WHAT PRODUCTS DO YOU NEED TO POLISHING ALUMINUM OR STAINLESS? 

In this post we will go over all of the essential products and supplies you need to start a metal polishing business or simply polish your own piece of stainless or aluminum. In order to polish you need to make sure you have the right equipment and products necessary to complete your job SAFELY and EFFECTIVELY. We get a lot of calls here where people ask if they can use their small 10,000 RPM grinders in conjunction with our wheels since they have them laying around and the answer is unequivocally NO. Airway buffing wheels are only rated to 3,500 RPM but us manufacturers BUT professional metal polishers typically spin their buffs at 6,000 RPM using one of the makita right angle grinders we have listed below. We cannot stress this enough that we highly recommend NOT polishing any faster than 6,000 RPM as you will have serious safety concerns on anything faster than this. 

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NOW, we will go over all the necessary supplies needed to polish metal:

KITS FOR ALUMINUM OR STAINLESS POLISHING:

Renegade Aluminum Mini Kit  - This is a very simple kit that we designed for polishing aluminum, has everything you need including buffing wheels, safety flange, polishing compound bars, liquid metal polish and a few microfiber applicators. IF you need to sand to remove scratches or pitting from your aluminum we highly recommend some of our sanding discs which can be found here . 

Renegade Stainless polishing kit  - This kit, similar to our aluminum kit has everything you need to polish stainless steel other than the right angle grinder! We designed this kit to be the absolute essentials for stainless polishing which includes airway buffing wheels, buffing compounds, liquid metal polish & some microfiber applicators. This does not have any sanding supplies so if you need to remove pitting or scratches, you will need to purchase sanding discs and 5" makita orbital sander which we have listed below!

MAKITA GA - The best 6,000 RPM polishing machine which is generally used by professional or experienced metal polishers, this is truly the best quality you can get. 

MAKITA C- The best 3,500 RPM polishing machine you can get which is used by both professional polishers and novice's due to its capabilities and build quality. You will 100% need a variable speed machine like this because when you are "coloring" or final finishing you will need to bring down your RPM speed to somewhere between 1,200 and 1,800 RPM's. Also if you decide to use our sanding wheels such as our 9" BLUE Buff & Blend or our 9" Satin Airway, you will need to sanding in the range of 1,200 RPM as anything faster is dangerous and runs the risk of actually damaging your work piece! 

Makita Random Orbital Sander  - These sanders are an absolute necessity in conjunction with our 5" hook & loop sanding discs which are used to sand out imperfections in your aluminum or stainless. An important thing to remember is that metal polishing with airways and buffing compound will NOT take out scratches or pitting. Any scratches or pitting will need to be removed with the sanding process! Typical grits that are most common with sanding when metal polishing are 220 grit, 320 grit & 400 grit. Our black polishing compound bar (stainless) or our Tripoli compound bar (for aluminum) in the cut stage can cut out and remove any 400 grit scratch marks, so going much finer than this is truly not necessary and causing double work for your polishing process. 

Buffing rake for metal polishing - Rakes are absolutely essential for metal polishing because they help to do two main things: One is break the buff in and open the threads on the end of the buff so compound can properly adhere to the wheel. The second is that you need to constantly rake out cakes up compound and metal fragments that inherently stick to the wheel. Too much of this build up can cause burns, dull shine and even scratches in the surface you are polishing. You absolutely NEED to buy a rake! 

Safety Flanges for metal polishing - Our safety flange plates have a 5/8" arbor that perfectly fit onto the shaft of a right angle grinder and are also an absolute necessity for metal polishing. Safety should be your number one concern because accidents can happen when you are working with high speed machinery like a right angle grinder spinning at 6,000 or 3,500 RPM's! 

Extension cords - Extension cords are important for operating right angle grinders as you don't want to get to a job and take an extension cord that doesn't have the right gauges or isn't meant to handle the power of a 3,500 rpm right angle grinder. Here are some GREAT ones we recommend:

What sander is best for metal polishing? 

We recommend two different sanders that you can use with your sanding process before going into your metal polishing with buffing wheels & buffing compound. One is corded and is great quality and the other is a cordless for those that have a little extra budget and want the added convenience. Both are fantastic quality and work with our sanding discs. 

