How To Sand and Polish Aluminum To Mirror Finish

Рет қаралды 540,784

6 жыл бұрын

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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Пікірлер: 665

@AlfredMontaner 5 жыл бұрын

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

@dentman62 4 жыл бұрын

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

@Kragatar 5 жыл бұрын

This definitely belongs in one of those satisfying video compilations.

@kszekely 5 жыл бұрын

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

@816morningstar 6 жыл бұрын

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

@SkillsandTrade 6 жыл бұрын

Your welcome. Glad I could help.

@juliuscullum6596 4 жыл бұрын

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 4 жыл бұрын

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

@davidskinner4130 2 жыл бұрын

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.

@jonmacsize8350 5 жыл бұрын

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 5 жыл бұрын

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 2 жыл бұрын

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

@Harrzack 6 жыл бұрын

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 6 жыл бұрын

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

@shawng7902 6 жыл бұрын

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 5 жыл бұрын

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

@paulbranson1961 5 жыл бұрын

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

@Kaizer357 5 жыл бұрын

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

@jaredhollinger328 4 жыл бұрын

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 3 жыл бұрын

That's how it always starts!

@tastycar 5 жыл бұрын

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

@newboysgeneration6198 3 жыл бұрын

*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*

@onewithmanyfingers 5 жыл бұрын

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

@grample1 6 жыл бұрын

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 6 жыл бұрын

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

@harrylsilva 6 жыл бұрын

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 6 жыл бұрын

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

@togwm 5 жыл бұрын

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 5 жыл бұрын

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.

@rottingdoggy 3 жыл бұрын

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

@m7f7m7 5 жыл бұрын

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.

@iceman2008able 4 жыл бұрын

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

@jonnyrox116 6 жыл бұрын

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

@LTVoyager 4 жыл бұрын

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

@isthynamewart 5 жыл бұрын

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.

@seldomseen7130 5 жыл бұрын

Awesome work. That's a beautiful finish

@BloodMoodEnergy 5 жыл бұрын

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!

@Hertzsogood219 5 жыл бұрын

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

@anilpillai10 3 жыл бұрын

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

@neonfire8055 3 жыл бұрын

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.

@bryanrolland2967 10 ай бұрын

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

@faraz40468 5 жыл бұрын

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

@buddha65281 6 жыл бұрын

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 6 жыл бұрын

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

@michellejones1167 3 жыл бұрын

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!

@The9133 3 жыл бұрын

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

@markburton9614 5 жыл бұрын

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

@centurialinc 5 жыл бұрын

That! was! Satisfying! Loved it.

@MRTuning704 6 жыл бұрын

You are the man ! Awesome job!!!!

@SkillsandTrade 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you!! I really appreciate it!

@harrylsilva 6 жыл бұрын

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.

@theequineguide 3 ай бұрын

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.

@user-gk1fq5xg3o 9 ай бұрын

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

@saladamista8226 5 жыл бұрын

Awesome! thank you so much for share this knowledge!

@TylerJaenen 5 жыл бұрын

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 4 жыл бұрын

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.

@r.trainer3706 5 жыл бұрын

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

@ralanham76 4 жыл бұрын

Didn't he say 9000 for polish?

@petnatcar 2 жыл бұрын

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

@squarefour1 6 жыл бұрын

Great video. You made it look easy.

@SkillsandTrade 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you.

@berniebass3575 2 жыл бұрын

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

@Tiagotaf 5 жыл бұрын

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

@paulh.2144 4 жыл бұрын

Yea good for at least 30 hp.

@carlosarce5013 6 жыл бұрын

Excellent work.

@larryc3541 6 жыл бұрын

Wow looks great!

@gary.solexa 5 жыл бұрын

Extremely useful video. Thank you.

@trreb1 6 жыл бұрын

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 6 жыл бұрын

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

@kevpinder6821 2 жыл бұрын

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

@davidhunt6463 5 жыл бұрын

That came out amazing.

@silverseven5283 5 жыл бұрын

Man, that is just.. Wonderful!

@The9133 3 жыл бұрын

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

@Importssuckass 6 жыл бұрын

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

@SkillsandTrade 6 жыл бұрын

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

@Importssuckass 5 жыл бұрын

No problem keep up the awesome videos!

@joshsradioparadise2134 4 жыл бұрын

Wow thats satisfying

@jasonmarks1893 5 жыл бұрын

Magic job mate , well done .

@DRchilton 3 жыл бұрын

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

@Hopeless_and_Forlorn 6 жыл бұрын

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

@SkillsandTrade 6 жыл бұрын

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

@nw7696 5 жыл бұрын

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

@Andrerealworld 3 жыл бұрын

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

@thebuffingshop9624 5 жыл бұрын

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.

@seventhsfg 5 жыл бұрын

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

@kelvinespinosa1430 5 жыл бұрын

Wow man stunning!

@timcoppinger1361 5 жыл бұрын

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 5 жыл бұрын

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

@Bang-um4mf Ай бұрын

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 Ай бұрын

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

@thomaswilde4794 Жыл бұрын

This saved me time and money!!

@eddyray666 5 жыл бұрын

Very helpful. Thank you.

@lightmeupsigns5363 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing just what I needed to know

@SkillsandTrade 6 жыл бұрын

No problem. Glad I could help.

@MarvinRWard 4 жыл бұрын

Awesome job man! Love it.

@65marlin327 4 жыл бұрын

Nice job! Amazing.

@seldomseen7130 5 жыл бұрын

Completely awesome!!!

@markdrewett149 5 жыл бұрын

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

@fordmantruck856 5 жыл бұрын

work of art

@richardwolske2015 3 жыл бұрын

Great job love this video ! 👍

@foxy24211able 2 жыл бұрын

Great video. Thanks

@scottryan9845 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent job

@TheOnlyMrSaver 5 жыл бұрын

Very good job mate!

@jackdaniel8269 6 жыл бұрын

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

@SkillsandTrade 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you. I appreciate the kind words

@WHITETAIL215 5 жыл бұрын

Wow that's a nice job

@fernglez60 4 жыл бұрын

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!!

@RenStarFilm 4 жыл бұрын

Beautiful Job

@YouNes-pc7ns 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you 🙏 you are the best

@seetheforest 5 жыл бұрын

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.

@Nevertrustalawyer 5 жыл бұрын

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.

@dmmdmm5435 6 жыл бұрын

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

@DennisNeale 6 жыл бұрын

He didn't attempt it. He did it!

@BigfootTrailsJeep 6 жыл бұрын

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 6 жыл бұрын

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 6 жыл бұрын

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 3 жыл бұрын

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

@vendelet 5 жыл бұрын

Wow! That is amazing!

@SkillsandTrade 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much

@matthewpolishing7294 2 жыл бұрын

You guys this dude did a good job for ametuer

@TheLandlordPicker 6 жыл бұрын

Wow that is awesome! Nice job. 👍

@SkillsandTrade 6 жыл бұрын

Part-Time Picker Thank you very much I appreciate it

@jon5159 3 жыл бұрын

That was so awesome

@jianoconnor8414 5 жыл бұрын

Astounding !

@johnfigueroa7822 4 жыл бұрын

Great job!!!!

@DennisNeale 6 жыл бұрын

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

@1990sRailfan 5 жыл бұрын

Holy crap, that was cool!

@tippo5341 4 жыл бұрын

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??

@KundelCrane 3 жыл бұрын

Wow. That’s awesome 👍🏼

@gilbertbrewer269 5 жыл бұрын

Wow good job 👍👍👍

@bysdto 5 жыл бұрын

great job!

@PinePizza 3 жыл бұрын

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...