Aluminium polish?

[Size Nine Elm]

The window guides on my Chimaera (now 11) are quite marked with (I presume) oxidation on the surface. Is there a good polish/cleaner which will remove this and leave them shiny?

(Can provide photo tomorrow if this helps).

Thanks in advance...

[dannyboy1]

USE PEEK METAL POLISH IF YOU CAN FIND IT,WE USED IT AT THE FACTORY!

[medieval]

Hi SNE - I use 0000 grade wirewool and autosol to cut through the oxidization and then wipe off with a dry, clean, cloth and WD40

Hope this helps, regards

[Wildfire]

Once you have polished them up, wax them like you would do with paint work and they'll stay shiney longer.

[Jasper Gilder]

I always used Brasso

[GreenV8S]

Do they have any sort of lacquer on them from the factory? Mine are tatty but haven't corroded as much as I'd expect from exposed aluminium.

[Hoover.]

I always thought they were coated in somerthing as as well...... last year at the Griff growl I enquired how people kept them shiny and they just polished using autosol...... must admit I've got Mothers, Aotosol and Peeks... and depending on what I'm doing ti what I use.... liquids/paste etc

[work-shy-wanabe]

If there quite bad start with some Braso silver and then some Peak metal polish. Peaks a little less abrasive than the autosol stuff and I think you can get it at most halfords.

[yzf1070]

Belgom Alu, bikers typically use it and its excellent... You can get it from M&P Accessories.

[Size Nine Elm]

Thanks for all the replies, I'll have a go with some, all, or none of the above

[tvrolet]

Depends how serious you are about getting a decent finish. I have a set of polishing mops, and going from Satene compound through to Hyfin you can get a mirror finish on pretty much anything.

Like this lump of aluminium, with a bit more filing and about an hours polishing

becomes a gearchange trim...

Oh, and I polished up the gearchange lever too....

or 'before' and 'after' on a set of door handles


I'd always just take things apart I want to polish and do them on the mop. I guess you should get similar results with a wee halfrauds-style mop in a high speed electric drill. If the pitting's not too bad, then Hyfin will polish pretty much anything (although it was designed for Stainless steel originally I gather). But, it does need a wee bit of practice

[Size Nine Elm]

Thanks, Willie,

I think perhaps though I'm not quite the perfectionist you are - I don't know if I could take 3.5 years to get the shut lines on the doors just right

[bomb]

Jasper Gilder said:

I always used Brasso

with two ice cubes and a slice of lemon.

Just lovely !