1. Corded Orbital sander - Makita 5" Orbital Sander $ 80

2. Cordless Orbital Sander - Milwaukee Cordless Orbital Sander $ 117.99 

Heavy Duty 100 Foot Extension cord for metal polishing machines & rotary's 

Heavy Duty 50 Foot Extension Cord for metal polishing machines & rotary's 

20 Ton Jack for big Rigs & heavy duty equipment 

Goto Hengxuan Abrasive to know more.

20 Ton Air Jack for for big rigs and lifted trucks - LOVE THIS 

20 Ton Stubby jack for low axles

20 ton stubby air jack for low axles 

 

Below is a table showing the maximum safe operating speed for each size of buffing wheel:

 

Aluminum

Aluminum is a relatively soft metal and its one of the easier metals to polish and get a bright shine. Aluminum, usually an aluminum alloy, is used to make wheels, trailers – including the vintage Air Stream trailers, diamond plate, engine components, and so on.

For all its great qualities, aluminum oxidizes very easily. It's actually a defense mechanism of the metal: a light layer of aluminum oxide protects the underlying metal from corrosion. This aluminum oxide is functional but its not attractive, and that's why factory-polished aluminum is usually coated. (In this case, you need a metal polish that is safe on coatings, unless you plan to remove the coating. For stripping the coating, consult a professional.)

Wolfgang MetallWerk&#; Aluminum Polishes are formulated just for aluminum and other uncoated metals.

If your aluminum is uncoated, you're ready to get started with an aluminum polish. Wolfgang MetallWerk&#; Aluminum Polishes are formulated just for aluminum and other uncoated metals. They are incredibly effective at removing oxidation, tarnish, stains, and water spots. The Wolfgang metal polishes are a complete four-step system but you may not need all four steps, depending on the condition of your aluminum surfaces. The techniques here will work on any bare metals.

 

First, there's Wolfgang MetallWerk&#; Aluminum Compound. If you have aluminum wheels or a trailer that has never been polished, ever, this is where you need to start. This is an aggressive prepolish that removes the oxidation and cleans the aluminum surface. It leaves a clean and somewhat shiny surface. The follow-up polishes are what really turn up the gloss.

To apply Wolfgang MetallWerk&#; Aluminum Compound to a large surface, like a trailer, use a Wolfgang MetallWerk&#; 4 Ply 100% Twisted Wool Compounding Pad. The twisted wool strands give the pad the cutting power necessary to eliminate years of oxidation. Wipe the compound onto the surface with an applicator pad first to avoid sling. Work at a speed of - RPM (5-6 on your dual action polisher). Polish until oxidation and stains have disappeared. Wool pads are made to lint so wear proper eye protection and old clothes. Buff the aluminum with a towel. Polishing aluminum is a messy process so have plenty of towels on hand.

Once you've used the prepolish, use Wolfgang MetallWerk&#; Fine Aluminum Polish to enhance the shine. If the aluminum is only lightly oxidized, this may be your first step. Wolfgang MetallWerk&#; Fine Aluminum Polish is a fine grade polish that continues to clean the metal but its main function is to burnish it to a glossy shine. Follow the same directions as above but use a 50/50 Wool Acrylic Pad on your polisher. (If you're going to use the Mothers PowerBall Mini or Flitz Polishing Ball, use a clean one.)

The aluminum should have a brilliant shine at this point. This next step is really for perfectionists, collectors, and car show enthusiasts. Wolfgang MetallWerk&#; Concours Aluminum Polish is a very fine, gloss-enhancing polish that creates a fantastic, mirror-like shine. This is the icing on the cake. For most daily drivers, this might be considered excessive. But if you have to have the cleanest, brightest, most brilliant shine possible, this is the polish you need. Apply it with a fluffy, Electrified White Sheepskin Final Polishing Pad at a speed of RPM (4 on a dual action polisher). If using a PowerBall or Polishing Ball, work at RPM. Excellent results can also be achieved by hand polishing with a soft, clean microfiber cloth.

There's nothing like the gleam of just-polished metal and we'll tell you how to get it.

Use a 4 Ply Twisted Compounding Pad with your rotary to work in the compound.

Spread the polish on the surface
before turning on the polisher.

Polish between - RPM
(or 5-6 OPM on a dual action polisher)

Polish until your surface appears to be clean and glossy. It may take several passes to completely remove the oxidation.

Wipe the surface clean. Repeat the process if stains or oxidation are still present.

If you're using Wolfgang MetallWerk&#; Aluminum Compound on wheels, use Mothers PowerBall Mini or Flitz Polishing Ball at RPM on your electric drill.

Are you interested in learning more about metal polishing tools? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!