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WS6 wheels & polishing

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Old Dec 22, 2017 | 09:52 AM
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Default WS6 wheels & polishing

I have 2000 WS6 wheels that I've stripped the clear off of and am trying to polish with Mother's metal polish, a powerball, and a corded drill. I've polished for about 1.5 hours so far and have only gotten rid if maybe half of these little lines in the wheels.

I've searched the forums but can't find a clear answer on how to fix this. Do I need to continue polishing with what I have or is there another product/tool I should be using?

I'm a complete newb at polishing wheels so I really appreciate the advice.


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Old Dec 22, 2017 | 05:11 PM
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Why did you strip the clear off?
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Old Dec 22, 2017 | 05:47 PM
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Powder and be done*
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Old Dec 22, 2017 | 09:18 PM
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If the oxidation is deep enough that it won't polish out then you might need to wet sand. Use a very high grit sandpaper like 1000 on those oxidation spots to get them out easier. Then go over those spots with 1500 then 2000 grit, and back to the metal polish.

Basically you need something more aggressive than the polish to get marks like that out. If you go too coarse then you'll make marks too deep and it'll be hard to get them out. 1000 grit is usually a pretty safe place to start where you won't do too much damage.
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Old Dec 23, 2017 | 12:06 PM
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Originally Posted by edzsilverss
Why did you strip the clear off?
It was failing and cloudy. It always looked dirty no matter how clean they were.
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Old Dec 23, 2017 | 12:09 PM
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Originally Posted by handyandy
If the oxidation is deep enough that it won't polish out then you might need to wet sand. Use a very high grit sandpaper like 1000 on those oxidation spots to get them out easier. Then go over those spots with 1500 then 2000 grit, and back to the metal polish.

Basically you need something more aggressive than the polish to get marks like that out. If you go too coarse then you'll make marks too deep and it'll be hard to get them out. 1000 grit is usually a pretty safe place to start where you won't do too much damage.
Ok, I'll try wet sanding and see how it goes. I thought about doing that but it made me nervous that I'd screw them up. I'll start easy just in case. Thanks for the tip!
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Old Dec 23, 2017 | 12:10 PM
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Originally Posted by edzsilverss
Why did you strip the clear off?
Once they're oxidized you can't just polish them with the clear on. I think the Speedlines are a true polished finish so those you can just polish up.
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Old Dec 23, 2017 | 12:17 PM
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Wet sanding aluminum wheels is time consuming but you're not going to mess them up. Just use the highest grit needed to get the job done. I usually finish with 3000 grit on aluminum. Makes the final polish much easier.

I have found that mothers billet polish is the best otc polish I have used.

Last edited by 98CayenneT/A; Dec 23, 2017 at 09:03 PM.
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Old Dec 23, 2017 | 09:00 PM
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Originally Posted by 98CayenneT/A
Wet sanding aluminum wheels is time consuming but you're not going to mess them up. Just use the highest grit needed to get the job done. I usually finish with 3000 grit on aluminum. Makes the final polish much easier.

I have found that mothers billet polish is the best off polish I have used.
+1. From my old sport bike frame polishing days, mothers "billet" polish worked very well! Most recently I have been using "White Diamond" metal polish on everything from metal to foggy headlights, easy to use and really does a great job. Just have to shake it well before and while you use it.
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Old Dec 23, 2017 | 09:05 PM
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Originally Posted by 2JAWZ
Powder and be done*
They have come a long way with powder coating , assuming he wants to keep the shinny look ... they have what appears to be an almost chrome finish that really looks good and more durable.
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Old Dec 26, 2017 | 05:20 AM
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Originally Posted by JT2000WS6
I have 2000 WS6 wheels that I've stripped the clear off of and am trying to polish with Mother's metal polish, a powerball, and a corded drill. I've polished for about 1.5 hours so far and have only gotten rid if maybe half of these little lines in the wheels.

I've searched the forums but can't find a clear answer on how to fix this. Do I need to continue polishing with what I have or is there another product/tool I should be using?

I'm a complete newb at polishing wheels so I really appreciate the advice.


Not sure about prices where you live......but professional aluminum polishing shops charge $80.00 a wheel to make them look like mirrors. Thats pretty cheap so you don't have to do hours and hours for each wheel to get them just to look decent.

.
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Old Feb 4, 2018 | 01:44 PM
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did you ever get these wheels looking better?
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Old Feb 4, 2018 | 01:44 PM
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i've got the same thing going on with my wheels and i'd like to get them fixed before i install them
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