Polishing not going well. Cloudy.
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From: Wood River, IL
Polishing not going well. Cloudy. Polishing my ws6 wheels is not going too great. I'm using mothers mag & aluminum polish and a mother power ball. I tapped off an area so you could see the difference. The polish is turning black. There's no clear coat on the wheels. The cloudy part is the area I polished. What am I doing wrong?
I deleted my post because I didn't read your's all the way through.
The power ball will leave some marring. To get it better I would suggest going with the Billet polish which is finer and a decent MF towel.
Adam's Metal polish is really good but the Billet polish is close and you can get it locally.
The power ball will leave some marring. To get it better I would suggest going with the Billet polish which is finer and a decent MF towel.
Adam's Metal polish is really good but the Billet polish is close and you can get it locally.
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Hey I use to polish motorcycle parts and mothers polish is abraisive. You need to use a fine polish. I use a product call semi chrome is real fine and it has no grit. Use a soft tissue paper to rub it on and then use a soft buffing wheel to rub it in let the wheel do the work do not apply any pressure. after the semi chrome polish I use a high gloss polish rouge stick also apply with the buffing wheel you need to use a different buffing wheel with each steps . Hope this helps
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So using a pad like the mother power ball (mini) is not what I want to use? What other kind of pad should I use? Polish by hand or by drill? If I polish by hand do I go in circles or in a back in forth line?
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you can do it buy hand I rub up and down until it turns black. As far as the cloth wheel there hard and soft wheels buy . but since your rims are already polish. I would just use the soft wheel. You can buy them at sear hardware. I use the wheel with my dewalt grinder ( note I remove the grinding wheel and install the soft wheel pad lol). IF you used the wheel the polish come out better also check out eastwood the sell the six inch wheel. you can just do it buy hand
Last edited by big lou; May 4, 2014 at 09:13 PM.
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From: Winchester, TN
I polished the wheels on my last motorcycle all the way from a painted sand cast finish. Lots of sanding, but since you're already polished, it'll be a lot easier. I use a roto-zip with polishing wheels and rouge. I'd use the soft wheel and fine rouge and it'll come out looking like chrome. As big lou has said, a grinder will do the same thing.
You did strip the clear coat off those wheels first, right? Because if you didn't, metal polish isn't going to do anything at all. Does the polish turn black after a few seconds of scrubbing? If not, then there is clear coat on the wheels.
Edit, I can't read obviously because you said it is turning black. Not sure what else you can try doing. I had great luck with the Adams 1 and 2 metal polish.
Edit, I can't read obviously because you said it is turning black. Not sure what else you can try doing. I had great luck with the Adams 1 and 2 metal polish.
Last edited by Rise of the Phoenix; May 5, 2014 at 10:18 AM.
Did you wet down the power ball and are you using the paste or the liquid made for the ball?
If you are using a dry ball or the paste which is made to be applied by hand, it is likely too rough.
If you are using a dry ball or the paste which is made to be applied by hand, it is likely too rough.
Hey I use to polish motorcycle parts and mothers polish is abraisive. You need to use a fine polish. I use a product call semi chrome is real fine and it has no grit. Use a soft tissue paper to rub it on and then use a soft buffing wheel to rub it in let the wheel do the work do not apply any pressure. after the semi chrome polish I use a high gloss polish rouge stick also apply with the buffing wheel you need to use a different buffing wheel with each steps . Hope this helps
Just a correction...The product you're referring to is 'Simichrome'.
It's really good stuff, and I began using it in the early 70s, when I got my first set of aluminum wheels. However, at least for me, it isn't as available as it used to be, at least on a local basis. Lately, I've been using a product called 'Blue Magic', as that's what the guys at CCW told me they were using.
To the OP, if your wheels are still looking cloudy, it's probably because there's still some residual polish on the wheels.
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Just a correction...The product you're referring to is 'Simichrome'.
It's really good stuff, and I began using it in the early 70s, when I got my first set of aluminum wheels. However, at least for me, it isn't as available as it used to be, at least on a local basis. Lately, I've been using a product called 'Blue Magic', as that's what the guys at CCW told me they were using.
To the OP, if your wheels are still looking cloudy, it's probably because there's still some residual polish on the wheels.
It's really good stuff, and I began using it in the early 70s, when I got my first set of aluminum wheels. However, at least for me, it isn't as available as it used to be, at least on a local basis. Lately, I've been using a product called 'Blue Magic', as that's what the guys at CCW told me they were using.
To the OP, if your wheels are still looking cloudy, it's probably because there's still some residual polish on the wheels.
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From: Wood River, IL
I didn't wet down the power ball I used it right out of the packaging. I'm using the paste kind of polish. I'll try a different pad and a different kind of polish. I used 3 different kinds of stripper to make sure all clear is off. I'll give it another go this weekend.
if the wheels are as smooth as they look in the pictures, I would get an old sock and turn it inside out and then use the polish you already have by hand...might surprise you
Ditch the powerball and polish them by hand. It's not that much more effort, really. White diamond metal polish and sealant is an excellent otc polish that can be used with a microfiber towel.
Agreed. I have used the powerball/cone several times and it never gave me the results I was looking for. However, some people do say, "I'm ate up with this stuff", so that might have something to do with it.
you can do it buy hand I rub up and down until it turns black. As far as the cloth wheel there hard and soft wheels buy . but since your rims are already polish. I would just use the soft wheel. You can buy them at sear hardware. I use the wheel with my dewalt grinder ( note I remove the grinding wheel and install the soft wheel pad lol). IF you used the wheel the polish come out better also check out eastwood the sell the six inch wheel. you can just do it buy hand
