DIY How to Polish an Aluminum Rim In Detail (Step by Step)

Today we are talking about Rim Polishing... I've many comments about going into more detail and explaining what I'm looking for when sanding. I hope this video helps some of you with those vital missing details.
For Products and tools used in this video plz visit my website www.dcsupershinestore.com
Tools Used in this video:
Dewalt DWP849x Variable Speed Sander Polisher bit.ly/40yLWS9
High Speed Backing Plate bit.ly/3QF8ADA
Flanges bit.ly/3MGxRMy
Rake bit.ly/3MJdqPg
Products Used in this video:
Sand paper bit.ly/467S7xC
DC Super Shine One Step Cut and Polish bar bit.ly/49wW69R
DC Super Shine Blue Finishing Bar bit.ly/3udKEjj
DC Super Shine Heavy Cut Buffing Wheel bit.ly/47tuZL0
DC Super Shine Flannel Finishing Wheel bit.ly/47ocEiE
Liquid Metal Polish bit.ly/3sohoWF
DC Super Shine Kits bit.ly/40AdhmI
Video: Jack Sliter
Editing: Jack Sliter
Facebook: / dcsupershine
Instagram: / dcsupershineofficial

[@paulborg9609]

Thank you very much Dennis. This is the kind of tuition newbies like me want to see not just showing off the result. I appreciate your time and expertise which you devote to us and wish you all the best in the business. Thank you again

[@DCSuperShine]

Thanks Paul, I appreciate it! Thank you for watching makes it all worth it!

[@thebeastytank]

This content is what I’ve been searching for for the longest. Best tutorial hands down, now I can DIY my wheels. Thanks man 💯💯💯

[@DCSuperShine]

Thanks man really appreciate it! Glad I can help! Thank you for watching.

[@ABetterMeee]

This is what happens when knowledge, common sense, and honesty all combine together. Bless your heart for sharing this tutorial with everyone, thank you!

[@DCSuperShine]

Anytime glad you enjoyed it and thank you for watching!

[@Yoogle1489]

Wow! That looks like brand new. Thanks for the video!

[@bendaves77]

The valve stem area is a great place to use a drill and a cotton pad.. also flour works great to put on a cotton towel and give it the final rub down.. gets all the black and leaves a great shine

[@DCSuperShine]

Ya flour is an old method, some still Use it. I don’t tho :) Thanks for watching

[@jacelee2833]

Thank you for giving me the knowledge and confidence 🙏 god bless you and your time

[@chrisolavarrieta]

Beautiful short and sweet

[@edsone11]

Wow you turned that wheel into a gem. Thank you for the hard work and making the video. Learned alot

[@DCSuperShine]

Glad I could help! Thank you for watching!!!

[@davidsealey-bad71bird45]

Good stuff from a long time fan . You have helped a lot of people get started polishing .

[@DCSuperShine]

Thank you really appreciate it!!! Glad I can help :)

[@georgemyers6518]

Great video and great job on that wheel. It’s good to see you back on here. Please keep the videos coming

[@DCSuperShine]

Thank you and absolutely much more to come!!!

[@caker65]

much respect man. very thorough explanation and video. most people have no idea how much effort goes into polishing metals the right way. thanks for your videos

[@DCSuperShine]

Couldn’t of said it better myself!!! Thanks for watching it makes it all worth it! And many more to come!!!

[@akichler]

Great video! You did a good job explaining everything makes me feel like I learned something, I guess the proof will be what kind of job I get done on my rims tomorrow. Right! 👍

[@buzz961]

great job on teaching us. you know your stuff good, .thank you

[@DCSuperShine]

Thanks for watching :)

[@russellatwell2000]

Nice job glad to see you back on here

[@DCSuperShine]

Thanks Russell! Glad to be back :)

[@bernardoesquivel8317]

I love your work and thank you for the tip

[@DCSuperShine]

Thanks for watching!

[@mtgut1962]

Great job Dennis.

[@DCSuperShine]

Thank you! Much appreciated :)

[@yevgenaleksyeyenko8291]

Detailed information. Thank you

[@DCSuperShine]

Glad it was helpful!

[@sundance561]

Excellent video ….. thanks for the information…..

[@DCSuperShine]

Thanks for watching! Much appreciated :)

[@lawrenceveinotte]

Great job, i do lots of smaller parts, aluminum and stainless, car trim, remove anodize with oven cleaner, restoring beat to hell stainless, for sanding i use a 3" air DA, and i have a pedestal mounted buffer, for stainless trim i give it a quick buff just to find the bad spots, i spent two months repairing and polishing the trim on a 57 Ranchero, i have never done a truck wheel or a fuel tank or an entire dump truck, that looks like so much work, looking forward to more of your videos.

[@DCSuperShine]

awesome!!! Thanks for watching!

