frame polish

Mothers is the shit. I the swingarm on my old KTM looking like a mirror. Just keep polishing and pressing hard, or use power tools.

I've used fine grit sandpaper first to get imperfections out, then used Mothers or Semichrome.

Wenol.

I used to use Nevr-Dull on the aluminum parts on the airplanes I crewed to get that high mirror polish. It too requires a LOT of elbow grease though.



Be interesting to hear of those that have used both and how they compare.

Interesting article:

http://www.airstreamcentral.com/articles/39/1/Polish-a-classic/Page1.ht…

you have to start nwith sand paper, there is a very thick clear coat especially on the swingarm then save your elbow and get a powerball

Simichrome

http://www.competitionchemicals.com/

Blue Magic #400...The stuff is just that on metal!!


http://bluemagicusa.com/...e_magic/products/210

Mothers is the best stuff I found over the regular counter.

I had a guy bring me some stuff to my shop once from a truck stop. It was a home brew type stuff that separated when left sitting a couple days. It was a liquid and it was the best stuff I ever used on aluminum or stainless steel. Shake it up and it was a thin creamy liquid. Rub it on and give it a good scrubbing then buff it off. WOW. I don't know what it was though. Try your local truck stop. I think they used it on fuel tanks and various stainless trim pieces.

Lol I use steel Wool lol! Like seriously it works well on some of the harsher bits, would finish up a treat with some other product...

jewelers rouge(i think thats how its spelled) and a buffing wheel on a drill. sand first with fine grit sandpaper.

Yep...if you're starting with a fairly smooth surface like a frame. Buffing wheel on a drill with Jeweler's Rouge compound.
Polishing is a 2 steps process:
1) Cut - uses finer and finer abrasives to remove all the surface imperfections. That's where the sandpaper, steel wool and abrasive polishing compounds come in. This might be required for the cast parts of your frame.
2. Color - brings out the mirror like luster in a smooth surface. That's what you're looking for. For the majority of the frame, you can jump right to this step.
You can get an arbor, buffing wheel and Jewler's Rouge (look for, Fine, Final or a Red color) compound for under $20.00 at most home improvement stores.
Mother's works great for maintaining the shine, and you can get decent color with enough elbow grease.
Never-Dull is a chemical surface treatment to prevent dulling (oxidizing). However, you loose some of the color immediately. The shine won't look as good as it could, but it will look good longer.
One warning...once you've polished, you'll always have to polish.

second that you can get it all at Lowes