Reply With QuotePowder Coat or Annodize. Alluminum is pourus in its natural state.
OK, I know people have been discussing polishing aluminum, I did that when I first bought my Spectra last summer. After 3 trips to the lake, the tips look almost as bad as they did before. What is the secret (I know, it won't be a secret anymore) ??
The aluminum mounts on my swim step look bad too!
Powder Coat or Annodize. Alluminum is pourus in its natural state.
OK, I know people have been discussing polishing aluminum, I did that when I first bought my Spectra last summer. After 3 trips to the lake, the tips look almost as bad as they did before. What is the secret (I know, it won't be a secret anymore) ??
The aluminum mounts on my swim step look bad too!
I use mothers mag and aluminum polish on mine. As a matter of fact I use it on all of the bare aluminum on my boat. Bare aluminum will oxidize until it's surface is not in contact with the air anymore. You have to either allow it to go hazy, keep it polished or coat it, i.e. anodize, paint, chrome or whatever.
I consider it a part of the routine with my old heap. I do it pretty much at the start of each boating day along with the usual cleanup. My old GCarlson stays fairly clean even on the busiest weekend.
Here's my aluminum tips any givin day before a trip to the water
http://images.snapfish.com/342%3A4%3...%3D%3C57%3D%3C 45%3DXROQDF%3E2323634597848ot1lsi
If the mothers doesnt work good enough for you.....try tripoli you can buy it at home depot near the buffing wheels in the tool section. It comes in a stick and is about 3 bucks. The trick to this stuff is you have to also buy a 3in buffing wheel... about 3 dollars also. put the wheel in an electric drill. pref cord powered or u will use your batteries quick. Push the tripoli out on to the spinning buffing wheel and rub compound onto the tips or any other alum. this stuff works so good your tips will look like a mirror!! tripoli has a little grit in the compound that breaks up the varnish and gunk on the alum. By putting it on with a buffer it wont leave any swirl marks and it looks great when u wipe it off... Had a crotch rocket...had to make it shine....and everything on those are aluminum!
get the green rouge for a better shine, and you can scrape some green into a dust and mix it with kerosene, a bit of elbow grease and it should come up good.
if you want it done properly take it to a polisher.
then laquer it, but youll lose some shine.
or you can wash it with warm soapy water and never touch it with your fingers.
its all about experimenting!!
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