Polishing question

boost d3vil · 07-09-2009, 11:27 PM

I have a few questions about polishing some of my engine parts to include the IMs, throttle body, IC pipes, ect.

What are some good tools to use for the sanding part instead of the usual wet/dry sandpaper and elbow grease. I've read to use die grinders but not sure if my air compressor is big enough to run one. They use a lot of air from what I've seen. How about electric die grinders are they worth it?

Also I have a bench grinder w/ the buffing wheels I will be using with the metal polish but is there some type of sanding wheel I could put on there?

Just trying to shorten the amount of time it takes to go through the sanding stages.

Thanks for any tips.

rotorhead87 · 07-10-2009, 12:29 AM

Hate to break it to ya, but the majority of sanding is gonna be based on elbow grease. What I did to all my aluminum parts was started off lightly with a 60 grit just to knock down all the rough casting and eventually work my way up to the finer grits. I used a black&decker mouse hand sander and a dremel tool w/ the extension for every opportunity I could use them. I generally stayed away from stronger tools for polishing because theres a good possibility for creating flat spots or gashing the aluminum. Overall its just going to take a bit of time and patience, but it'll come out really nice if done right.

boost d3vil · 07-10-2009, 09:56 AM

Yeah I hear ya. I'll just work up through the grits then and use a dremel or something when I can.

Project10AE · 07-10-2009, 12:13 PM

I just use power tools (die grinder, dremel, etc) to get off stuff like casting marks, seams, etc... after that I usually hit it with the blast cabinet to knock down and even out the finish... after that its all about the elbow grease until its time to actually polish.

Hence why I have started just smoothing out parts and having them powdercoated... SOOO much easier than trying to get a perfect polish finish and none of the maintenance of having to re-polish / clean spots off of polished things.

WE3RX7 · 07-10-2009, 03:16 PM

Agreed - I use to hand polish things all the time, but learned that getting them prepped for polishing and then just powdercoating them turns out really well...

Actually, I once powdercoated some polished parts, that was a PERFECT finish..

Garfinkles Motor Works · 07-10-2009, 09:42 PM

I use both air and electric die grinders .I think the electric one comes in handy alot of the time .Well worth the money for me .Let me think ,have I ever polished any parts ?

boost d3vil · 07-11-2009, 12:49 PM

What type of sanding accessories are best for the die grinders? I can only find like small 2 inch discs at the local home depot and they only go to 120 grit I believe. Where as the dremel has all sorts of sanding accessories that go up to 320 I believe and their small for hard to reach spots.

Project10AE · 07-11-2009, 08:50 PM

I had to go to autozone / northern tools to find some of the 3m sanding discs and the adapter they come with to fit into a rotary tool...

boost d3vil · 07-14-2009, 01:49 PM

Here are some pics of my first attempt at polishing. I've sanded from 320 all the way through 1500 and used about 2-3 ounces of my 4 ounce tube of tripoly. I'm going back over with white rouge but isn't it suppose to be really shiney even after tripoly. I must have done something wrong?

Here's my dirty wheel lol

Project10AE · 07-14-2009, 04:14 PM

Dosen't really seem like you spent enough time working up through the sanding phase from the pics...

boost d3vil · 07-14-2009, 04:34 PM

so I need to go back over it and sand some more

Project10AE · 07-14-2009, 04:45 PM

it should all be a smooth matte finish on its own before you even have to polish. all those spots where you see dark spots (that arent a shadow) are where it isn't evenly sanded.

I'd start around 800grit and sand until you have a uniform finish... then go up from there. when i get over 1000 i usually just skip 1500 and all that and just wetsand it with 1000+ until it is all uniform. Its not so much about the 'polishing' as it is about the 'smoothing'...

boost d3vil · 07-14-2009, 05:16 PM

ok cool thanks for the advice I'll try again.

FDSeoul · 07-14-2009, 05:58 PM

I have found that using a dremel with various bit heads to removed the cast lines and then a series of sandpaper has given me the best results
here are some pictures.

FDSeoul · 07-14-2009, 06:06 PM

here is a picture of a cross pipe after 150grit

after 1500 grit wet sanding and hand polish

recent e-bay picture

07-09-2009, 11:27 PM	#1
boost d3vil Rotary Fan in Training Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 31 Rep Power: 0	Polishing question I have a few questions about polishing some of my engine parts to include the IMs, throttle body, IC pipes, ect. What are some good tools to use for the sanding part instead of the usual wet/dry sandpaper and elbow grease. I've read to use die grinders but not sure if my air compressor is big enough to run one. They use a lot of air from what I've seen. How about electric die grinders are they worth it? Also I have a bench grinder w/ the buffing wheels I will be using with the metal polish but is there some type of sanding wheel I could put on there? Just trying to shorten the amount of time it takes to go through the sanding stages. Thanks for any tips.

