What's the best sealant to use on polished aluminum?

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grampi

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I'm going to be polishing a set of aluminum wheels here soon. As much as I love the mirrored look of freshly polished aluminum, we all know how quickly that finish oxidizes and dulls if left unsealed. I've been looking into permanent sealants for polished aluminum and I've found a few so far, but having never used any of them, I don't know how well they work. So far I've found Sharkhide, and Shineseal. I would prefer a product that you wipe on rather than spraying on because I don't want to have to deal with overspray, and the product should not alter the look of the polished surface. What are your thoughts?
 
I've used wheel sealants but I find they tend to cloud the finish and make it look less of a mirror finish.

I used Opticoat on a set and I was very excited to see how great they looked after they were done. The coating was crystal clear and they will look great for a long time to come.

If you want to use something else look into Blackfire metal sealant or Wolfgang metal sealant
 
Twister said:
I've used wheel sealants but I find they tend to cloud the finish and make it look less of a mirror finish.

I used Opticoat on a set and I was very excited to see how great they looked after they were done. The coating was crystal clear and they will look great for a long time to come.

If you want to use something else look into Blackfire metal sealant or Wolfgang metal sealant
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How are these products applied, sprayed or wiped on?
 
After doing a quick search I found out that Opticoat is actually formulated as a paint sealer, and isn't actually meant to be applied to bare metal. I don't know if this has any bearing on how well it will or won't work for this application, but I suppose those who have used it for this can attest with their experiences...
 
grampi said:
After doing a quick search I found out that Opticoat is actually formulated as a paint sealer, and isn't actually meant to be applied to bare metal. I don't know if this has any bearing on how well it will or won't work for this application, but I suppose those who have used it for this can attest with their experiences...
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When I posted the question Chris said it would work just fine on aluminum. I tried it and was extremely happy. I coated the wheels in October and they are just fine and look as good as they did the day I polished them. The TA in my avatar picture was my daily driver and I had them polished for years. It was always a pain to keep them looking good but I polished nearly every week just to keep them looking like a mirror

I'm getting polished wheels for my truck and will be costing them with Opticoat.
 
Most metal sealants I have seen take away that "POP" that freshly polished aluminum has. I do aluminum polishing on the side, as well as detailing.... Most big rigs.... I have tried afew sealants because I drive a fully polished Peterbilt everday and have tried to keep the aluminum decent in the winter. All sealants I have tried dissappointed me.. Might have to try opticoat
 
chaotik said:
Most metal sealants I have seen take away that "POP" that freshly polished aluminum has. I do aluminum polishing on the side, as well as detailing.... Most big rigs.... I have tried afew sealants because I drive a fully polished Peterbilt everday and have tried to keep the aluminum decent in the winter. All sealants I have tried dissappointed me.. Might have to try opticoat
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I have polished aluminium wheels. Same thing here. I can get them looking amazing but sealing them takes away some of the shine. It sucks cause aluminum gets dirty quick. And the shine without sealant is amazing...
 
I have used the wolfgangs metal selant and had good results. jonathan
 
Twister said:
When I posted the question Chris said it would work just fine on aluminum. I tried it and was extremely happy. I coated the wheels in October and they are just fine and look as good as they did the day I polished them. The TA in my avatar picture was my daily driver and I had them polished for years. It was always a pain to keep them looking good but I polished nearly every week just to keep them looking like a mirror

I'm getting polished wheels for my truck and will be costing them with Opticoat.
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So the Opticoat didn't diminish the shine at all?
 
grampi said:
So the Opticoat didn't diminish the shine at all?
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Not one bit. I've got a set of Torq Thrust II caps at the house the ill pull out and polish and coat this weekend while I'm watching football. I'll take some detailed pics and post up
 
On my factory viper rims they come with a clear andoize over the mirror polished finish. Maybe look into having them clear andoized.

I'm currently looking into some wheel waxes to help keep them looking good and keep the brake dust off.

Anyone recommend anything?
 
Anyone know a good metal polisher on Long Island? I've tried polishing my wheels multiple times and can't seem to get the shine that I am looking for. Would love to get them polished and then clear coated!
 
Derek Short said:
On my factory viper rims they come with a clear andoize over the mirror polished finish. Maybe look into having them clear andoized.

I'm currently looking into some wheel waxes to help keep them looking good and keep the brake dust off.

Anyone recommend anything?
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IMO....Good advice you gave on getting polished/bare aluminum wheels "clear-anodized".

The advantage of a anodized coating is its durability and longer life, being very UV resistant. The disadvantage of anodizing is it's not very chemical resistance to thing like acids, even acid rain, 'harsh-wheel-cleaners', and other environmental hazards.
The beauty of anodizing is the ease of care/maintenance in preventing these acid attacks.
You, no doubt, already know all of this.

My regimen:
For clear-anodized aluminum surfaces (as well as those that are bare/polished)....After a thorough cleaning with P21S/S100 Wheel Cleaners, or similar "safe for all wheels" cleaner, I'll use polymer sealants/hybrids instead of a "pure wax" (carnuba). Since carnuba is considered an organic product, its protective properties will dissipate at faster rate than polymer sealants/hybrids (which may have some carnuba also)....Or as the story goes, it's been said.

My polymer sealants/hybrids of choice are:
-3M Perfect-It Show Car Paste Wax
-Meguiars #20 Polymer Sealant
-Meguiars #21 Synthetic Sealant
-Wheel Wax
-Meguiars #26 Hi-Tech Yellow Wax (paste/liquid)
-Menzerna Power Lock Polymer Sealant


I'm sure there are many others that will perform as well.


:)

Bob
 
the wolfgang metal sealant is acrylic sealant. When i used it,i did not notice any dimished look and wonder if i had put anything on it. I was pleased with the ease of use. And it seams to have held up well.
I have opti coated my chrome rims an like the ease of clean up on them. Both seam to work well. Jonathan
 
Let me clarify -

Wolfgang Metal Sealant works great.

But on bare aluminum that is polished from Fine Polish to the Concours Polish it takes a good amount of shine away. If you don't polish it to the concours polish or similar you may only notice a small amount of shine reduced.

As far as other metals like chrome - there should be no difference.
 
So far it sounds like Optiseal doesn't diminish the shine at all, while the Wolfgang does slightly....
 
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