How To Sand and Polish Aluminum To Mirror Finish

[@AlfredMontaner]

Fantastic I'm going to use this procedure on my next rib boat restoration

[@dentman62]

This is the most detailed step by step method to polish aluminum any where on the nets ... It's almost as of the pros dont want secrets out and you will NEVER see some one who owns a polishing shop post up how to's all though there is no secrets in this video, there isnt a single video out that shows a step by step method to get a mirror like shine... Thank you for posting this

[@TheRoadhammer379]

Evans Detailing has over 100 how to polish vids on here, and he's a guy who polishes half million dollar show trucks

[@Kragatar]

This definitely belongs in one of those satisfying video compilations.

[@jonmacsize8350]

Good video, excellent results. I do have a couple suggestions. It's a good idea to rinse off the grit from previous sanding before you start with a finer grit. If you think about it, leaving the old residue on the surface means you are rubbing it around under your finer grit pad, which lengthens sanding time. Rinsing is preferable to wiping because it lessens the chance of causing linear scratches. Also, it is a bad idea to use steel wool on aluminum. Small pieces of the steel can become embedded in the aluminum, and will eventually rust if exposed to any moisture. Then your nice shiny aluminum piece will be red and rusty(which can be super confusing. Like, "Why and how is my aluminum rusting?!!!"). That also goes for sand paper or grinding wheels, files, etc. Never mix materials. Have a specific grinder wheel for steel, and another for aluminum. Etc. BTW, gotta love DeWalt

[@SkillsAndTrade]

Thank you for the suggestion, what I do is the hold the drill sideways and use the airflow to blow off all the aluminum dust before I move on to the next grit. I will keep your suggestion in mind about the steel wool, luckily I don't use much pressure, I just used it as a base to add the polish.

[@rogerdavis6338]

Pretty much you can do a flat surface how do you polished aintahe or gloved valve covers

[@juliuscullum6596]

I just want to tell you how grateful I am for this video. I did what you said and got the panels that I made for my 57 chevy sanded to almost a mirror shine I just don't have a buffer, but I do got a friend that's going to buff them for me. I just want to tell you thank you for your help.

[@lear60man]

By far one of the best and easiest Aluminum plishing vids out there.

[@grample1]

Worked as a metal polisher,mainly stainless,some aluminium bull bars. We would sand with 400# then buff with tripoli compound. There are many different grades of aluminium. Some are more receptive to buffing than others. The fine grades of abrasive paper were not available until relatively recently. Thank you for the video.

[@SkillsAndTrade]

Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I also appreciate the polishing tips thanks

[@Harrzack]

Amazing results. Never thought you could "sand" aluminum to a shiny finish. But then again, that WAS a lot 'o paper! Thanks for the info.

[@SkillsAndTrade]

No problem. Glad you liked the video. Hope you have a wonderful day.

[@newboysgeneration6198]

*it is amazing how you can turn something dull into a mirror look with just sandpaper....Honestly this is one of the best tuto videos ever....so genuine,,thanks for that*

[@kszekely]

Everything is chrome in the future! This was one of the most satisfying videos I've ever watched; thank you 😻

[@jaredhollinger328]

I did the fuel tanks and wheels on my tri axle a d now I got a side gig doing others drivers trucks for them $$$$$$$$$ thanks for the step by step instructions

[@AwesomeFinish]

That's how it always starts!

[@m7f7m7]

Good presentation and easy for anyone to absorb. I would tell you that you should have made mention of how to finish the 2 spots where the vice grips were positioned.

[@tastycar]

I have a 1956 boat I'm trying to polish. That looks phenomenal. I may try that on that boat.

[@816morningstar]

Looks great. I love polishing things or sanding them. It is very stress relieving for me. Thank you

[@SkillsAndTrade]

Your welcome. Glad I could help.

[@jonnyrox116]

It helps alot to wipe the surface clean between grit changes to remove any loose grit that can leave scratches

[@LTVoyager]

Jon Rothenbusch It also helps to change direction with each grit to even things out.

[@TheRoadhammer379]

And yet look at the results, so it's safe to say he's doing it just fine

[@BloodMoodEnergy]

About to do this to my Supercharger on my car. $995 vs some time and elbow grease sounds good to me. Thanks for the steps!

[@theequineguide]

I have been looking for a vidoe of how to get my aluminum horse trailer back to its shine. Thanks so much for this vidoe! Ive used so many products with little results. Sandpaper is clearly tbe way to go.

