Polishing aluminum?

[Silv03]

Question? I have a flex and plan on polishing 7 aluminum gas tanks and other aluminum parts on very big tow trucks, what pads and polish would work best for this process? And would the flex 3401 work for this?

I didn't get pics of the tow trucks so i attached an example of what size of tow truck im talking about and gas tanks, also the they want all the wheels polished as well is it possible to get a flex in there or should it be done by hand?

Thanks,
Daniel

 

[sgtmillhouse648]

The front wheels would be easy. The tank will be a little tougher, but will be a lot easier if you remove the steps. The rear is a bit of a pain though. Something like the mother's powerball would make it a lot easier.

As for pads, generally i've used wool pads with aluminum with a rotary, and for a polish, really anything from some sort of mag polish to a liquid like brasso works great. I am a big fan of brasso from work on polishing wheels.

 

[cfd135]

Here's a link to a job I did recently.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/26490-2007-peterbilt-379-tow-truck.html

Wool pads and any commercially available metal polish will work. You can finish up with a foam pad or by hand, as the wool will leave swirls. The wheels can be done by hand, wool pad, or I sometimes use an air powered 3" DA polisher.
If the aluminum is in bad shape, a wet sand and rouge will be in order. That is a complicated and messy process.

Good luck!

 

[Silv03]

Here's a link to a job I did recently.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/26490-2007-peterbilt-379-tow-truck.html

Wool pads and any commercially available metal polish will work. You can finish up with a foam pad or by hand, as the wool will leave swirls. The wheels can be done by hand, wool pad, or I sometimes use an air powered 3" DA polisher.
If the aluminum is in bad shape, a wet sand and rouge will be in order. That is a complicated and messy process.

Good luck!

WOW!!

What did i get myself into!!!!

You did one heck of job on that beast!

Here's my problem, i don't have a rotary just a flex and a bunch of foam pads and i scheduled to do this in a couple of days. What would you guys do pass on it? As for pay would you charge by the hour?

 

[cfd135]

If the truck is newer and the metal is in good shape, the Flex should be fine. Use a cutting pad, and again clean up with a finishing pad or by hand. Figuring out what to charge is a challenge itself. You could give a ballpark estimate based on a minimum amount of time, with a trigger to bump up the fee. Expect your first few jobs to take longer until you discover your own methodical routine.