Having trouble with tripoli when polishing
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From: East Brady, Pa
Having trouble with tripoli when polishing I'm having some real trouble polishing when it comes to the tripoli stage. It's making my metal look like crap. It's sticking to the metal. When I do a part...half of it will look good and the other half is hazy and streaky. I've tried raking my wheels and tonite I tried a new wheel and even on my dremel it isn't working good. I skipped straight to the white rouge and the parts are looking good...but not great.
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From: nj
Re: Having trouble with tripoli when polishing Firstly, the dremel is a horrible tool if your sanding/polishing the entire peice, especially with the few attachments and grits they make for it. For tight areas yeah its good, for small brackets yeah its good, but for if what your polishing is anything larger than what i listed above its not gonna come out right. Plus the dremel spins to quick. Or perhaps yours is not spinning fast enough. When you hold the buffing wheel attachment up to the compound it is supposed to literally melt. That way it gets onto the wheel properly. You need to replenish your wheel about every 30 seconds and go over with nice even strokes on the metal. The dremel has a small contact path, which leads to the streaks you are seeing...
If your metal has even the smallest pits, it will trap the compound and appear hazy and black. Even if its super smooth to the touch, sometimes a very high final grit is needed. What exactly are you trying to polish btw? What was your prep? (sanding wise)
If you still remain stuck, might i recommend a polishing professional (moi) to do what you cannot. I am partnered with a metal polishing shop that uses professional grade equipment and material to achieve show quality shine. Let me know brotha.
If your metal has even the smallest pits, it will trap the compound and appear hazy and black. Even if its super smooth to the touch, sometimes a very high final grit is needed. What exactly are you trying to polish btw? What was your prep? (sanding wise)
If you still remain stuck, might i recommend a polishing professional (moi) to do what you cannot. I am partnered with a metal polishing shop that uses professional grade equipment and material to achieve show quality shine. Let me know brotha.
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From: East Brady, Pa
Re: Having trouble with tripoli when polishing Well I've sanded from 220 upto 2000 grit. I've tried buffing wheels on my grinder and on the dremle and get similer results. My grinder is less then 2000 RPM if that matters. I have a variety of pieces from water pump, tensioner to sheet metal intake and thermostat. I have quite the pile to get done before the end of the week.
Re: Having trouble with tripoli when polishing Get a good drill and do it. Not a rechargable one, but a plug in for constant power. Use a 2.5 inch to 4 inch buffing wheel. Use a soft towl to white the excess off. When i was into BMX a couple of years ago I bought my bike in polished aluminum finish, then I did that and it looked to be close to crome 
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From: nj
Re: Having trouble with tripoli when polishing The dremel might be hurting you, sometimes it spins too fast and creates an uneven surface. And yes, the speed of what you are using to buff with does matter. The faster, the better. (except in the case of the dremel which has a small contact path) The hotter the compound gets the better it will adhere to the buff and thus to the metal. If you are still having trouble let me know, PM me, i can have the peice profesionally polished to a mirror-like/chrome-like finish for a price.
