www.ShadowStuff.com - Buffing Aluminum

BUFFING ALUMINUM

We have been getting some inquiries into why we offer AM (As Machined) and
BC (Buffed like Chrome) for most of our products. The answer is simple, cost to you, the customer.

Buffing is not a black art and a lot of folks like to do their own so we let them save a few bucks and offer the AM option.

So, you want to buff your own, how do you go about it?

First off, aluminum is a very soft metal so it scratches easily. It is virtually impossible for our aluminum suppliers to provide us material without scratches of some kind. It's a fact of life.

Especially for us, they do take particular care with what they cut, and they do a pretty damn fine job of that too. However they can only work with what they are given and that is entirely in the hands of the truckers in the delivery chain.

Buffing aluminum, SHOWS the underlying scratches extremely well, which is probably not what you want, but that too is a fact of life.

OK, enough of the whining, let's get buffing, what do I need?

We will deal only with the casual, "I want my aluminum to shine, and I want to do it at home in my garage, rider."

These items should all be available at your local Hardware or Auto-parts stores and you will need...

Patience, LOTS of patience. When buffing aluminum, Haste makes for waste!

Wet or dry emery paper of 400 grit or finer.

An arbor for your electric drill to take the buffing wheels. The arbor should have a 1/4" shaft to fit the drill's chuck.

Two cotton (sometimes called Calico) buffing wheels. These will be around 3" or 4" in diameter.

The roughing wheel is spiral sewn. This means there is a line of stitching through the wheel, starting near the center and spiraling almost out to the outer edge.

The finishing wheel has no stitching other than around the center where it attaches to the arbor.

Two different compound buffing sticks.

The roughing compound is red-rouge or sometimes called Tripoli. It is a dark red in color and and looks like a small candy bar.

The finishing compound does not usually have a specific name but it will be white or light gray in color.

Dust mask, usually one of the cheap paper things will suffice just fine.

Safety glasses.

Old leather gloves, the aluminum can get very hot very quickly.

Soo, now you are read to begin.

Start by removing all of the dust dirt and grime from the aluminum.

Pre finish the aluminum with the wet/dry emery paper to smooth and blend the surface as much as possible. This step can be omitted if you want to take longer and remove less material during the buffing.

Using the roughing wheel and the Tripoli bar, hold the compund gently against the spinning wheel just long enough to melt some of the paste onto the wheel turning it a faint red color. Using a a little compund and often is best for aluminum.

Working on small areas at a time, buff until there are no major scratches visible or at least they have blended into, or almost into the surrounding. You can buff to a completely smooth surface if you wish, but usually blending all the major blemishes is sufficient unless you are making a show bike then EVERY mark, scratch or groove needs removing. When blending be carefull not to buff ripples into the surface. They will look worse than no buffing at all.

DO NOT push too hard against the wheel. This is probably the most common mistake when buffing, trying to get it done quickly. Remember the "Patience" comments above. You are only removing minuscule amounts of aluminum with the buff so take it slow. Actually if you push too hard and get the aluminum too hot you will gall small lumps of metal up into little peaks that are even harder to get rid of.

When you are happy it is smooth and almost shiny enough, swap to the finishing wheel and the white or gray compound. Repeat the above process for a gleaming luster.

Finally, when you are happy with the final buffing, let the aluminum cool down to room temperature (have a beer or dump it in cold water) then use a good aluminum polish to finish it off. Click here for our Polishing page

Now you deserve a beer for a job well done.

	BUFFING ALUMINUM

	We have been getting some inquiries into why we offer AM (As Machined) and BC (Buffed like Chrome) for most of our products. The answer is simple, cost to you, the customer. Buffing is not a black art and a lot of folks like to do their own so we let them save a few bucks and offer the AM option. So, you want to buff your own, how do you go about it? First off, aluminum is a very soft metal so it scratches easily. It is virtually impossible for our aluminum suppliers to provide us material without scratches of some kind. It's a fact of life. Especially for us, they do take particular care with what they cut, and they do a pretty damn fine job of that too. However they can only work with what they are given and that is entirely in the hands of the truckers in the delivery chain. Buffing aluminum, SHOWS the underlying scratches extremely well, which is probably not what you want, but that too is a fact of life.

	OK, enough of the whining, let's get buffing, what do I need? We will deal only with the casual, "I want my aluminum to shine, and I want to do it at home in my garage, rider." These items should all be available at your local Hardware or Auto-parts stores and you will need... Patience, LOTS of patience. When buffing aluminum, Haste makes for waste! Wet or dry emery paper of 400 grit or finer. An arbor for your electric drill to take the buffing wheels. The arbor should have a 1/4" shaft to fit the drill's chuck. Two cotton (sometimes called Calico) buffing wheels. These will be around 3" or 4" in diameter. The roughing wheel is spiral sewn. This means there is a line of stitching through the wheel, starting near the center and spiraling almost out to the outer edge. The finishing wheel has no stitching other than around the center where it attaches to the arbor. Two different compound buffing sticks. The roughing compound is red-rouge or sometimes called Tripoli. It is a dark red in color and and looks like a small candy bar. The finishing compound does not usually have a specific name but it will be white or light gray in color. Dust mask, usually one of the cheap paper things will suffice just fine. Safety glasses. Old leather gloves, the aluminum can get very hot very quickly.

	Soo, now you are read to begin. Start by removing all of the dust dirt and grime from the aluminum. Pre finish the aluminum with the wet/dry emery paper to smooth and blend the surface as much as possible. This step can be omitted if you want to take longer and remove less material during the buffing. Using the roughing wheel and the Tripoli bar, hold the compund gently against the spinning wheel just long enough to melt some of the paste onto the wheel turning it a faint red color. Using a a little compund and often is best for aluminum. Working on small areas at a time, buff until there are no major scratches visible or at least they have blended into, or almost into the surrounding. You can buff to a completely smooth surface if you wish, but usually blending all the major blemishes is sufficient unless you are making a show bike then EVERY mark, scratch or groove needs removing. When blending be carefull not to buff ripples into the surface. They will look worse than no buffing at all. DO NOT push too hard against the wheel. This is probably the most common mistake when buffing, trying to get it done quickly. Remember the "Patience" comments above. You are only removing minuscule amounts of aluminum with the buff so take it slow. Actually if you push too hard and get the aluminum too hot you will gall small lumps of metal up into little peaks that are even harder to get rid of. When you are happy it is smooth and almost shiny enough, swap to the finishing wheel and the white or gray compound. Repeat the above process for a gleaming luster. Finally, when you are happy with the final buffing, let the aluminum cool down to room temperature (have a beer or dump it in cold water) then use a good aluminum polish to finish it off. Click here for our Polishing page Now you deserve a beer for a job well done.