Triumphrat

IamNeighbordave · 02-11-2006

A fellow Triumph rider here in UP-State NY removed the paint and polished many of the aluminum parts on his Legend and it looks hot.

My question is I have never done this and would like to know how.

What do you have to tell me about Polishing the Aluminum on my bike.

Wombat · 02-11-2006

Being a British bike, the parts are 'ALUMINIUM'...not aluminum.

:razz: :razz:

parrycm · 02-11-2006

When I inadvertently used a degreaser on my hot engine and etched the ally engine covers, I bought a polishing wheel for my drill and the polishing compound from Home Depot. I was able to do a reasonable job but I plan on getting and using better tools for the next time.

I just got this from my club website:- you might find it useful.

"Fun in the Buff -

The procedure was very simple, What's required is a bench grinder with a couple buffing wheels and polishing compound. The 6" grinder will do. The job mostly takes time but the affect is stunning when the you're done. While a 1/2 hp grinder is best a 1/3 hp will do. The remaining supplies are available from a variety of sources.

The best place for buffing supplies is a specialty industrial supplier like Sandpaper of Texas. They have everything you need and can provide advice and guidance. Sears or a complete builder supply company are other options. Buy at least 2 spiral sewn buffing wheels and one loose cotton polishing wheel. The buffing wheels are stiff spiral sewn cotton buffs. If items are really bad you might want to look into a special highly abrasive wheel called a sisal. This is a coarse buff that is used more for cutting than polishing. The polishing wheel is a loose section cotton wheel made with the same material as the sewn buffs but the leaves are not sewn together. It's much softer.

Buy a package of polishing compounds. Get at least 2 grades. One for cutting and one for color. They come in different colors. Usually brown, black & white indicating cutting power.

The procedure is to mount the sewn buff on the grinder so that the buff threads are closed to the spin. This keeps small threads from hooking and marring the surface. Next apply the compound to the buff and then press the aluminum piece or work against the buff. Wear some gloves since the piece will get hot and might slip. You don't need to hold the work very hard as that will slow down the motor. The polishing is done by light pressure and abrasives. Keep the work moving as you don't want to dig a hole into the piece being polished.
Only use one type of polishing compound with any one buff. When you change polishing compounds, change buffs. If a buff gets too dirty, simply hold the side of a screw driver of flat edge against it to scrape off some soot and excess compound.

When you are done, you will have a lot of shiny parts but there will be a caked on greasy mess where the buff deposited some compound and residual aluminum. Don't try to wash this off with soapy water. This will only tarnish the aluminum since some soaps are caustic. Use some Simichrome polish here. As the metal is removed it turns black so don't be concerned with the color change.

When all the big parts are done you may still have nooks and crannies that need additional work. A Dremel motor with similar polishing wheels and cotton pads works good here.

Think Safety! The process throws a lot of soot around and it can be dangerous. Wear a small dust mask to keep from breathing soot. Wear safety glasses and I recommend a small face shield. Wear close fitting
work gloves. Keep your work area clean from debris and be prepared to clean it up after your done. If you can do this outside, even better. It's messy. The job can be fairly messy and a bit dangerous if you are not careful. Mostly, it's logical and common sense will dictate your approach.

Respect the power of the grinder and always hold your work so that the buff is turning away from you and you won't have a problem.

Edited from the Internet"

TBS-cafe · 02-16-2006

Great info on polishing ALU. BUT! As an ex-machinist, I must add that you should never wear any kind of gloves while using any kind of power tools or machines. I know, It's just a bench grinder, but if you have ever seen the results of clothing getting caught in machinery you'll know why I am saying this.
Using these tight fitting gloves is a recent trend that I think has grown out of the auto mechanics trade, but all machinists know better. I've had to hand a man his index finger wrapped in a paper towel, and I've heard men much tougher than I scream like little girls. The gloves may prevent small cuts, gouges and burns, but skin tears away easily. Fabric, especially the strong stuff that these gloves are made out of will draw an entire hand or limb into the action, usually resulting in bone, ligament, tendon, and muscle damage.
Just by chance I saw an episode of Unique Whips, or maybe it was American Chopper where this very thing happened! A guy was wearing these very tight mechanics gloves, went over to drill one measly little hole at the drill press.....and wham, the glove gets caught and it got ugly quick. Off to the hospital he goes. Much much worse than the small cut he might have received had the piece spun (because he didn't clamp it which is another no no).

Sorry to be morbid or alarmist, I'm just trying to prevent carnage.
Polish Away!

benthepaint · 02-16-2006

I second TBS-cafe on not wearing gloves when using machinery like bench drills, buffers and grinders,
Nasty injuries when it goes wrong.

Ben
.. :hammer: :hammer:
:yayyy: . :yayyy:

jimmyj900 · 02-16-2006

Quote:

Great info on polishing ALU. BUT! As an ex-machinist, I must add that you should never wear any kind of gloves while using any kind of power tools or machines.

ALSO... Remove all jewelery! Rings, wrist-watches and necklaces can all cause severe injuries when working around power tools.

I've seen a couple of fingers stripped to the bone and a ring melted into a finger after getting between a wrench and a battery terminal.

Cowardice is a virtue sometimes.... :-D

Jim

parrycm · 02-16-2006

I lifted that text whole and pasted it here but yes, I would agree about not wearing gloves. It's never occurred to me to wear gloves when doing this type of work.