aluminum polishing take 2-->for efnfast

[OttawaFFRer]

So I gave my F panel another shot today.

Had to get yesterdays shark hide off so I started with wet sand 1000/2000 then 3 rounds of polish ending up with a beautiful mirror finish.

It was perfection!

So then I tried sharkhide using a nice new cotton cloth.
Looks like HELL! I can't get it not to streak. I went for a second pass and that was it, trash.

I only wasted another 2 hours. I did get my spindles installed today though, just need rotors and my front is done.

I still long for a mirror finish...
Vic

[thebicman]

Are you cleaning the panels before the sharkhide? Maybe its getting contaminated by your polish.

[OttawaFFRer]

I watched the sharkhide application video, I'm not putting enough on the cloth.

Will try again tomorrow, starting with 1000 wet sand.

Lol

[efnfast]

(From the other thread)

Like I said, any type of towel, even the softest microfiber, will marr polished aluminum. I have $20 microfibers that pass a CD test with flying colors, but gently buff polished aluminum with them and it looks like *** and marrs up and needs to be re-polished. To me perfectly polished aluminum means you can put it in direct sunlight, stand 1ft from it, and you won't see anything - no marring, no nothing, just pure reflection.

Sharkhide tends to bring out the imperfections and make them more visible - on billet, brushed, and milled aluminum it's great, practically invisible. I've never been happy with it on large polished surfaces.

The fact is, the only way a huge polished aluminum piece will look to the eye (i.e., no marring) is if you polish it with a cyclo (by hand will leave marring) and then never eeeeeever touch it again. Not to sharkhide it, not wipe it down, not to do anything with it.

I polished my entire trunk, then said f-it and powerdercoat/carpetted it and havn't looked back since.

http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww89/efnfast/trunk8.jpg
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww89/efnfast/trunk4.jpg
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww89/efnfast/trunk6.jpg
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww89/efnfast/trunk7.jpg

[OttawaFFRer]

I am starting to realize how futile perfection is in the polished aluminum biz, yet I will try again.

Maybe I will lower my expectations.

This time I will not sharkhide the panel until they are all polished, I'm using the sharkhide too sparingly as I'm only doing one panel.

Efnfast, thanks for the info, I also appreciate you not referring to me using terms like idiot, stupid and moron. Because I'm sure that's what I seem after 4 hours of polishing a single panel.

Cheers
Vic

[efnfast]

To get a perfect mirror finish it does take a good 4-6hrs on each panel. (like my trunk - now that was a HUGE waste of time)

It's pretty hard to use it too sparingly - if you use too much you'll get streaks and runs - like I said, it's really better for mill/brushed/billet surfaces where it's invisible - with highly polished it brings out any flaws and it impossible to apply w/o micromarring the panel (since you have to wipe it on, and as soon as you wipe it on you'll induce marring - the only way I've ever found not to marr while polishing is to use a cyclo)

If I were doing it again, I would just do the firewall in polished aluminum, everything else powdercoated. I like either silver vein or black wrinkle.

[OttawaFFRer]

I don't mind the polishing...but the sharkhide is killing me.

3rd try on F panel, thought I'd go all out.
-1000 wet sand
-2000 wet sand
-brown tripoli
-white diamond
-red rouge
-lacquer thinner x 3
-wash with 2 drops of dish soap in 2 cups water
-let dry

Ta Da, the best mirror finish I have had yet and good enough for me

-take cotton cloth, brand new, white, perfect, like a cloth baby diaper.
-apply sharkhide
-swipe all in one direction then all in another as per online sharkhide instructions

RESULTS:
-streaks
-cloudy
-garbage

many would give up at this point, but I actually think I'm a better looking man with a bit of the coal miner motif going on, so back to step one. This time I'm going to do the firewall, it's a bigger piece and maybe easier to work with.

No one ever accused me of being smart!

[efnfast]

sharkhide will darken the metal but it shouldn't be cloudy. (unless that's what you're trying to describe.

Steaks arn't surprising because it's very hard to apply evenly - on the above surfaces i mentioned it soaks right in and you don't see any streaks (unless you over-applied it and it ran). On polished I was never happy with the outcome.

Just powerdercoat it and be done w/ it - even if you get it to where you like, you'll give up on the sharkhide and leave it as raw polished. Which will get dirty over=time and look like **** when you clean it (because of how soft the aluminum is)

[3kcarbon]

You are chasing a demon. I understand why and offer my best wishes but many have been there before. Bedliner and carpet are your friends. You may want to get to know your friends...

[efnfast]

You are chasing a demon. I understand why and offer my best wishes but many have been there before. Bedliner and carpet are your friends. You may want to get to know your friends...

Mmmm, carpet is my best friend too! =)

[3kcarbon]

Mmmm, carpet is my best friend too! =)
Truth is best learned in person... we can offer advice and best wishes but he will have to come to know the truth...

[efnfast]

Truth is best learned in person... we can offer advice and best wishes but he will have to come to know the truth...

I wonder if I'll be the only person stupid enough to ever polish every single panel =)

W0000t, polished interior, lol

http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww89/efnfast/pi4.jpg
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww89/efnfast/pi3.jpg
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww89/efnfast/pi2.jpg
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww89/efnfast/pi1.jpg

[Fifty-Two]

Efn ... for better or for worse, you sure did take "bling" to another level on that build ...

- John

[snakebit31]

Alex,
That has to be the most beautiful cockpit I've ever seen. My only comment is on a sunny day, I can hear the meat sizzling on the grill!

Rob

[Dave Smith]

This post should be promoted to a tech wiki on aluminum polishing... THAT is great work and alot of it. I remember seeing an ERA C-car in one of our early open house events. The car hood liner caught on fire when the sun was reflecting off the polished turkey pan and up onto the uunderside of his hood. It was a freak of angles and sunlight, but seeing the blistered paint made me weep. I am in AWE of the work here. I have a hot rod that needs your talent!

[efnfast]

Alex,
That has to be the most beautiful cockpit I've ever seen. My only comment is on a sunny day, I can hear the meat sizzling on the grill!

Rob

Here's an even better cockpit - why - no polished aluminum, hahahaha!

http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww89/efnfast/GEDC0866.jpg

[efnfast]

This post should be promoted to a tech wiki on aluminum polishing... THAT is great work and alot of it. I remember seeing an ERA C-car in one of our early open house events. The car hood liner caught on fire when the sun was reflecting off the polished turkey pan and up onto the uunderside of his hood. It was a freak of angles and sunlight, but seeing the blistered paint made me weep. I am in AWE of the work here. I have a hot rod that needs your talent!

Here you go:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?2368-How-to-polish-aluminum-(how-to-make-shineeee-shineeeeee)

Feel free to fly me out there to MA to polish your shineees (although to be honest I'd prefer to polish your clearcoat than aluminum, haha) - I'll work for FFR kits instead of money =)