[@davidskinner4130]

Thank you very much. I had no idea how simple it could be. Just like polishing headlamps... Almost. You saved me countless hours polishing all of this aluminum on the 1934 Mercedes Centaur(replica)I'm working on.

[@anilpillai10]

Fantastic, Great job. You did a magic, turned aluminium sheet to a mirror.👍🏻

[@harrylsilva]

wow dude , that was awesome! ! ! I've lookin for a way to start to sand and polished my boat and never thought it's was posible till I seen your video from start and finish , thank you for posting this video. my project will start thanks to your knowledge.

[@SkillsAndTrade]

Thank you! I'm really glad I could help. Best of luck on your boat!

[@rottingdoggy]

Thank you for taking the time to make this video. I have some old aluminium speaker cabinets I want to polish and now I know how do fo it. Thank you

[@bryanrolland2967]

truly outstanding. I honestly didn't think it would turn out nearly as well as it did.

[@markdrewett149]

Try using Truck Wash to rinse off with water. It removes all the polish residue.

[@shawng7902]

I just started using that trizac 3000 and it's amazing. I haven't found the 5000 locally but I'll order some soon. On paint it's amazing how good it does.

[@edwardlance2379]

A little secret for you...in woodworking circles, a company called Micromesh makes sanding cloths for woodworkers that goes all the way to 12,000 grit. They're a heavy cloth with an extreme fine layer of a soft spongy rubber coating with the grit on top of that. These are fantastic for polishing metals too. They are available in rectangular pieces (3" x 4") and they also make them in 5" discs for sanders. They are available on Amazon: www.amazon.com/Micro-Mesh-No-Hole-Sanding-Disc-Combo/dp/B00HJCBC5O/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_469_tr_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=APMS4JEGW4GZM9FH7YM7

[@Bang-um4mf]

Wow! I thot I was good but that is amazing, I am going to try that! I do it by hand without sanding and I thot I got it to a mirror finish. I kinda do but that is like an actual mirror finish lol. Good job n great content keep up the good work and thank you I have just started to watch your other vids too

[@SkillsAndTrade]

Thank you very much, I appreciate that you are wanting to watch my other videos as well . Good luck on your project

[@dei-wan-grey3888]

Awesome Process What do you suggest for mirror polishing around small aluminum objects with anodizing areas on it I was thinking of getting a smaller hand held One like yours but smaller I want to clean up my Sabers

[@berniebass3575]

WOW, GREAT JOB, SOME OF YOU GUYS ARE OFF THE HOOK!!.

[@The9133]

Same thing we did while building bikes saved alot off money compared to chrome great job .

[@buddha65281]

I have watched alot of videos on polishing and this is by far the best results i have seen! Nice work.. hope you left links for the materials, have never seen 5k paper. Thanks

[@SkillsAndTrade]

Thank you very much for the kind words. I have left some links to the products I used in the description.

[@The9133]

Insane I forgot how great it looks when u spend the time polishing like stainless. 👍

[@isthynamewart]

That was educational. I have an old aluminium boot (trunk) lid that I may have a go at and this has given me some pointers. All the best.

[@paulbranson1961]

Im doing the aluminum rims on my TrailBlazer and this information is really fantastic on stages and materials...thank you!

[@Kaizer357]

you're doing those rims, I've been trying to restore aluminum rims on my moms '74 duster....gonna take some heavy work though

[@BigfootTrailsJeep]

The piece looks awesome!!! years back I polished aluminum motorcycle parts, I did the steel wool with polish too, used #0000 steel wool, but found it would embed those steel fibers into the aluminum. You could not see it until later down the road when the moisture would take over and you see rust pits on aluminum. It confused me at first, aluminum doesn't rust, then I thought about it for a bit (this was way before the internet stuff), and realized the steel wool was embedded and rusting. The other thing I learned was after the polishing was done, take some household white flour, sprinkle it onto the surface on your final rag buff, it pulls out more black polish and leaves an even better shine. If you try it, let me know if it still works with the newer chemicals on the market, it may just be an "old school" trick that worked with out old white rouge.

