best stuff for polishing aluminum?

paint it, polishing is a waste of time IMO

 

+1 for "Speedy"

 

white diamond works awesome,little goes a long way and not that much work and that purple stuff from california customs is great for mantaining the shine.

 

what are you all using for applicator and wipping off (cotton, baby diapers. ????)

 

We always used 3M compound and a wool buffing pad when polishing wheels! The pad will be black but it is still good for polishing later!
Metalwax.com has the stuff you are looking for that works with less effort! Cost a little more but works! Mothers Power Ball and Cone help clean the tight places too!

 

asked a mother's rep about polishing....he said for a surface,like polished americans or billett wheels,use their billet polish...i didn't even know they made that product...he said the normal mothers aluminum polish is too coarse and would leave small scratches.he said to apply the billet cleaner with a spongy cone in a cordless drill....i gotta tell ya...fastest i have ever been able to clean my wheels,and they look like new!!

 

I have always used a product called Metal Gleam, semi paste in a quart can. Was used in the boating industry for cleaning fiberglass, polishing aluminum, brass and any metal including magnesium. Best stuff i ever used. I don't believe it is available any longer. The metal gleam listed on line isn't the same stuff. Guess i will have to find something else when my last half quart is gone.

 

Mothers. A word to users is to remember that you do NOT have to rub Mothers hard as if polishing. Just lightly rub the polish back and forth until it turns really black. Then wipe it off, admire the improvement, and then move on to the next unpolished area. I was the first guy to sell Mothers east of the Mississippi. I was no pro; just a fellow rodder that called the main Mother in CA and got him to send me some cases to try to sell. Well, it went like gangbusters because it really worked very well and it held up for a long time. Still the best in my opinion. I haven't sold the product in years as the demand WAY surpassed my ability to keep up and it finally got picked up by the regular automotive product distributors.
It was really neat to folks polish my old American mags and be amazed at the results. The down side was that it worked so well that I couldn't use the same wheels for demos the next two years! Folks started old Corvette valve covers for me. It was fun to help so many folks. Even made all expenses and a few bucks extra. You can't go wrong with Mom... er, Mothers.

 

I always use lots of elbow grease.

 

I use MAAS. I've always wanted to use a mothers powerball, just don't want to buy it when I'm at the parts store

 

Purple Metal Polish!
Find it at truck stops or through Jegs.
KK

 

Wenol or Autosol - both good....

 

I use Purple on my sickles etc ........the best I've found

 

2 steps for wheels....

I have vintage 70's Splatt 5 spoke dragways on my ride, bugger to keep shiny!
They used to just get that dull oxidized look just sitting in my shed for 6 months, but NOW..


liquid Kitten #1 cut and polish... gets the black on the rag real quick!!
followed by liquid Kitten polish and wax... holds the shine for months.

 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=97179&highlight=polisher

 

You can see it here.
https://www.zephyrpro40.com/s2/Scripts/default.asp

 

^^^looked at the link - may have to try this stuff out. Thanks boldventure....

 

Weasel,

 

Best stuff and its currently what I use after years of polishing on my own cars: Speedy Polish. Never tried any of the stuff that guys at swap meet booths or shows are trying to demonstrate for you.
We were at a car show and a guy was pulling a wagon around with this stuff offering to test it on people's cars on a part they thought should look better. I had him test it on the sill plates of my 62 Monterey and was highly impressed so thats been my choice of polish for the past several years. Works awesome on SS and brass too!

 

Hands down

 

Ive tried many, but always come back to Wenol.

 

By FAR the BEST thing for Polishing Aluminum - A Dirty Dude to do it for you

 

sandblast........... then you don't have to polish

 

speedy metal polish you can find them on line located in pa great stuff try them

 

The very best ingrediant for metal polishing!!! After a while on the job they start to actually look shiney and metallic!

 

Someone else! HRP