aluminium finishing products?

[julianf]

So the boxes that i sell are too much surface area for me to be able to anodise here, i think,

So the next option is to sand out the tooling marks, polish up with some product or other (to take out the sanding marks) and then "seal" them

OR...

Sand them a bit, and dunk in caustic to even out the finish.

Depends on if i go for matt or gloss, i think.

OR

Just have them made in stainless.... which is looking more and more appealing as time goes on.

Basically, i want them to stay silver, otherwise powder is a cheap enough option. I dont really want to go with clear powder though.

Anyway, questions -

The car detailing folk seem to rate this for alloy -

Poorboy's World Aluminum & Metal Polish

poorboysworld.com

Which is fine with me. About £14 a go.

But, what to put it on with? The boxes have edges that will rip up a foam pad. I can get "lambswool" pads for my mirka 150mm dia hook and loop ROS, but theyre about £7 a hit, which seems a lot (?) What sensible optios do i have? I dont mind buying a non random buffer, but, again, foam pads will die on the edges in seconds.

And then sealing it after is the real problem. This is where im most lost. I have no real recommendations at all.


So, summary -

poorboys polish is probably what ill go for, but...
what pads (for this and the sealer) and...
what sealer?


Thank you. One day ill know what im doing with this kind of stuff... but not today.

 

[badabec]

I had a clock face made in stainless, big mistake, almost impossible to the fingerprints off it.

 

[Seadog]

Baby oil.

 

[julianf]

Baby oil.

I've seen hints at all sorts from WD40 through to expensive £40 for 30ml stuff.

I've found gt85 with its promise of teflon better than any other cheap / quick spray for stopping iron rusting, so maybe even somthing like that would work in the absence of a "magic bullet".

It would be nice to have something that has more staying power than a thin oil but did not cost £1200 / ltr

 

[SierraV6]

I've seen hints at all sorts from WD40 through to expensive £40 for 30ml stuff.

I've found gt85 with its promise of teflon better than any other cheap / quick spray for stopping iron rusting, so maybe even somthing like that would work in the absence of a "magic bullet".

It would be nice to have something that has more staying power than a thin oil but did not cost £1200 / ltr

What about a wax? I’ve not seen your boxes and I don’t know what they’re for but an alloy wheel wax will withstand reasonably high temperatures and be fairly hard wearing. Or alternatively a sealant maybe?

(Edited to add I’m surprised nobody has mentioned ACF-50 yet unless I’m missing something and it’s clearly unsuitable).

 

[julianf]

This is the stuff the car detailing people seem to recommend -

Gtechniq C1 Crystal Lacquer

Gtechniq C1 Crystal Lacquer chemically bonds to become the new surface layer of your car/boat/ plane giving unrivalled UV resistance, dirt repellency, easy clean, and swirl resistance | Earn Slim's Rewards

www.slimsdetailing.co.uk

Again though, look at the price -

42.50 for 30ml (!)

makes it £1416 / ltr (!!)


I mean it may be good, but im pretty certain its not £1400 a ltr good!

 

[SierraV6]

This is the stuff the car detailing people seem to recommend -

Gtechniq C1 Crystal Lacquer

Gtechniq C1 Crystal Lacquer chemically bonds to become the new surface layer of your car/boat/ plane giving unrivalled UV resistance, dirt repellency, easy clean, and swirl resistance | Earn Slim's Rewards

www.slimsdetailing.co.uk

Again though, look at the price -

42.50 for 30ml (!)

makes it £1416 / ltr (!!)


I mean it may be good, but im pretty certain its not £1400 a ltr good!

That stuff is expensive but it's worth noting that with waxes and sealants a little goes a long way.

Sorry I should have posted a link earlier but I know people who use this on their wheels and exhausts:

Finish Kare Hi-Temp Paste Wax FK1000p

Finish Kare Hi-Temp Paste Wax 1000p Durable Synthetic Wax Finish Kare Hi-Temp Paste Wax is made from a blend of synthetic waxes to obtain a high degree of consistant quality. The most important attributes of this wax blend are high melting points and greater hardness than natural waxes. Thus...

www.shopnshine.co.uk

Do you have a link to your boxes incidentally?

 

[julianf]

This sort of thing -

Not the front panels, just the folded alloy boxes. I just know that those corners by the rivets etc will rip foam pads up quickly. The issue is that these are low mark up items, so i want them to look resonable without spending a whole load of time and effort on them.

Im thinking sand out any deep marks, and then a caustic dip to even out things, and then (ideally) a wipe over with something thin to stop finger marks on oxidation.

 

[SierraV6]

This sort of thing -

Not the front panels, just the folded alloy boxes. I just know that those corners by the rivets etc will rip foam pads up quickly. The issue is that these are low mark up items, so i want them to look resonable without spending a whole load of time and effort on them.

Im thinking sand out any deep marks, and then a caustic dip to even out things, and then (ideally) a wipe over with something thin to stop finger marks on oxidation.




View attachment 333042


View attachment 333043

Interesting! What are they for?

 

[julianf]

Interesting! What are they for?

Clones of vintage electronics -

Buchla Electronic Musical Instruments - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The company has since been given a, kind of, phoenix make-over, but, in the period where it was defunct, cloning the vintage stuff became popular, and now its a "format" in its own right.

 

[SierraV6]

Clones of vintage electronics -

Buchla Electronic Musical Instruments - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The company has since been given a, kind of, phoenix make-over, but, in the period where it was defunct, cloning the vintage stuff became popular, and now its a "format" in its own right.

Thanks, something I know nothing about and didn't even know existed.... Until now!

 

[Ianb]

I saw you aernt keen on powder coating the panels, but have you considered using an etching 2K Matt or satin clearcoat? Or is that just not the look you want?

My worry about wax/sealant etc they arent a permanent solution, not sure if the panels will have lettering/labels etc and if the aluminium starts to degrade/oxidise it would be tricky bringing it back without damaging the labeling.