[revspan]

I am going to be polishing some aluminum angle that I got for thresh holds on my truck project. I am going to polish them, and was wondering if anyone has any ideas on doing the polishing. The material I got looks like it might need some minor sanding to get the extrusion marks out. Anyone have recommendations?

[swvalcon]

Sand it just like you would a clear coat paint working up to a real fine grit like 1500. Best to use a da sander but you could do it by hand all depends on your arm. Then buff with rubbing compound untill you get the gloss you want with a buffer. I've done semi tanks and wheels this way. Expect to get kind of dirty and have black compound grit all over you.

[hp246]

You don't mention the thickness, but if it is real thin it helps to use wood screws and screw it down to a piece of plywood or 1 X 2. When you are buffing, it will help keep the stuff from twisting.

[1971BB427]

There are also some polishing compounds that will help get it looking really great once you get down to the final polish. Get a polish for aluminum and apply it to the metal before buffing.

[boatbob2]

I had a part made of aluminum that i had to polish all the time,i finally made a part of S/S,polished it 1 time,and it still looks good.

[1971BB427]

Stainless is so nice when polished, but also really hard to get to that level of finish. I've found the new chrome powder coating looks very nice, or clear powder coating over polished aluminum to keep it looking new.

[revspan]

thanks for the advice. After thinking about it, I am going to fit to size and then powder coat. Seems like it is a much easier solution with low maintenance..