[@DennisNeale]

Also, If you search for what #0000 steel wool is in grit compared to sand paper, you'll find that it's only something like 600 grit. So it's like moving backwards after the 5,000 grit sandpaper. I'll suggest the 3M scuff pad scotch brites. Get them on amazon. With some digging, you can find the grit equivalents (there are different colors coded to coarseness). I found white is equivalent to 1200-1500 grit. That's still not 5,000 but it's much better than 600. The fact that steel wool worked for him tells there is more going on here than trying to stay really high on grit with the polish. Still, the scuff pads just seem to me to be a much better tool for the job. I'm not speaking from direct experience, just analogical reasoning with other things I've done. They're better than still wool for everything I've used them on. I don't even use steel wool any longer.

[@BigfootTrailsJeep]

Dennis Neale I had not investigated how abrasive steel wool is, thats an interesting find that 0000 steel wool is equivelant to 600 grit. I use it on chrome and glass with no issues or concerns. I will have to some digging to verify and then question whether or not I want to continue using it. Thanks for the info

[@steveanacorteswa3979]

I use bronze wool on my sailboat for that same reason, when doing teak it would rust, bronze doesn't

[@r.trainer3706]

thumbs up if you thought he was gonna bring out the 10,000 grit and then 20,000 grit paper?

[@ralanham76]

Didn't he say 9000 for polish?

[@ClifJ777]

I'm about to do this, but you did an awesome job, and thanks for the knowledge!

[@kevpinder6821]

Good result = to any zephyr or white diamond polish finish. Good technique it just proves more than one way to get metal mirrors.

[@nw7696]

Nooooooooo! Never use paper towel, even wype-alls leave scratches. Pure cotton it always the last material to use. You do amazing work! 😊👍🏻

[@Andrerealworld]

can you say can i do wit this parrabolic mirror? how long it will be mirrors efect outside ?

[@markburton9614]

I was mostly surprised that the drill didn't overheat. The two drills I've used overheated and had to cool down. Good to know about the DeWalt

[@togwm]

Planning a project using aluminum sheeting ....this is an awesome helpful video......and will minimize getting the black aluminum dirt on my hands.....thank you VM bud!!!

[@SkillsAndTrade]

You're welcome! I'm happy to help. I have a link in my description showing where I ordered my aluminum if you're interested.

[@MrVitaliyMatsko]

I really want to see how you work on trailer with diamont aluminum plate with all this sand papers.

[@timcoppinger1361]

Man I’m impressed. Done a bit of polishing myself over the years and I really liked the way you did that. I have only done motor cycle parts nothing that flat or big. Could you do another video of some aluminium motorcycle parts? Thanks. Tim from Australia.

[@SkillsAndTrade]

Thanks for the praise Tim. I will keep your video idea in mind for the future.

[@thebuffingshop9624]

Honestly amazed by your proccess, you didnt use any stick type compounds or a an angle grinder/buffer. im suprised you had to switch out to a new trizac pad, usually you can clean trizac media with an oil based cleaner (trizac belts anyway) never use water on the belts. havent tried the trizac disc/ pads yet.

[@neonfire8055]

Absolutely fantastic, I’ll be following this method on a heavy aluminum Dell XPS 710 series desktop from 2007. It wasn’t shining like that when it was new even when it’s cost was a little shy of $6000.00 , I However hope it will not affect it’s authenticity and value for a possible future sale for it’s rarity. I would like to do it for me however it’s like a 60 lbs. case, Also I live in Alberta, Canada. It would be a hefty price to ship out. But I could just imagine that it would look like a real piece of art indeed. Thanks for your video I really enjoyed it.

[@fernglez60]

Awesome! Do you have to do anything special to protect the finish long term? Would you clear coat it? Or polish it again in the future? Thanks, great job!!

[@onewithmanyfingers]

Great video, I’m going to do this on my snowmobile tunnel once I take it apart in the off season

[@iceman2008able]

I have old sportster rim to polish. I'll try now. Unbelievable shine. Thanks

[@DRchilton]

Thanks for the video. Now I have more of a clue how to clean this mess!!

[@presleygarza6310]

How do you keep the oxide layer from reforming and redulling the mirror?

[@jessepeyatt6504]

Awsome video! I was looking for ways for refinishing my glas door that my dog has scratched up over the years! Do you think this exact process would do it? Would love to see it done but cant find videos for it?

[@christheother9088]

Is this finish stable? Do you have to protect it from oxidation?

[@denttech2515]

Great video. I wasn't quite sure about the grit range. I was in the balpark, though. You really should wipe it down between each step to prevent cross contamination. Thanks for sharing

[@SkillsAndTrade]

You're absolutely right, wiping down between steps is very important. Thanks for watching!

