about polishing

[Jokester]

So I bought some really ROUGH valve covers from a guy on the HAMB and decided to try my hand at making them shiny.  I started with emery paper and sandpapers of various grits.  Then I bought a cheapo polishing kit at Harbor Freight, one with 2 blocks of polish and 2 polishing pads that go in a drill.  What I did so far looks amazingly good I think, but I was wondering if I was doing it right.  First of all speed.  I've seen these pads on bench grinder motors before and it seems they run a lot faster than I've been running the drill.  Which works better, faster or slower?  Next is pressure.  Should I lean on it pretty hard when polishing the covers, or is a lighter touch more desirable?  Finally, how do you clean out the pads when they load up?

Thanks for any input.

.bjb

[WZ JUNK]

So I bought some really ROUGH valve covers from a guy on the HAMB and decided to try my hand at making them shiny.  I started with emery paper and sandpapers of various grits.  Then I bought a cheapo polishing kit at Harbor Freight, one with 2 blocks of polish and 2 polishing pads that go in a drill.  What I did so far looks amazingly good I think, but I was wondering if I was doing it right.  First of all speed.  I've seen these pads on bench grinder motors before and it seems they run a lot faster than I've been running the drill.  Which works better, faster or slower?  Next is pressure.  Should I lean on it pretty hard when polishing the covers, or is a lighter touch more desirable?  Finally, how do you clean out the pads when they load up?

Thanks for any input.

.bjb

I think you are generally on the right track.  You are right in that a little faster speed of the wheel will help but all that a slower speed means is that it will take longer.  The whole process is just an abrasive operation.  The slicker you can get it with sandpaper, the less buffing you will have to do.  If you experiment a little on a small area, you can usually figure out what is the best approach.

I use a buffing rake to clean the wheels.  It looks like a piece of coarse tooth hand saw blade.  Before I bought a rake, I used and old hole saw blade.  If you do this, be careful and apply it to the bottom front of the wheel so that it is pulling away from you.  Just hold it against the wheel lightly so that it cleans out the pad.

Do not apply a lot of compound at a time.  If you use a rag to clean off the extra compound that accumulates on the piece as you go it cleans off easier.  When it cools, it really sticks.

John

[UGLY OLDS]

If you have a "Garage sale" electric motor laying around , ACE has the mandrel  that will go on the motors shaft & accept polishing wheels ...
( Also avail at ACE but less $$$ elsewhere ) ... Bolt the motor base to a piece of 2" angle iron ..Mount the angle iron in your vice & polish away..  
You will be polishing for about $15.00 ....

  Do like John says & give the spinning wheel some respect .... Also get the part as "smooth" as possible before hitting the wheel ..( I end up with  400 grit wet/dry sandpaper & WD-40 as a lubricant before I start to polish ..)


Let the compounds do the work ... Oh.....A Face Shield & some type of an "apron" are a necessity when doing this type of work ...Some leather gloves with gauntlents help also.. And a particle mask ..You will find polishing to be rewarding but an absolutely filthy job .



Bob.....

[Fift4fe]

I use an old large tooth recip saw blade to clean the wheel, you can hold on to each side of the blade and move it back and forth.  Be careful

[Leon]

Keep the part moving, don't try to polish one spot too long or you can cause a waviness in the part.

[Uncle Bob]

Good suggestions all, especially about respecting the wheel.  Do enough polishing and eventually you learn about the wheel grabbing the work piece.

I use a glove made from soft, somewhat fluffy cotton, with gaunlet style.  It is a messy process.  This type of glove is comfortable and handy.  To clean up the waxy, black residue, keep a small tub of corn starch nearby.  I dip the fingers of the glove in the tub and rub off small patches of deposit, they come right off with a light rub, easier than a plain rag.  For larger deposits a terry towel dipped in the corn starch works.

[Inprimer]

Been polishing stuff for a while IMO a bench mounted motor is the way to go.  I have a dbl shaft buffing motor.I just picked up a spitoon ?? at the recycle center my big $3.00 investment. I started by cleaning it up with a cleaner,  Simple Green or compr. There are about 6 diff compounds that you can use, obviously rough to finish. I found that time is your best friend, in other words don't hurry. Since in this case brass will deteriorate by eventual oxidation I just use car wax and the shine will last for a long while.    PS  I also clean the item between compounds with SG  to aid in clearing the surface of the debris brought to the surface by the compound

[chimp koose]

I have limited experience with polishing but I really like AutoSol polish.

[Jokester]

Thanks for all the tips guys.  These are some old valve covers with no name or identification anywhere.  The casting is full of pits and flaws, but they are going to look way cool when I'm done.

.bjb