question about polishing trim

Hey guys,

Ive got a quick question that hopefully someone can answer. I want to polish the trim on my 66 F100. Im going to be shooting the truck in one color so it doesnt look like the hillbilly pickup any more and I figure since ill have the trim off id do a little polishing.

Should I sand the trim at all to start with, or should I just use my bench grinder with the polishing wheels and use the clay bars?

I know how to use the different type of bars, but im not sure if I should sand the trim first. Any info would be great. Also I know my trim wont be perfect, but I think I can get it to look better then what it does.

 

Try just buffing it first. If you sand it you'll be in for more work than you really need perhaps.

 

Stainless? If it's nice and straight then I would just polish it. If there are dents well..hammer, file, sand, polish. Be super careful when holding the trim to the polishing wheels. Take the time to think about how the wheel is gonna affect the trim... I've had whole pieces yanked out of my hands and thrown across the shop. Wear gloves!

 

Yeah, like a trim ring? Wow, those things can fly a long way.

 

if you're speaking of the aluminum side moldings, you'll probably have to get the clear anodizing off first, then polish the aluminum. There's not really any stainless on those trucks (except for the windshield trim if equipped), its either aluminum or chromed pot metal.

 

well damn I thought it all was stainless. I guess thats why the windshield trim looks so good compared to the rest.

So how can I tell if its aluminum or pot metal and what should I look at doing then?

 

Aluminum trim feels too light for it's size. Other than that, it is very soft, compared with stainless.
My take on it, the same I have with polishing paint, is to start with the least aggressive, or destructive, method, and work your way down, if it doesn't do the trick.
With SS trim, start by using a soft cotton or flannel, loose flapped wheel, and jewelers rouge. If after working on it for a few minutes, it is still hazy or scratchy, go to a sewn cotton wheel, with white rouge. then hit it with the jewelers rouge to clean up. IF that doesn't do it, a sewn wheel with stainless polish. then white rouge, then jewelers. When going backwards, always work your way back up to the finest polish again, to see the true effects of your work.
If the polishing techniques still dont' cut it, then try sanding it with 5-600 grit paper, then go back through the polishing stages. That should do the trick on all but the worst trim. Badly damaged or scratched trim can even be sanded with 220 or so paper, but wait until you have some practice with doing it before using a grit as rough as that. You can ruin a piece just as easy, with the more agressive grits.
Once you get experienced, you might be able to guess what step to start at, when examining the trim.

 

Old trick for a novice polisher. Use a table saw instead if the grinder to spin the wheel, less chance to get the trim caught and ruin it.

 

If you are polishinmg aluminum trim then you are not gonna see much happen unless you get the anodising off first ... I know its already be said but it cant be said enough

 

so to get the anodising off I need to sand it? I know for a fact now that it should be aluminum trim.

I just want to get some shine back in it, all the trim is very dull

 

If I remember correctly, you can use the spray on oven cleaner to remove the anodising.

 

Here's a list of bar colors and their application -

http://members.cruzio.com/~dane/Buffing bar colors.doc

And pretty much everything else about buffing -

http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/buffman.htm

 

thanks Dane, thats what I needed.

Not trying to second guess you 37hotrod, anyone body else know about this or should I just start with the black clay block?

 

I have heard this as well.

 

I have a '66 F-100 deluxe cab. I took all the aluminum trim to a local anodizing shop and had them strip the anodizing off. Once that was done, the polishing was pretty straightforward.

Trying to sand it off by hand will take you forever, and trying to buff through the anodizing will take even longer. Some people have stripped the anodizing off at home using Easy-Off oven cleaner; I have no personal experience with that method, but you can do a search here to find more information.

 

check out youtube for polishing techniques
I know there was some really good info on stainless,
you will probably find something on aluminium

 

Stainless steel should be magnetic while aluminum is not

 

I've found the bench grinder and rouge bars a pain in the wazzoo, it does have its place though on small parts, for the large stuff like truck wheels and fuel tanks I use a large varible speed polisher, with a sheep wool bonnet, not one of the little car quest things, and alum polish such as MFX or Zepher 40, and generally use that on everything, stainless, crome,and alum, if its not pitted or really screwed up that works.
On thin alum like trim heat will warp the piece,don't get things too hot when buffing.

 

Not sure on your condition. But I have always Used Steel wool and Mothers Metal polish.

I always start out with "0000" first and see what happens. If it has a lot of Oxidation I will go up to "000", which is more abrasive, and then go back to the "0000". Its a bit of Elbow grease, but well worth it when you see the results.

