Tips on polishing those old rockers!

[jerite]

Any of you guys got some good tips on products on polishing up those old rocker boxers? Picked up some expensive Mothers aluminum polish and it looks like it will work but I will be rubbing til next Christmas!
Thanks-
Jer

[dablaze]

IF you have em off its easier of course, I used a dremel to get into the small spots. I spent about a month on mine, started with 180 sandpaper...

Did you ever figure out what year emblems you were going with?

Craig

[jerite]

Yeah i figured i would have to get in there with a dremel or small die grinder with buffer pad. I was hoping someone staggered across some miracle polish. Its rarely that easy hugh!
I was figuring on going with some early shovel, you know the black, chrome with the white/grey inset kinda rectangular but. Something black, shrome and/or silver. I saved your email and was gonna shoot you an email after paint this weekend. Wanted to get christmas over with before I dived obsessively into the scoot. you know family stuff and all. I was in the garage today after kids opened up presents and cleaned up their messes, now its my time!
jer

[76shuvlinoff]

 Before I went to chrome I went over the old aluminum with buffing rouge and an assortment of wheels from Eastwood. My rockers needed a little sanding first to take out the heavy pitting.  It took a couple weeks in my spare time to get all the aluminum looking like chrome but she sure was pretty. Unfortunately after all those black boogers it didn't last too long.


edit: the time I spent buffing included rocker boxes, timing cone, tranny cover, fork legs and nacelle.  It actually goes pretty quickly if you have access to stationary buffer and/ or one of those with a flexible drive from a stationary motor. You still have places only a small unit like a dotco or dremel will reach.    AND at the bare minimum wear a dust mask and a face shield.

Mark

[flhswingarm]

  >what 76 said<.................. My rockers (71 flh basket case) looked like they been thrown in the lake for some time.....it took progressively finer grits to smooth out the pits............then various polishing compounds and a dremel......finishing with rouge..........that was 15 years ago......today I just put some E.G. (elbow grease) and a good alumium polish now n then to keep em lookin well groomed

[nubs77]

google HOSSIER METAL POLISH.
Great stuff best I have ever used.

[Hillside Motorcycle]

IF you have em off its easier of course, I used a dremel to get into the small spots. I spent about a month on mine, started with 180 sandpaper...

Did you ever figure out what year emblems you were going with?

Craig

That's a clean lookin' shovel.
Scott

[buzzurd]

Nice motor Blaze.....what do yo have on the jugs??I've always painted mine flat black and left the heads raw after bead blasting,but sure like that look.
Buzzurd

[Lew]

I use Mothers and have found it to be better than anything else I've used.  Comet cleanser is a good way to start the polish process if the aluminum is really dull and water spotted.  Follow that up with about six sessions with the Mothers and the aluminum will shine like new.  Follow the directions on the back of the jar.  I use two terry cloth pieces.  One to apply the polish and rub it in and then use the other to immediately wipe off the oxidation and polish up.  I clear coat with VHT high heat clear after wiping it down with lacquer thinner.  Once that aluminum starts to shine you'll get enough inspiration to keep going.............

[stroker800]

 the easiest way to polish any aluminum is too use 3M polishing compound for car paint....We use aluminum molds at work and this is the trick..on real dirty oxidized stuff go with the course and work your way to the #3 fishish .All I use is a 7" Dewalt electric buffer(pricey but good) and a sheep's wool bonnet. I use a different bonnet for each grit  total of 3..they are fluffy enuff to squeeze into most tight spots...I can do rocker boxs 1 hour at the most,,from crap to insta chrome.
Dave

[amfspyder]

The first time I polished mine I started with either 220 or 320 and then worked my way to finer paper. Before using Wizard's I ended up with 1500 grit paper.

[blackbeard 60]

i use a metal polish called wicked . it is the best "Potty mouth" i ever used.

[ZORRO]

JERITE DO YOURSELF A FAVOR GO TO HARBOR FREIGHT SEND 80.00 ON A BUFFER IT COMES WITH ROUGE USE THA AND YOU WILL BE DONE IN ABOUT 4 HOURS I HAVE SPENT ALOT OF CASH ON [MIRICLE POLISH] THIS WORKS BEST

[tomhead79]

A friend posted this method on another forum, I'll post it here. This pic is after the wet sanding and before using Brasso. The flour trick works really well too. I won't do the rough inside as they'll never be seen with the tanks covering them.
"been doing it this way for years:
get some 400,500,600 grit wet or dry paper
an old salt or pepper shaker filled with flour
a hose (better) or a bucket of water (will work)
some MAAS metal polish...WalMart, 3.77 a tube.(in the grocery section by furniture polish) I like it a lot better than Mothers, Meguiars, and Simichrome, and it's cheaper.

take the 400, wet it, hang the hose so it dribbles on the part you are working on, or dip it in the bucket, and start sanding, no pressure, back and forth, never in circles. If yer using a bucket, keep the paper wet. LISTEN!!! you will hear the tone of the paper change as the metal smooths.
when it does, switch to the 500, same deal, then the 600. If you have nicks, DO NOT try to spot them out, you will get a low spot that will show. (don't ask me how I know that, I just do) Just work that area down in straight strokes.
After the 600: dry everything, look for bad spots, if you dont see any, start with the MAAS. When you get it so shiny you can't look at it, take the flour shaker, and shake flour all over the part on top of the polish you aint wiped off yet....take a clean towel or tshirt rag, and wipe the flour and the polish off. The flour acts as an absorbent, and gets the black residue out of the pores of the aluminum. Rinse everything off, dry it, on cone, aircleaner, outer primary, inner primary, give them a coat of non abrasive carwax, (Meguiars Carnauba, or Mothers Gold) and yer done. Dont let the parts get ahead of you, and you can keep them up with just the MAAS. Look at the pics of Grunt. I polished those rockers, this way, 20 years ago (actually, 21)
Hope this helps,
RSDF
Preacher"

[bobs82fxr]

MOTHERS makes a polishing ball. Use with an electric drill. About $25 for the small (don't use the large, it's way to large). Works great with almost any metal polish.

[dirtywhitewalls]

I've used the mothers powerball with mothers cream polish, i thought it worked very well. available at wal-mart, came with small and large polishing balls

[easyricer]

on several of my old parts I've used a soft stone to get them good and smooth, then used the buffing wheel to get a good high shine. The soft stone will cut into the metal really fast but smooth, if you move fast enough. I use the same stuff for polishing steel before chroming. Of course I have access to a fab shop where I can weld up any imperfections and get it JUST RIGHT! I can't remember what they are actually called but most of the larger Dremmel kits come with smaller soft stone bits. They really do a great job of cutting away the rough stuff.  After that I use mothers mag polish or Billet polish. Then a touch of wax to help preserve it like that. Most of the bikes I've built placed at the shows before I put them up for sale. (of course I rode the hell outa them in between!)
EASY

[major]

bombs away. best "Potty mouth" out there for polished aluminum