[@rogeraguilar4959]

Great job denis thank for you videos Iearn alot from you already just witching you thank

[@DCSuperShine]

👍👍thank you :)

[@Avenueroaddetailing]

Very good

[@brianfrancis2862]

thanks

[@stevelynch5843]

Thanks you cleared up some of the questions I was already to ask now all my car rims need now is someone experienced to do them lol

[@DCSuperShine]

Hehe ya I get that A LOT!!! 😂

[@terryhamilton2303]

Thank you so much, now I see what tools I need...but I'm polishing my HAYABUSA FRAME THANKS AGAIN

[@DCSuperShine]

Awesome! I’ve polished a few bike frames… thought about doing my Duke 790 but I’m not sure it would go well with the orange 😂 thanks for watching!

[@joeplaceres5783]

Thank you Denis.... Really appreciate all the effort you put in in showing us how it's done. I'm getting ready to do the stock slotted aluminum rims on my 79 vette and this has been an eye opener. I started using my dewalt orbital with the 5" sandpaper but just couldn't get into the more ins & outs of the rim. I'm think i'm going to purchase the 6" to get into those areas. your thoughts?

[@laprezionreina3871]

Very helpful 👌

[@DCSuperShine]

Thanks for watching

[@user-un5my5bw4j]

That dewalt DA sander looks like it works awsome. Looks like it doesn't stall easily. I have a Dynabrade Spirit pneumatic but it uses a lot of air

[@DCSuperShine]

Thanks for watching! Much appreciated :) I don’t use air tools for that exact reason… you need a massive compressor to be able to keep up to the constant demand.

[@joeplaceres5783]

Oh... forgot to mention that these rims have the maching marks that's why I'm sanding first as you suggested.

[@jimalton7100]

Could you do a short showing the sos process.

[@alexandermendoza-kd9qv]

Good job, for smaller rims like 15's do I use smaller equipment sanders and such?!?

[@alb12345672]

Working on my F150 spoked 20" wheels. The clear coat cracked and there was heavy corrosion. Had to go down to 150 and 220 to get off some corrosion. still some tiny pitting but not worth the trouble. Used steel wool too. Cant really fit sanders in the narrow spokes. Went up to 800 grit, then a polish cone. Not looking for a showcar look, its pretty good :lol:. Probably going to ceramic coat them. Very nice work here! Learned something!

[@DCSuperShine]

Nice! Thanks for watching

[@jordyjohnson7588]

Do you use a foam backing pad for sanding or a hard stiff pad?

[@TolaTrucking]

Respect to you guys who do this work!! I need to shine my rims, where is shop ?

[@DCSuperShine]

Hey man! Thanks appreciate that! We are from Cornwall Ontario Canada… 100% mobile service. Thanks for watching!

[@Neggs2000]

Nice tourniquet

[@eeezzztolv]

Thank you so much for the video!! When are you coming to Connecticut? lol

[@DCSuperShine]

Np at all many more to come!!! As for Connecticut… as soon as they allow non vaxxed to travel again… we can set it up :)

[@eeezzztolv]

@@DCSuperShine I hear you 1000%!! Thank you so much!!

[@sfcrblair]

What is a typical charge per rim?

[@breakfreerv6671]

Great job! how long does it take start to finish (one wheel?)

[@DCSuperShine]

Hey man thanks for watching! All depends on experience and how bad the rim is… as a rule of thumb for a newbie… 30-90 mins hope this helps!

[@rogelionoriega06]

How do you eliminate the shades?

[@charleslopez7616]

Model #s for the dewalt and Bosch

[@lukemapey4241]

Great job man. How long does it take to polish a Rim like that?

[@DCSuperShine]

Depends on several things. Experience, tools used, how bad the rim is… but on average 20-40 mins start to finish. Hope that helps! Thanks for watching! Much appreciated :)

[@paulborg9609]

Hi again Dennis, forgot to ask, can I still use the 3500rpm for the outer part too? This is because the airways available in my country state not to exceed 3500rpm.

[@DCSuperShine]

Hey Paul, absolutely yes!!! Just takes a bit more time to get the sander marks out. 👍

[@ahmedali-xv7pj]

Hello my friend, I follow your videos for polishing aluminum tanks, and I also work in this field. I have a question, which color do you use in polishing aluminum, which is better? I use blue. Do you use a number of colors gradually? Iraq, a special greeting to you, your work is very good

[@DCSuperShine]

i'm assuming you're asking about finishing... I just prefer the finish look of a blue bar over a white bar for example.

[@longhaul1tarpboxes628]

So my question i have a hard time with the tarpboxes on my flatbed i sand well all new products very best of eveything and i cant get away from the lines in the polishing .I have Raked my buff so its not building slow and steady Rythum because its such a flat surface .AND I REDONE STUFF ALOT also practice on other stuff as well cant figure it.....THks...

[@DCSuperShine]

Can you explain your process and the products brands you’re using? Thanks for watching! You can send me a direct message on fb or ig as well might be easier to communicate!

[@bendaves77]

Have you ever used true blue industries hand polish?? He's a polisher from Florida.. you can get it online..he's got a heavy duty polish a final finish hand polish and the best chrome polish that you can find.. his chrome polish is a great final hand polish.. you should check it

[@DCSuperShine]

No I haven’t I’ll Give them a look 👍

[@michaelgamero446]

Would you say these are the same steps you would take for a tank except for the using the 6k rpm and using different polishers

[@DCSuperShine]

yes steps don't change unless something specific... thanks for watching :)

[@diesel961]

Damn. You did all of that in less than 1 hour? Wow

[@DCSuperShine]

most rims take 15-30 mins to do start to finish depending on how bad they are... with that said, I have done brutal rims that takes over an hour to do. lol thanks for watching!

