spent21

iTrader: (6)

So I got my wheels back from the powder coater. The wheels were likely acid washed before coating & I had a few dings cleaned up/ sanded out at the wheel repair shop so polishing was needed. I decided that I wasn't going to pop the extra $140 for them to polish the lips. I dry sanded with 1000, a quick once-over with a 'fine' sanding sponge, wet sanded with 1500, & wiped them down with acetone before applying the polish.

This is how I got them back from the shop:


I bought a new polish that my neighbor had recommended based of the results he had with bare aluminum wheels.
Since I had some other products around, I thought I'd make a comparison. I masked off 4 sections of the wheel lips to see which did the best.


This stuff is the shiznit. After wet sanding, I wet a paper towel with this stuff & started rubbing. I barely used any pressure, just worked it quick before it dried up. Mopped up the excess with another paper towel after letting it set a minute & a quick buff with a microfiber was all they needed. Nice vanilla scent.


Eagle one was the first runner up. It gave a nice shine with little effort, but it just didn't perform as well as the white diamond. Oily feeling & smells like turpentine. It smears a bit when cleaning up.


The blue magic was disappointing next to the others. It was easy to deal with like the White Diamond, but the results were lackluster.


The Blue Magic was only marginal better than the Meguiars 105 which I expected to do little on the aluminum, but I had it & wanted to see if I might find another use for it... the more you know...


Unfortunately, I was running late & didn't grab a pic of the comparison. The two wheels in the foreground are completed with the White Diamond. If someone was really interested, I could do it again with one of the other wheels I have left to complete.

camarof41_383

iTrader: (7)

Your wheels turned out well after polishing! I've been using Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish with good results, it would be interesting to see how it compares to the others you used. I might have to give White Diamond a try.

I've used Nevr-Dull, seems to work on certain things especially cast aluminum. It does well at taking out discoloration or making the surface more uniform if you have some areas that are more or less shiny. But it doesn't seem to do as good of a job on a smooth aluminum surface such as a wheel. The Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish worked much better on wheels in my experience.

http://www.mothers.com/02_products/0...ml#&slider1=20

spent21

iTrader: (6)

As luck would have it, I got after the other 2 last night & found a tub of old Mother's in the box:

Masked off


After a bit of rubbing





Results





Mothers


White diamond



Mothers vs White diamond....
The results are really close & the process is about the same for both. Mothers is a bit more greasy when cleaning up the excess, but overall didn't require any more elbow grease or time.

I'd say if they were side by side, I'd probably still lean towards the WD all things the same. If Mothers was a couple bucks cheaper than the WD, I'd pick it up.

camarof41_383

iTrader: (7)

Thanks for posting results with the Mothers Polish. Looks like you can't go wrong with the White Diamond or Mothers.

IDriveChevy

iTrader: (5)

Might want to add Adam's 1&2 into the mix and see how they fair, I hear great things about the liquid polish and its effectiveness vs paste.

Zlow28

iTrader: (11)

I like a lot of adams products but the metal polish let me down. Not as strong as other products imo.

OP, touch call between the two, but nice results either way

rpturbo

iTrader: (47)

That white diamond does look good. What is the price on it? I normally use Mothers Billet polish and it works great, but it's $20 for a small bottle.

BrittleSpeed

iTrader: (1)

Nice write up. Info like this is always appreciated!

I've always had really good luck with Mothers. Polished an entire motorcycle frame with it. Tried that billet polish and didn't have nearly the results. Thinking that's for machined billet aluminum only.

mr.sagat

I'm surprised how good white diamond did. Good to know!

CamaroSS27

iTrader: (6)

good looking results, need to get me some white diamond and give it a shot

thunderstruck507

iTrader: (18)

Good write up.

I've tended to lean towards the mothers. BTW the mothers billet polish is a little finer so it might give a little more shine over the standard but it is def not as good on initial polishing...not aggressive enough.

I hate Never Dull. It seems to have worked decent for you since they were already pretty smooth, but when working from anything rough it's useless and as you noted it's messy to buff out.

The Eagle One Nano polish that comes in the can like mothers is the worst polish I've ever used so steer clear of that crap for sure.

The best polishes seem to be the ones like White Diamond which are basically mineral spirits with jewelers rouge dissolved into it. They cut great, wipe clean easy, and leave an incredible shine.

spent21

iTrader: (6)

MOAR

Wet sanding


Top left is finished product. Below it is what I started with. After 1000 grit & after 1500



I'm diggin the matt look. I may just wet sand everything & leave it next go around