staying busy

Now to finish the hubs and rims using wax and a scotch-brite pad.


The darker one is finished, and the lighter one is before waxing. You aggressively rub the wax into the aluminum using the scotch-brite pad. It gives a great brushed look, and the wax helps prevent oxidation. It will need occasionally reapplied to keep them looking good, but easier to maintain than a full polish.


While the hubs and rims are more of a satin finish, some of the other aluminum parts are getting a shiny polish. Here is how I did the top fork clamp. I had already stripped the paint, and then smoothed most of the casting flash with an angle grinder using a flapper wheel. Now to use a die grinder and sanding drum, but the drums I have are too course to use.


I cut  strips of 800 grit paper.


The strip is duct taped in place, keeping in mind the direction it spins.




You can tell when it is worn down when the duct tape starts leaving a gray residue, then replace the paper.


This leaves a finish nearly ready to polish.


The part after hitting it with the die grinder. This works nice for parts with a lot of curves, but not flat surfaces.


Next is to wet sand with dish soap, getting into tight areas the die grinder wouldn't fit. You can wrap the end of a small piece of wooden dowel rod with sand paper, or wrap the paper around a scotch-brite pad to get the little nooks and crannies as best as possible. I used 400 grit in a few spots, but always finished with 800.


After wet sanding.


Now to polish using Autosol and an old t-shirt.


Shiny! It isn't a pro job, but looks pretty decent for not a whole lot of work.