[@lowlifegarage]

I think its very important to add a disclaimer that although u can always take more off and get rid of pitting. You are removing material which diminishes structural integrity. And for cdl drivers, it could also make it non legal.

[@DCSuperShine]

for regular maintenance and yearly polishing.. you can do this for years with no issues, but yes absolutely if there huge gouges or pits and you sand them out it can compromise the integrity of the rim. Have I ever seen it or heard of anything like this happening? Nope never. thanks for watching!

[@troywilliams1185]

Ever polish a flat aluminum grill how do u not get the compound on edges its sharp and chews up wheels and the edges can never get the hash marks out

[@DCSuperShine]

sorry man not sure what you're asking...

[@ruatdikahp9044]

How long will it last without any rust comming out...or polishing will needed every month

[@DCSuperShine]

aluminum doesn't rust, it oxidizes but to answer your questions it depends on maintenance and where your truck goes on a daily basis... if you do nothing and you work in a quarry it won't last very long, same for winter months with salt, if you don't at least rinse off your truck a couple times a week your shine won't last. On the flip side I have customers that only come to see me for polishing every couple years because they take the time to take care of it. :) Hope this answers your question! Thanks for watching

[@meganostra6633]

DC the King!!

[@DCSuperShine]

Lol not sure about that but thanks for watching

[@OscarMartinez-fg8re]

greetings brother how are you, a question how can you ask if the rims have cement, and how can we charge a job, thanks

[@DCSuperShine]

Good question, if i don't know the customer I always ask for a picture of the truck and even some of the parts that need polishing for pics up close. as for what to charge... it depends on many things to detailed to go into here... but maybe I'll make a video on that :) thanks for watching.

[@magic9980]

Great shine ✨ Let me know if u need help

[@DCSuperShine]

thanks! And glad you stopped by!

[@magic9980]

@@DCSuperShine yes sir hiring?

[@VARocketry]

Question: what are about black pitting around the LUG NUT holes? Why did you not remove that? Time? Okay, how could you remove it, go down to 180 grit paper?

[@DCSuperShine]

Mainly time yes, depends if the customer wants to go that far into the process… you also need to be careful not to compromise the integrity of the rim… and yes going lower in grits will remove that a bit faster but remember the lower grit you use the more work and sanding steps you’ll need to do to remove those sander marks… hope all that made sense :) Thanks for watching! Much appreciated :)

[@misoh23]

👍🏿 can you tell me the names of the tools and where do u get ur sand paper thanks

[@DCSuperShine]

I use dewalt and Bosch grinders/polishers 6000 rpm's and variable 600-3500 rpm's. As for Sand paper it's my own will be back in stock soon.

[@misoh23]

Thanks can u also send me your link so I can purchase the sand paper and also can u tell me the model or serial number of the grainer am new in this thanks

[@MrRyanrk12]

Not using green mezerna anymore?

[@DCSuperShine]

On occasion yes, just have my own blend/bars now! Kinda hard to support a company that doesn’t really care about the little guy!!

[@tomevans2907]

Master polisher? How do you receive this achievement. Why do sand complete rim other then around valve stem. Why do you not do anything with the holes , flapper wheel or even polishing ball. Why no wheel stand ? What is your price to on the rim you just did? Looking forward to your response .thank you

[@matthewpolishing7294]

Most peop)e don't want to pay to sand the holes and polish the holes the stands definetly make it nice but their 1200 or more i charge 75 for rear and 50 for steer thats one side flapper I use a variable speed polisher with witha backing pad and do a rotary sand and then da

[@tomevans2907]

@@matthewpolishing7294 flapper?

[@DCSuperShine]

Hey Tom, thanks for watching!... I agree with Matthew, I do mention in the video. This is not going on a show truck. it's going back on a trailer. Customer wants them cleaned up and looking good at a decent price. I charge $65 for a rim like this. Besides at 100k/h you can't see if the wholes are polished or not. :)

[@tomevans2907]

@@DCSuperShine I'm watching and listening to many. I'm asking and learning not to disrespect or offend. From king , to master many have different care status in the polishing world . Is this something you are awarded or earned. Or self- proclaimed.

[@DCSuperShine]

Hey Tom, good question! They say it’s takes roughly 10,000 hours to “master” a skill or trade.. been doing this 25 years and have well over 40,000 hours. So even self-proclaimed on my shirt… it’s most definitely Earned! I don’t think there is such an award 🥇

[@user-ki3cj6cw7r]

How do I get the bar and polish to buy,am from Jamaica ,can I get a phone number please?

[@DCSuperShine]

there's links in the description of the video for my website, thanks for watching!

[@xChromerSatanasx]

lol there is really no difference between 320 and 400 besides 400 cuts less and disc's wear out sooner