How to Hand-Polish Alluminum

[fgvillegas]

Hi Guys,

I don't have any tools to polish my car's alluminum valve-cover and intake runners. I want to polish these things because there are some form of oxydation already. I tried using Glo in combination with scotch brite and 400 grit sand paper but I'm not successful. It improved very little.

I wand to make it really shiny. Are there some polishing liquid or paste that you can recommend or a process that I need to do?

Please help.

Thanks

[tscotom]

If there is any pitting (due to oxidation) in the aluminum, then that would have to be mechanically put right, meaning sanded down.

For small jobs, I use a Dremel handtool with all the possible gamut of burrs, sanding, polishing etc.,

If bigger, and I think your's is, then there are some 1/4" grinding wheels you can buy in any DIY store which you can attach to your drill, but good luck, a big handheld drill is not that handy but you can
try it. Take note though, it will oxidise after, due to the heat and all.

For Al stuff, you might want to go to a place like Swan Aluminum (in Mandaluyong, near Nueve de Pebrero? close to the PLDT cor. Libertad) which anodise extruded aluminum stuff, and they have to 'prepare' the things that they will anodise, at least they did when I used them many years ago. You can ask them to buff it first and then anodise it 'silver.'

Best of Luck.

[fgvillegas]

Thanks! :)