best stuff for polishing aluminum?

Had some old old Blue magic metal polish that worked pretty good, bought a new bottle and the stuff is shit. Years ago neverdull was pretty good, that stuff is now junk too.

What is the good stuff for polishing aluminum, like rims ? Is there something other than the crap they sell at Auto parts stores that is beter

Maybe some good toxic stuff that causes global warming and polutes the ocean, kills birds and causes cancer, but polishes aluminum good


.

 

Mothers.

 

^^^...that, plus a goodly amount of elbow grease

 

Wondering if the same stuff today had to become "eco" friendly (sometimes making it less effective)?

 

Yep ^

Or is it is really nasty as in never polished or polished once and neglected fot gawd knows how long Jeweler's Rouge and a buffing wheel.

 

I've had good luck with Flitz.

 

2 ----4 -----flitz

 

Flitz is that stuff still around? The Ol' Man always had Flitz around.

I used to sue Simichrome as welll and it worked but I don't know if you can still find it.

 

years ago i used semi-chrome on my bikes. now that was some good shit. ive not seen it in a long time but if you can find it try it.i had some rocker boxes on my bike that looked terrible and i try that stuff and with some elbow grease they looked almost new. i said almost. key word there..lol

 

Surprised to hear this! I love Blue Magic! To me, it was that or Wenol. I always look (or smell) for the highest ammonia content, its what really does the work. If your rag isn't turning black, you're wasting time.

 

Depends on the aluminum. If it's clear anodized trim, then your gonna have to either just clean it as best as you can, or strip off the finish and buff it.

If it's wheels or other unfinished aluminum that's oxidized or heavily scratched, you're probably better off machine buffing it out first, instead of using hand polishes.

 

I swore by Mothers, Semi-Chrome, Neverdull, ect. I was getting ready to polish some large diamond plate stone guards on a trailer. They were way bad, not touched in years. A friend gave me some swap-meet polish he'd gotten a deal on, to try. Zephyr Pro-40. Never heard of it, probably some huckster snake-oil, I figured. I gotta tell ya, this shit works. Made that dead aluminum shine damn near like chrome. I was impressed. No idea were it can be found, but I'll get me some more if I ever see it. YMMV of course.

 

Amazon has simichrome . Gesswein also has a product for buffing wheels called luster-bar that's very good also.

 

After a quick search, it appears truckers are in love with this Zephyr Pro-40 stuff. Check your local truck stop/service center.

 

Thanks for the lead. I had Ankront rims on my bike for a few years and after a year or so on the road with little or no love they got pretty ugly. I got after them with some simichrome and they looked like the day I laced them up.

 

I've done more than my fair share of aluminum polishing (to mirror finishes) over the years, and the best I've found so far is "Rolite".... it is a (3) step process and you black as hell, but hands down THE BEST...and with a conditioner, you don't need to re-do the polishing (and I hate polishing)......
I've used them all, and have always come back to the Rolite...
Tom

 

my friend gave me some stuff called speedy metal polish in comes in a quart bottle its a light green watery base it works unbelievable very fast and easy to use

 

Yep, the new stuff has no ammonia smell and doesnt get as much black on the rag right ofe the bat. Ya gotta rub alot more to get the black going.

 

Purple,it works for me!

 

Her you go: http://www.amazon.com/Zephyr-Pro-40-Metal-Polish-16/dp/B002SS5ZCU

 

I was so impressed with the product.

White Diamond Metal Polish and Sealant

I have a lot of experience metal polishing (tripoli, rouge). I've used Wenol often and all the others above.

When I first saw White Diamond, I thought no-way. It's from "as seen on TV". Its' consistency is almost water. On the store shelf it separates and top half looks clear like water.

It made my polished Centerlines gleam with brilliance. It didn't take much rubbing. Gleam like I've seen no other polish do - machine or by hand.

My valve covers are more porous. It still made them look good. It might take a few more rotations for perfection.

We'll worth the money ($14.99), and Advance Auto sells it.

AA6

 

Check out Nuvite, its what we polish airstreams with.

 

Best stuff i ever used - and i used a LOT of it doing polished race car interiors - was a product called 'Outshine' it was made in Maryland. It had some kind of wax and aluminum oxide in it. It would polish like crazy and clean with a simple rub, we tried to get it in a 55gal drum but the guy sold us what he had left in quart jugs.
I never spoke direct to him, one of the guys that came in my shop dealt with him and he just quit making it - maybe epa had something to do with it or maybe he sold the formula. I keep going to those huge truck stops because if anybody would have it they would. It is easy to see, the stuff in the bottom will be ivory-greenish in color, comes out in soft lumps and spreads easily.

 

Zepher rpo - 40 just googled zepherpro.com

 

I've been using a similar green watery type stuff called Gords and it works great. Super fast results and seems to be very long lasting.

 

Back when I drove a truck I always used Nev'rDull. Came in a can and was cotton soaked in something, turned black as could be when you rubbed it on teh wheels... I don't know if it's still around or not. Ask a truck driver what he used to make his aluminum wheels look like chrome.

 

Purple is amazing stuff! Also, you can use paint cutting compound and a buffer on aluminum if it's in bad shape to prep for the regular metal polish.

 

Nev'rDull is what i use, it even takes light rust off bumbers, aluminum valve cover and anything, you would be amazed at what it does to stainless!!!

 

Nothing's going to beat a wheel & rouge or "system" polishes such as Nuvite "NuShine", but if you want something to bring back the shine with ease, this is the stuff: http://www.originalheavymetalpolish.com/ and I have tried a lot of them.

 

If you do not mind being really dirty, Autosol and a lambs wool buffing pad cannot be beaten, I have polished thousands of pounds of aluminum over the years on the trucks and trailers we had in out cattle pot fleet. Running in Canada and trying to keep a fleet of show trucks up all year will make you find the best there is out there or eventually your trucks will look the same as everyone elses....https://autosol.com/
Oddly enough, buy the regular Metal Polish, not the Aluminum polish...