I have had very good luck this way, usually turning out really nice... but if I want a more deeper shine after the steel wool, I will hit it with a buffer wheel !!

 

If it were me I'd set up a nice work table were you could set a piece of trim and wet sand it smooth finishing up with 1500-2000 grit paper. Get a few clean shop rags and hand polish things with buffing compound. It will look like chrome when you are done, and there is no danger of catching things in a buffing wheel. Bob

 

I have a 63 Galaxie that has aluminum trim almost identical to what you have on your 66. I am in the process of polishing mine too. I have tried the oven cleaner trick on this trim numerous times and it doesn't work. The only true way to get the anodizing off is to give it a light sanding. I went and got a fine drywall sponge from Lowes and that seems to do the trick pretty well. I can't remember the grit. You just don't want anything too course because it will leave scratches. Then I polish it up on my buffing wheel on my bench grinder with some light polishing compound. Looks great when your done. And I also found that if you don't want the mess/risk associated with the buffing wheel, a few coats/buffs with Mothers aluminum polish does just as good. You just have to give it a lot of elbow grease and apply it about 2-3 times to get a good chrome shine.. But what I have done so far looks like new. You will hear people say that you have to continue to polish it constantly after you remove the anodizing if you leave your car in the elements. But I polished a trunk lip trim piece with the above mentioned method over a year ago, and it still looks great. I haven't even re-polished it, and my car sits outside.

 

neat idea! do you put something on the table [maybe duct tape] to keep from adding scratches?

 

I bought some powdered acid made for removing the clear anodizing from the vendor at the shows that sell the polishing equipment and supplies. Follow the directions. Tell the vendor what you are polishing and he will recommend the buffing wheels and compounds to use. For long side moldings get some plastic house rain gutter and 2 end caps to make a long narrow dip tank. Stay with it and check it often. you will see it bubbling. It turns white. If you forget about it it will totally dissolve. Unlike sanding this process leaves no scratches that need to be polished out. It's much easier to polish if you don't have to remove sanding scratches. I hit it with some rattle can clear after polishing and it stayed nice as long as I owned the car. It was garaged.

 

What ever you do DON"T PUT OVEN CLEANER ON ALUMINUM. It is a caustic solution. Attached are some pics I received from a friend yesterday of what will happen. In short he bought the tire spray an Advance to use on his truck, seems that the spray nozzle malfunctioned and the spray went onto the ALUMINUM wheel. He called the Pematex number only to be told that the product date was 2006, and it is only good for 2 years, SORRY. BTY there is a coded number on the bottom of the can that only Permatex can deciper. If you have this or other wheel shine, better check the date and becarefull.

 

Ever have a 2x4 kick back in a table saw? I keep getting this picture of a semi polished spear stuck in someones gut.

 

alright guys thanks alot!!!! This is going to be one of the first projects when I get back stateside. Im going to take the trim off and shoot the truck in one color while I slowly do some body work inbetween daily driving the truck. I figured while I had the trim off I would polish it and it would look great against flat black.

Now I just need to research how im going to pull the anodizing off, id rather not sand it because then id have to get all the scratches out.

 

good thought, never had it happen with a table saw but did have it happen when i was ripping some 2x oak on my radial arm saw. threw the piece through the paneling, insulation, and nocked the t-111 loose from the studs of my shed.
i thought maybe having the fuzzy pad just poking up through the table would keep the piece form wrapping around the wheel. i have twisted a few pieces of stainless in the pursuit of perfection

 

Check this out. Pick up a bottle of Hair and Grease Remover from Home Depot; it's under $10. Pull the trim off and place it an area that you can rinse thoroughly. If there is paint on the trim remove it.

Wet the trim down and apply the Hair and Grease with a brush generously. Make sure you are well covered - long sleeve shirt, gloves and yes some safety glasses. This stuff can melt your face.

The first application will slowly remove the clear anodized finish. You will start to see this stuff bubble - it's working. Apply as many applications as necessary to remove the finish until it gets dull. The longer it stays on the better it works. Again, make sure you're in an area that you can rinse well.

Once this is all dull use 1500 up to 2000 wet sand to pull out any small scratches. A little bit of #0000 steel wool works good too, but don't be too aggressive.

At this point its all smooth and ready to buff. I used a 3" polisher kit from Harbor Freight with some Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish and it just screamed.

Good luck.

 

sweet man, ill try that out for sure!

 

I just did a piece of side trim and turn signal bezels on my 65 Chevy truck. I started with dollar store oven cleaner followed by 1000 1500 and 2000 grit wet sanding. Then I chucked a Mothers speed ball in my drill press at 620 rpm with Mothers aluminum polish. The results were quite good