Is it possible to remove swirl on metal?

C

cobraa

New member
Joined
Mar 6, 2009
Messages
785
Reaction score
0
I mean is it ''scientificaly'' possible to remove layer of metal to get a clean swirl-free metal?
 
cobraa said:
I mean is it ''scientificaly'' possible to remove layer of metal to get a clean swirl-free metal?
Click to expand...

Yes I believe that what you ask is possible and in fact it is done in the jewelry trade all of the time.
 
So I have a chromed amplifier and subwoofer grill + my exhaust could get a real polish job.

Should I go see my local jewelery?
 
It all depends on what "metal" it is you are talking about, in relation to what it can and cant be polished to.

If you are talking about raw metals, as in aluminum, steel, etc, then yes. It is pretty much just limited to the amount of metal you have. If you are talking about chrome, then not so much.

The reason I say this, is because chrome itself is not really a "metal". It is a plating on the metal. This means that the chrome has a limited depth or "thickness" which is normally NOT to thick at all. It is also very hard. When you take into consideration the risk you run when trying to polish it, and the probability of striking through the plating to the metal behind it, most of the times it is not worth it.

I dont recommend trying to "polish" chrome. If you are talking about a raw metal, then polish until you get the outcome you are looking for. Hopefully are you able to understand what I am saying here.
 
acc1079 said:
It all depends on what "metal" it is you are talking about, in relation to what it can and cant be polished to.

If you are talking about raw metals, as in aluminum, steel, etc, then yes. It is pretty much just limited to the amount of metal you have. If you are talking about chrome, then not so much.

The reason I say this, is because chrome itself is not really a "metal". It is a plating on the metal. This means that the chrome has a limited depth or "thickness" which is normally NOT to thick at all. It is also very hard. When you take into consideration the risk you run when trying to polish it, and the probability of striking through the plating to the metal behind it, most of the times it is not worth it.

I dont recommend trying to "polish" chrome. If you are talking about a raw metal, then polish until you get the outcome you are looking for. Hopefully are you able to understand what I am saying here.
Click to expand...


yeah I completly forgot how chrome were made.. stupid me!!

But I could still polish my wheel's lip.
 
If they arent coated..... then GO FOR IT!!!! Thats how they got them "polished" in the first place.

We want to see some before and after pics as well!! :xyxthumbs:
 
Chrome is also very hard, especially compared to aluminum.

Polishing metal is an art unto itself but I've seen Bomber's polished out swirl-free as well as Airstream travel trailers and tanker trucks rolling down the freeway, so yes it can be done.

Once you get a scratch or scratches in chrome, there's not much you can do about them.


:)
 
I found a nice 50/50 of aluminum and would love to know if someone know the process to get to that nice swirl free finish.
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/nosdrummer91/Ferrari 360 and 430/DSC_0939-2.jpg

Also, on my SLK I got some scratches at the exhaust tips which I will try to take those out with the wool polishing ball and Menzerna Metal polish. If you got other ideas like use #0000 wool or something else that will be great.
 
The process of polishing metal is simple, use abrasives starting from coarse to fine to ultrafine. Ok, that's the simple answer. Like Mike said above, polishing metals is an art as much as it is a science. Most of the polishing is done on high speed polishers which look like bench grinders only they use hard/soft felt and hard stitched, soft stitched and loose stitched muslin wheels with various buffing/polishing pastes. It takes a lot of practice to get anywhere near good at it, and finding a gent capable of polishing up a hunk of metal with plenty of crisp details you don't want lost is quite difficult.

Your best bet is probably checking out the nearest chrome plating/aluminum anodizing outfits who have all the compounds and (hopefully) the skilled craftsmen who could handle the job.

Chromed exhaust tips that have scratches, even if not through the chrome plating cannot be fixed short of stripping the plating, polishing the base metal and then re-chroming it. Chrome plating is very hard/tough and very thin... by the time you start to sand it to remove scratches, you've most likely gone through the coating. You can use a metal polish with a rag by hand but you won't be removing the scratches, just hopefully making them less visible.

Regards

Christian
 
If stainless steel trim is what you are seeing the swirls in , then you may want to check out a thread on MOL from 2008 July 18th from Kevin Brown. Great write-up and pictures of a 57 chevy trim restoration. Not computer savy enough to post a link but its titled " m105 to polish stainless steel...wow". Hope this is of some help.

Paul S
 
It's my wheel that bug me. look at the lip.

sdc10038s.jpg
 
First you must determine if the wheel is clear coated on that lip.If it isn't then there are many metal polishes that will clean that up . Care must be taken if a product is too strong (corrosive or caustic) to keep it off of the painted spokes.If the discoloring is under a coating (which is not that uncommon) then the wheel will have to be striped and re-finished.Usually you can find wheel repair shops thru your local body shop. That would be my plan of action but I'm just a amatuer.

Paul S
 
High Polish Uncoated wheels can indeed be polished to look new and sometimes as brite as chrome. You will need several metal polishes, some wool bobs, and some stainless steel wool (quad 0). I do it on my wheels from time to time as the lip/spokes seem to always be in a state of tarnish and sealing them only helps them for a short period of time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top