - could do with a good thread project to get stuck into... Got a bit of a bike project ongoing myself just now too - plus house renovations so I know where you´re at!!
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/h2se586k2mker3y/AAAoA5s...
Anyway better stop there as it´s turning into a jack!!

OP - take heed of Mick´s advice and enjoy the labour!

Chrisp5782

Original Poster:

630 posts

137 months

Friday 25th July 2014
quotequote all


The polishing mission hasn't started yet but here it is. I'm very pleased with it despite a few battery woes!

mickrick

3,700 posts

172 months

Saturday 26th July 2014
quotequote all
That'll look a treat with a bit of elbow grease wink I would definitely use the 3M pads first. Anything the pads wont get out, you can use a bit of 220 aluminium oxide paper first, followed by the super fine, then micro fine pads.
Black and alloy go well together IMO. smile