How to polish that part, for beginners

[cruz del sur]

" Mirror finishes take extreme amounts of commitment, we're talking obsessive compulsive here."

Ooops, that is definetly not me.

What happens if you clear coat it??

After this I won't bug you again

Thanks for the info and the advise!!!

 

[Escobarclan]

Mike you're not bothering me at all. Ask away! That's why I started this post.

Clear coating is fine, we don't do that in my shop so I can't even refer a good brand, but...........

When you clear coat, you are sealing in a finish, which is good, but you are also creating a barrier against touching up flaws. What if you put on a coat and 4 months later your parts begin to oxidize? A microscopic hole is all it takes for air and moisture to get in.

COMING SOON to Escobar Polishing Co.!!

POWDERCOATING !!!!

Yeah baby, we're doing it all!

 

[cruz del sur]

Thank you Mr. Escobar :0)

 

[Guest]

Great thread. Very useful info.

Tell me, what are you using to polish the tiny cracks and crevices...like float bowls, etc.? I bought some felt tips and cones for my die grinder, but none of them are small enough to get in alot of places.

 

[Escobarclan]

Great question, the answer is..........send the part to me! LOL, sorry.

No really, for hard to get areas you can do these easy things:

1) For rough (like Emery grit) hard to get areas:

Go to a hardware store or the 'crafts' section at Wal-mart, buy (dirt cheap) some round cut wooden sticks just a hair smaller than pencil size for die-grinders, half that for dremels (I think we buy 3/8 and 3/16).

Cut the sticks with a pair of dikes or shears into 2-3 inch lengths, mount one into your dremel or die-grinder, then using a rough file or sand paper (concrete works wonders too) grind the end of the stick into a cone or round shape depending on the kind of crevice you're polishing. This will take only a minute or two.

When the shape is achieved, touch the stick against the compound (if it melts from the friction it's even better). Then just go to town on that part!

2) For finer polishing to 'coloring':

Get some cue-tips, attach them to a dremel (you'll have to cut the 'shaft' of the cue-tip very short because it bends too easily and you may have to wrap tape around the stick to make it bigger for the dremel 'jaw'. Medical cue-tips are the best and last longer. A variable dremel with slower speeds will be more effective too.

If your grit is too rough, you'll notice the cue-tip will come apart faster, but no problem. Take a few cue-tips and hold them one by one over a lighter flame only close enough to where you can see the strands shrinking (you'll have to experiment on the shrinkage amount, I can't describe it). What this does is tightens the tip 'weave'. Then just spin the tip on some compound and you're smokin'.

Good luck Boys!

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the info. I'll give your methods a try. Funny that no one makes anything real small (not that I've seen, anyway) to get into those tight places.

I would send my stuff to you, but I'm pretty much set up to do my own. I have a bench buffer with two wheels that I bought from a local guy for 30 bucks. It came with a nice sewn 12" buff, and I bought a 10" loose-sewn buff at Harbor freight for the other side. I have a nice dremmel and a die grinder, and a good air compressor. Good enough for my own stuff. I don't plan on polishing for anyone else but me and maybe a few close friends. I'll certainly recommend you.

 

[Escobarclan]

Thanks Bruce, no problem. I'm big on saving money and doing things myself.

There are specialty attachments you can buy, cant remember where, but they are STEEP.