polishing aluminum

 

I've got an 85 Magna that I'm polishing the engine side plates/cases on.  I
know this is going to be a lot of work.  Once I get them all nice 'n shiny
I'm told to put a coat of clear lacquer on them.  Any other suggestions with
this project?  Do I use lacquer out of a spray can or have a body shop take
care of it?

thanks,

Richard

 

Richard Slay wrote:

The Japanese manufacturers use a clear urethane plastic that is very tough.
Methyl alcohol or laquer thinners won't touch it. It has to be sanded off, so
you can polish the aluminum.

You can get clear urethane in a spray can and I used some to coat a rifle
stock after sanding and restaining it. Problem with rattle cans is that
anything that will go through that little nozzle is very thin.

So, if you find some clear urethane in a can, use a paint spray gun to apply
it.

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You can get them anodized clear or any color too and the finish will stay.

 


I have recently gotten into polishing aluminum on my bike after
purchasing numerous parts from one seller on eBay.  I asked him some
question and decided to do it myself.  On of the things he told me
relating to your question is that a clear coat will eventually get a
yellowish tinge to it and lose the wonderful polish you have
achieved.  One the other hand, once polished it is easy to maintain
with you basic over the counter metal polishers.  By the way I am
assuming that you are polishing your parts with a buffer and rouge.
Another consideration is that the clear coat can get pitted and won't
look good where the polished surface can be brought back to a good
shine after being pitted.