Buffing and Polishing Aluminum

jaydett

jaydett

XS650 Enthusiast
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Hey everyone, about a month ago a family friend gave me his old 1973 TX650 that he used to ride in college. It's been parked since he had the motor, clutch and trans rebuilt in '87. I'm starting to tear it down and clean it up. I was wondering if anyone has any tips on cleaning and buffing all the aluminum? There is a little oxidation from being parked in a garage for almost 30 years.
 
Mothers brand aluminum polish is what I use, works great! Just make sure you follow the directions. You can find it at any auto parts store, probably places like Wal-Mart too.
 
I use the Mothers as well but if that doesn't take it off the best thing to do is get a buffer with some tripoli or black to take the corrosion off. I find the buffer will do a great job but takes a lot of time. The end result is well worth it though.
 
I'm not sure when they started doing so but Yamaha applied a clear coat over the polished alloy at the factory. If you have that, you'll need to strip it off before any polishing can be done.
 
I'm in the middle of finishing the 2nd fork tube on my '74, already did the rear brake cover. Maybe I'm doing more work than necessary, but to get that chrome-like shine I'm starting with wet 220 paper to get the rough castings smooth and take off the coating, then going to 360, then 400 or 600 depending on what is in reach, then to the buffing wheel with the red rouge. A Dremel with a sanding drum works well to take any casting flanges/ridges off. It certainly is a character building exercise ...
 

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Black emory compound before the red will speed the buffing part up. It will remove the scratches from 400 paper. I don't sand much any more but instead use Roloc discs in die grinders.
 
I just polish and wax. I used to use Mothers, now Blue Magic (it's better).
 
hi guys ,,,i,ve polished my bike a couple of times ,,,, but now i use autosol polish ,,,,squeeze a little on a soft cotton rag and buff away ,,, it comes up majic and its only about $10 a tube which lasts me a while without scimping regards oldbiker
 
Pat D said:
I'm in the middle of finishing the 2nd fork tube on my '74, already did the rear brake cover. Maybe I'm doing more work than necessary, but to get that chrome-like shine I'm starting with wet 220 paper to get the rough castings smooth and take off the coating, then going to 360, then 400 or 600 depending on what is in reach, then to the buffing wheel with the red rouge. A Dremel with a sanding drum works well to take any casting flanges/ridges off. It certainly is a character building exercise ...
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Thats not more than nec. To be honest if you want a great finish and they are a bit rough thats what you got to do. I did my lowers recently also. Took forever. I think the shape makes it harder as you see the swirls more than you do a flat piece.
 
Im with 5twins when it comes to buffing. If you have a buffer of good size go right to the black bar. If the coating is in bad shape I just use the black bar to take that off. I don't even sand it. I can get a leg pretty good in about 30-40 min. I may then go to the brown/red bar after with a different wheel. But the emery bar will give you a good shine by it self. Those cases were done about 4 years ago and yes I do ride it. I wipe it down with a cotton cloth which polishes it. I may use a little mothers but lately I have been using Wizards micro metal polish which works very well to protect newly polished parts.
 

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cra-z1 said:
Im with 5twins when it comes to buffing. If you have a buffer of good size go right to the black bar. If the coating is in bad shape I just use the black bar to take that off. I don't even sand it. I can get a leg pretty good in about 30-40 min. I may then go to the brown/red bar after with a different wheel. But the emery bar will give you a good shine by it self. Those cases were done about 4 years ago and yes I do ride it. I wipe it down with a cotton cloth which polishes it. I may use a little mothers but lately I have been using Wizards micro metal polish which works very well to protect newly polished parts.
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Yeh ok thats pretty shiny! What buff type do you use with the black compound? Stitched calico?
 
I have been using sisal wheels for an aggressive cut or the spiral sewn for most others.
 
Yes, that's the stuff. I like it better than Mother's. I used it many years ago and then for some reason, switched to others (Semichrome, Mothers). Now I'm back thanks to an endorsement from gggGary. I hadn't used it in so long that I forgot just how well it works. I also like that it leaves some sort of protection coat on there after you're done.
 
Has anyone tried Denim Buff Wheels for aluminum (like Caswell carries)?

They are supposed to last much longer than cotton buffs.

Just bought a 1HP Eastwood Dual Speed Buffer and am looking to buy some various buffing wheels (10")
 
Turtle Wax "chrome polish and rust remover" works as well as Blue Magic on chrome, but haven't tried it on aluminum. It's about 1/4 the price of BM at Wally's.
 

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