Polishing for dummies

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https://www.kmstools.com/blog/metal-polishing-101/

I’ve never tried this. Anybody ever tried their hand at it?

I think I still need to get a rake

Also- (hence the “for dummies”) can you wet sand with any sand paper or do you need special sand paper? I’ve seen it done and never thought to ask

I’m curious why KMS is suggesting wet sanding instead of using a DA sander. Maybe that’s ok for aluminum but not stainless?? They did say alternatively use a die grinder

 

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I tried the green wheel with a green clay bar. There was already a used green one, no need to use a new one.
Yep, gonna need a rake.
That one little burr kept me from getting that spot 100%. Now I understand why you would sand it first.

But I’ve been warned if you go too hard with sandpaper, it takes a long time to get rid of the sanding marks

 

[PeterT]

Wet sanding is often the way to go for finer grit paper, say above 600 just as a guide. It acts as a lubricant so the paper doesn't clog & reduces effort. If you visualize the aggregate coating as a teeny mountain range of sharp mountains, clogging means the valleys are filling up with native material & only the tips of the mountains are available to do actual cutting. Once those tips start becoming buried you are just ineffectively smearing material as opposed to cutting. Wet/dry paper means the paper is designed to not break down when saturated whereas ordinary sand paper can. Typical emory paper like the rolls we use for metalworking have a strong (usually cloth) backing & sharper/stronger aggregate. But those might be 220-400 grit, you don't typically see fine grits above 600/800? Anyways, they can be used dry & its not as messy.

I guess if I had to pass on a rule of thumb, I wouldn't start polishing until you have blocked it down with about 800 grit. Because it takes a lot of polishing power to get those scratches to go away. But I'm talking fine finishing or say automotive paint. If you just want to make something shiny & scratches can be lived with, go at it with the power tools. Avoid running different abrasives on the same wheel, best to keep your grits separate. A lot of polishes sold also have waxes or equivalent in them (especially in the auto world). This is different that pure cutting polish. There is nothing necessarily wrong with products that add luster simultaneously, but just know what you are using.

 

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I’d have to look but I think I have emory cloth in a couple grits, maybe 80, 120 and 180? That’s my only complaint with them is they clog fast, but it is what it is

How long would it take to block down that burr with 800 grit?

Canadian tire was next to useless for fine grit wet/dry sandpaper I’ll have to hit up a napa or body supply store then.

Does the speed matter when polishing stainless versus aluminum?

Yes sir, I knew to keep the compounds to one wheel only

On stainless- you would recommend wet sanding by hand over using a DA? I thought a DA was ok to use on aluminum to start

 

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My rake finally showed up