[@TheRoadhammer379]

And yet it turned out flawless. It's amazing how people enjoy criticizing these vids yet they have ZERO vids showcasing their so called expertise.

[@Kickrock2008]

Best ever

[@SkillsAndTrade]

Thank you very much!!!!! Greatly appreciated!! I hope you have a wonderful day

[@johnh9031]

Great video. I want to remove treadplate / diamond flooring on a boat floor. Is this the way i would do it? Obviously i'd be spending more time sanding with the 220 grit. Thanks

[@joshpritchard4803]

Hi mate thanks for the great video! I have a question about my Aluminium Canopy if I could please. The finish from the workshop is quite bad and I would like to do this to remove the scratches and get it looking nicer. Do I need to treat it afterwards with anything as it will be out in the weather etc. Thanks in advance 👍

[@MRTuning704]

You are the man ! Awesome job!!!!

[@SkillsAndTrade]

Thank you!! I really appreciate it!

[@harrylsilva]

wow dude that was awesome! !!!! I've lookin for a way to start to sand and polished my boat and never thought that I was posible , till I seen your video from the start and finish. truly thank you for your video and knowledge.

[@faraz40468]

your videos are very informative and proves your passion for work. Wish you all the very best and success

[@garyconstant4234]

What tool would be best to use on say a motorbike engine casing. Lovely job 👍

[@michellejones1167]

Very cool! Thank you for sharing! I have a platter I’d like to get some scratches out of & this gives me a great idea on how to accomplish it!

[@TylerJaenen]

I’ve never seen aluminum polished like this I do the old school method in witch you do less sanding and use an angle grinder rouge and a airway wheel. But it looks amazing keep up the good work!

[@g.rob.grd51]

I've been trying to polish some aluminum trim for a motorcycle using the buffing wheel and compounds but its very slow and tedious. This method appears to speed up the process but need to find smaller quantities of the pads etc. for a small project.

[@JP-fe4ke]

We gave an old 1957 Alumacraft boat will this work on it ? Thanks great video.

[@carlosarce5013]

Excellent work.

[@squarefour1]

Great video. You made it look easy.

[@SkillsAndTrade]

Thank you.

[@petnatcar]

Nice job and thanks for all the tips. Keep up the good work.

[@dmmdmm5435]

The second i saw you use a drill as a power source, i knew you are a beginner at this. Noble attempt !

[@DennisNeale]

He didn't attempt it. He did it!

[@TheRoadhammer379]

And where's your polishing vids, expert? Oh that's right in your imagination

[@ActiveAtom]

We polish mostly rounds in the aluminum class we generally work with 7075-t6 and it is really easier to get the round to a mirror finish, but to the dimensional diameter then on plate aluminum, I wonder what his start thickness micrometer in before and after start or if the thickness in the end matters? The shine in the end looks good.

[@cory0702]

Thanks for the video you make it look so easy. I want to polish my procharger head unit. What type of attachments should I get? Thanks Sid

[@freejuggling5678]

Brill! Now what would you coat that with for outdoors?

[@DennisNeale]

Also, the Zephyr Pro-40 is suppose to be the bomb and it's a sealer as well.

[@espwesp3144]

Wohw amazing. I wonder if this stays shiny. I would like to do this with a bike what do you recommend?!

[@seldomseen7130]

Awesome work. That's a beautiful finish

[@martinlugo6546]

Great finish. Question, I polish pontoons, tried sanding with a rotary but get lots of sanding marks (swirls) didn't see those in your video. Any advice please?

[@PinePizza]

Amazing guide, i wonder how this is done with way smaller aluminum parts. I own a aluminum case for my mechanical keyboard and want to mirror polish it but it has some really small spots and i think i'd need to do this by hand...

[@mohammedilyas8104]

Hi there , What is recommended speed on the polishing machine ? Thanks

[@usernamemykel]

WOW! So what to use to protect the finish from degrading?

[@jasonmarks1967]

Magic job mate , well done .

[@omniyambot9876]

Wow that was clean! What will happen if I didn't polished?

[@mitchellmillard9350]

Brilliant video.. I've just purchased a stainless steel polished chrome bull bar for my van which upon fitting I've noticed some scratches. Can I use this method for taking out the scatches🤞

[@SkillsAndTrade]

Yep, you definitely can. Thank you for watching.

[@mitchellmillard9350]

@@SkillsAndTrade Thankyou so much. 👍

[@dodoslovensko]

Great JOB . Now how do you protect it against oxidation ?

