I would like to know the detailed steps of polishing aluminum. From the ruffed form from being casted to the form that is almost mirror like. I would like to transform my boring gray stock 400ex swing arm into something really pretty to look at. Thanks alot

 

Since I'm doing my whole 350X I say don't bother. But if you really want to know... first take the whole rear end apart... everything! Next take a 3M brand abrasive wheel and chuck it in a drill and grind all the paint off the swing arm. Next break out the old sand paper and elbow grease and work away with 200 grit. Once you get most of the deep scuffs out get some 300 grit and continue working your butt off. Next get some 400 wet and dry paper and sand away most of the fine lines left from the previous grits. Now with the 600 grit same thing... Last get a buffing set from some place like Home Depot... and get a block of rouge... put it in your drill and buff away until you get the shine you want.

The easiest way... take it all apart and call your nearest shop and have them do it. You'll be busting your hump 8 hours a day for a week trying to get it to look good... waste of time sorry to say. If you have that much time on your hands like I do and have to rebuild your motor anyway... wny not do the whole frame and forks and swing arm like me... I'm still working at it after a week and a half... probably another week and a half and it will be done.

 

First of all I don’t think I would do this without the proper power tools. If you don’t have them like DunePilot said you will work you butt off. In that case I would probably take it somewhere to have it done. If you do a search on this in the forums you will find several different techniques. Sanding the thing down by hand is definitely not something you want to do as DunePilot is finding out. Use a high speed grinder with sanding disks stuck onto a flexible pad and save the sweating for riding, unless of course you want the exercise and have the time. They make polishing solutions in different grits but you will need a high speed grinder and the proper buffing wheels to use them. A rotary tool is good to buff out tight grooves. A 1/2” drill might work instead of a grinder but would take longer because of lower rpm’s and a smaller drill would take even longer and might not have enough power. You need ***** and high speed to polish that baby so a good grinder would work best.

Hey DunePilot if you think that little swing arm is tuff you should try color sanding a car, buffing the clear coat is one heck of a forearm workout holding that grinder. Not to mention making sure you don’t burn it.

 

let me know there are 3 shops local to me here and my frineds run some in dallas. I can get you a number or address to which ever one you want

 

use a sandblaster... That is the way the shops do it...

 

You do not want to use a high speed die grinder!!! Unless you want major uneven areas that will never come out. I know all about sanding bonehead... I worked for a custom guitar shop (Carvin if you must know) I sanded everything from 5000 dollar custom basses and guitars. If you want to talk about fore arm work out try sanding guitars 8 hours a day 5 days a week for a few weeks. Most of that was hand sanding. You know that guy... popeye... take a good look at his fore arms and you'll an idea of what my arms look like except I have bigger bi and triceps.

 

It is very time consuming polishing a swingarm. I have been there and done that and finally shelled out the money to get my aluminim swingarm on my 88 250R chromed . It is the only way to go now all I have to do is wipe it down lightly with wax. Polishing will never give you that miror finish especially on a swingarm where your chain throws chain lube on it all the time.

 

I thought they couldnt chrome plate aluminum? Is it possible?

 

The shop needs to be set up for it and not all plating shops are. I had my sidecases done five years ago and havn't had any problems with it coming off or chipping.the swingarm was done three years ago and still looks as good as it did when i first had it done

 

DunePilot858,

You have definitely done more hand sanding than I would like to do in a lifetime. I’m just curious why you would get major uneven areas with the grinder. I figured you might be able to use it instead of a pneumatic orbital sander witch most people wouldn’t have. Or would the orbital sander with wet/dry sandpaper still give you major uneven areas. I figured you might get “slight” uneven areas that could be touched up by hand and then use something like a three step buffing compound. Maybe gleaming aluminum isn’t as close to straitening a fender and making the clear coat shine as I thought it might be. If you took it to a shop how would they do it?