07-10-2009, 12:29 AM	#2
rotorhead87 Rotors > Pistons Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Port Saint Lucie, Florida Posts: 316 Rep Power: 17	Hate to break it to ya, but the majority of sanding is gonna be based on elbow grease. What I did to all my aluminum parts was started off lightly with a 60 grit just to knock down all the rough casting and eventually work my way up to the finer grits. I used a black&decker mouse hand sander and a dremel tool w/ the extension for every opportunity I could use them. I generally stayed away from stronger tools for polishing because theres a good possibility for creating flat spots or gashing the aluminum. Overall its just going to take a bit of time and patience, but it'll come out really nice if done right. __________________ *UPDATED 06/15/2009* Check out My VMIC Turbo 13B-RE FC3S build

07-14-2009, 05:58 PM	#14
FDSeoul it's smoking Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 210 Rep Power: 17	I have found that using a dremel with various bit heads to removed the cast lines and then a series of sandpaper has given me the best results here are some pictures. __________________ if it's smoking then it's working Last edited by FDSeoul; 07-14-2009 at 06:03 PM.

07-14-2009, 06:06 PM	#15
FDSeoul it's smoking Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 210 Rep Power: 17	here is a picture of a cross pipe after 150grit after 1500 grit wet sanding and hand polish recent e-bay picture __________________ if it's smoking then it's working Last edited by FDSeoul; 07-14-2009 at 06:12 PM.

07-10-2009, 09:56 AM	#3
boost d3vil Rotary Fan in Training Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 31 Rep Power: 0	Yeah I hear ya. I'll just work up through the grits then and use a dremel or something when I can.

07-10-2009, 12:13 PM	#4
Project10AE Rotary Fan in Training Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Upstate SC Posts: 42 Rep Power: 0	I just use power tools (die grinder, dremel, etc) to get off stuff like casting marks, seams, etc... after that I usually hit it with the blast cabinet to knock down and even out the finish... after that its all about the elbow grease until its time to actually polish. Hence why I have started just smoothing out parts and having them powdercoated... SOOO much easier than trying to get a perfect polish finish and none of the maintenance of having to re-polish / clean spots off of polished things.

07-10-2009, 03:16 PM	#5
WE3RX7 RCC Addict Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: VA Posts: 1,812 Rep Power: 19	Agreed - I use to hand polish things all the time, but learned that getting them prepped for polishing and then just powdercoating them turns out really well... Actually, I once powdercoated some polished parts, that was a PERFECT finish..

07-10-2009, 09:42 PM	#6
Garfinkles Motor Works RCC Contributor Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 535 Rep Power: 18	I use both air and electric die grinders .I think the electric one comes in handy alot of the time .Well worth the money for me .Let me think ,have I ever polished any parts ?

07-11-2009, 12:49 PM	#7
boost d3vil Rotary Fan in Training Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 31 Rep Power: 0	What type of sanding accessories are best for the die grinders? I can only find like small 2 inch discs at the local home depot and they only go to 120 grit I believe. Where as the dremel has all sorts of sanding accessories that go up to 320 I believe and their small for hard to reach spots.

07-11-2009, 08:50 PM	#8
Project10AE Rotary Fan in Training Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Upstate SC Posts: 42 Rep Power: 0	I had to go to autozone / northern tools to find some of the 3m sanding discs and the adapter they come with to fit into a rotary tool...

07-14-2009, 01:49 PM	#9
boost d3vil Rotary Fan in Training Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 31 Rep Power: 0	Here are some pics of my first attempt at polishing. I've sanded from 320 all the way through 1500 and used about 2-3 ounces of my 4 ounce tube of tripoly. I'm going back over with white rouge but isn't it suppose to be really shiney even after tripoly. I must have done something wrong? Here's my dirty wheel lol

07-14-2009, 04:14 PM	#10
Project10AE Rotary Fan in Training Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Upstate SC Posts: 42 Rep Power: 0	Dosen't really seem like you spent enough time working up through the sanding phase from the pics...

07-14-2009, 04:34 PM	#11
boost d3vil Rotary Fan in Training Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 31 Rep Power: 0	so I need to go back over it and sand some more

07-14-2009, 04:45 PM	#12
Project10AE Rotary Fan in Training Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Upstate SC Posts: 42 Rep Power: 0	it should all be a smooth matte finish on its own before you even have to polish. all those spots where you see dark spots (that arent a shadow) are where it isn't evenly sanded. I'd start around 800grit and sand until you have a uniform finish... then go up from there. when i get over 1000 i usually just skip 1500 and all that and just wetsand it with 1000+ until it is all uniform. Its not so much about the 'polishing' as it is about the 'smoothing'...

07-14-2009, 05:16 PM	#13
boost d3vil Rotary Fan in Training Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 31 Rep Power: 0	ok cool thanks for the advice I'll try again.