[@Hopeless_and_Forlorn]

Nice. I had no idea that sanding discs were available in such fine grits.

[@SkillsAndTrade]

Yeah. When they are at the that high of a grit. The pads seem to be more like foam than paper.

[@yeudsiegal5285]

I desire to polish a aluminum carburetor. What power tool should i use? Also the varied grits of sandpaper to use?

[@Nevertrustalawyer]

That type of sander will leave waves in the finish. Best to use straight-line sander or sanding block for a mirror finish. The polish used will shine, but it also brings oxidation. Oxidation happens fast. If you work a piece and walk away for a few hours and then start sanding again, you will need to cut through the oxidation layer again. A spray bottle with soap and water works good for floating the aluminum fines away while wet sanding.

[@centurialinc]

That! was! Satisfying! Loved it.

[@NubianGod]

What was the attachment you use to connect the pads to the drill?

[@Hertzsogood219]

Thanks so much for the awesome video. Very detailed and informative. I'm ready to do some polishing of my own now.

[@trreb1]

Great job. I've never used Gord's before but looks like it does a nice job. I've always used Zepher 40 on my semi's but it's hard to find that around where I live now. You can get a "watered down" version of it but it's just not the same.

[@SkillsAndTrade]

Zepher 40 sounds nice. I do like Gords, easy to use and looks good

[@margauxfranco1105]

Which mill surface finish do you prefer to start with? Thanks for the great video!

[@seetheforest]

Instead of Gords I found you can mix mineral spirits or kerosene, with some comon household cleanser and it does the same thing. You could use WD40 for the fluid too.

[@TheRoadhammer379]

wrong

[@seetheforest]

@TheRoadhammer379 well it sure works when I use it. What do you suggest oh wise one with zero content..

[@seetheforest]

@@TheRoadhammer379 I guess I will get zero response. The guy who says "wrong" has zero to offer. Zero content on his ghost soc channel. (Hope I didn't misgender) you ... 🤔

[@mikeinvegas1]

Beautiful video. Would this same process work for an aluminum motorcycle frame?

[@SkillsAndTrade]

It should work fine for a motorcycle frame, thank you very much.

[@mikeinvegas1]

@@SkillsAndTrade thank u.

[@dawinner777]

I have a aluminum vintage travel trailer. I have questions about what paper I should start with ? The rivets are rusty. I was wondering why you didn’t use a DA sander and a car type buffer. Also what speed do you use ?

[@Gubson]

What do you protect the surface with to keep the shine longer?

[@kalpajeetbaidya9064]

Which machine should we use to mount the grinding and buffing wheels?

[@explorer47422]

How long would it stay this shiny? Doesn't aluminium slowly dull over time when exposed to air? Is there any way to prevent that from happening?

[@apllDgrapllD]

explorer47422 clearcoat

[@datsuntoyy]

@@apllDgrapllD I googled that and nothing comes up. Can you provide a link please.

[@apllDgrapllD]

datsuntoyy it’s been clearcoated!!

[@TheRoadhammer379]

😂 clear coat turns piss yellow in the sun. Enjoy your polished aluminum turning yellow.

[@abdu3d]

Is it possible to achieve the same result using da sander?

[@antigen4]

so how do you PROTECT it from oxidation now? clear coat? epoxy???

[@horseyhorselips3501]

How do you polish under the clamps holding your plate in place ?

[@enasoii]

Will this hold a mirror outside or will it start to oxidize? I was curious how this would work on my boat outdrive in a fresh water lake. I'm tired of painting it every year lol

[@maikelvdv]

Very informative and satisfying watch! What are your thoughts on applying this method to a Grumman Alu Canoe? My worry is trading in aesthetics for the boat's integrity...given the fact most of the process would be sanding down an already very thin piece of sheet metal. Any tips are welcome, and thanks again for sharing this tutorial!

[@SkillsAndTrade]

Not much material is taken off when your sanding, still if the metal on the canoe is very thin you should start at a higher grit such as an 800 and work your way up from there. Thanks for watching and good luck on your canoe.

[@tippo5341]

Love the finished result....one question...will this work with an oxidised finish on an aluminium saw table?? Are there any other processes required for the oxidation??

[@chrishamilton4999]

my immediate thought was an aluminium aircraft! How long does the surface last? Thank you - very clear to follow.

[@ricolaw2571]

I paint aircraft for a living. What a royal PITA keeping a polished a/c looking good....

[@mr.amazing8927]

does this technique work with aluminum tubing?