How To Sand and Polish Aluminum To Mirror Finish

In this video, we sand and polish an aluminum sheet from 220 grit all the way to 5000 grit sandpaper then polish using Gord's Aluminum polish.
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[@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

[@kszekely]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@lear60man]

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

[@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

[@faraz40468]

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

[@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*

[@tastycar]

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

[@Kragatar]

This definitely belongs in one of those satisfying video compilations.

[@seldomseen7130]

Awesome work. That's a beautiful finish

[@onewithmanyfingers]

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

[@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

[@anilpillai10]

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

[@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!

[@iceman2008able]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@Hertzsogood219]

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

[@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

[@bryanrolland2967]

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

[@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.

[@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!

[@petnatcar]

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

[@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.

[@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!

[@berniebass3575]

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

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@user-gk1fq5xg3o]

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

[@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

[@centurialinc]

That! was! Satisfying! Loved it.

[@carlosarce5013]

Excellent work.

[@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.

[@davidhunt6463]

That came out amazing.

[@jasonmarks1893]

Magic job mate , well done .

[@larryc3541]

Wow looks great!

[@The9133]

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

[@squarefour1]

Great video. You made it look easy.

[@SkillsandTrade]

Thank you.

[@saladamista8226]

Awesome! thank you so much for share this knowledge!

[@joshsradioparadise2134]

Wow thats satisfying

[@gary.solexa]

Extremely useful video. Thank you.

[@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!

[@garygirouard3328]

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.

[@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!!

[@Importssuckass]

Absolutely amazing freaking awesome video, I cant wait to try this now. Subscribed !!!

[@SkillsandTrade]

Thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Also thanks for subscribing, I appreciate it

[@Importssuckass]

No problem keep up the awesome videos!

[@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

[@The9133]

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

[@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.

[@kevpinder6821]

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

[@scottryan9845]

Excellent job

[@silverseven5283]

Man, that is just.. Wonderful!

[@kelvinespinosa1430]

Wow man stunning!

[@DRchilton]

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

[@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.

[@thomaswilde4794]

This saved me time and money!!

[@MarvinRWard]

Awesome job man! Love it.

[@foxy24211able]

Great video. Thanks

[@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

[@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

[@seventhsfg]

Awesome! +1 sub. I'm going to try this on some small engine parts in my project car

[@markdrewett149]

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

[@TheOnlyMrSaver]

Very good job mate!

[@Tiagotaf]

Nice! I'm gonna do that to my aluminum intercooler pipes!

[@paulh.2144]

Yea good for at least 30 hp.

[@seldomseen7130]

Completely awesome!!!

[@65marlin327]

Nice job! Amazing.

[@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.

[@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?

[@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?

[@fordmantruck856]

work of art

[@richardwolske2015]

Great job love this video ! 👍

[@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...

[@eddyray666]

Very helpful. Thank you.

[@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??

[@RenStarFilm]

Beautiful Job

[@WHITETAIL215]

Wow that's a nice job

[@jon5159]

That was so awesome

[@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

[@margauxfranco1105]

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

[@lightmeupsigns5363]

Thanks for sharing just what I needed to know

[@SkillsandTrade]

No problem. Glad I could help.

[@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

[@DennisNeale]

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

[@jackdaniel8269]

Great job man, Seen nothing like it... Well done

[@SkillsandTrade]

Thank you. I appreciate the kind words

[@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 👍

[@YouNes-pc7ns]

Thank you 🙏 you are the best

[@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.

[@espwesp3144]

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

[@johnfigueroa7822]

Great job!!!!

[@oldschoolamerican714]

Awsome job

[@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.

[@JP-fe4ke]

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

[@TheLandlordPicker]

Wow that is awesome! Nice job. 👍

[@SkillsandTrade]

Part-Time Picker Thank you very much I appreciate it

[@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.

[@spawny6191]

Great video