A couple of people have asked me how I polish my parts so here it is.
The polishing is really quite simple if you have a bench grinder. Go to the hardware store and buy 3 different buffing pads (soft, medium, and hard) then get the polishing compound to go with each one.
1. First strip all of the paint off and get the metal smooth so there are no imperfections or pits. Doesn't matter if there are swirls or sanding marks, these will all come out in the first step of polishing.
2. Now use your hard pad and the blemish compound to clean it all up. Go ahead and use some pressure. After this step it will look very shiny and almost done.
3. Now use the medium compound and pad to get rid of some of the swirls from the previous step. Use medium pressure and add compound regularly. If it starts to spray on your parts, add more compound because the pad is getting dry.
4. put on the soft pad and the fine compound. This is what gives it the mirror like shine. Use very little pressure, almost feather dusting, and add compound often.
5. After the final polish I usually wash the parts in mild detergent to remove all compounds and finger marks and then polish it with Mother's mag polish to protect the finish.
These are the steps that I have found to work pretty well. It really is quite simple and gives the bike a great look for less than $20 if you already have a bench grinder. Good luck.
The polishing is really quite simple if you have a bench grinder. Go to the hardware store and buy 3 different buffing pads (soft, medium, and hard) then get the polishing compound to go with each one.
1. First strip all of the paint off and get the metal smooth so there are no imperfections or pits. Doesn't matter if there are swirls or sanding marks, these will all come out in the first step of polishing.
2. Now use your hard pad and the blemish compound to clean it all up. Go ahead and use some pressure. After this step it will look very shiny and almost done.
3. Now use the medium compound and pad to get rid of some of the swirls from the previous step. Use medium pressure and add compound regularly. If it starts to spray on your parts, add more compound because the pad is getting dry.
4. put on the soft pad and the fine compound. This is what gives it the mirror like shine. Use very little pressure, almost feather dusting, and add compound often.
5. After the final polish I usually wash the parts in mild detergent to remove all compounds and finger marks and then polish it with Mother's mag polish to protect the finish.
These are the steps that I have found to work pretty well. It really is quite simple and gives the bike a great look for less than $20 if you already have a bench grinder. Good luck.
