polished aluminium treatment

michipons

michipons

Hero member
Location
Palma de Mallorca
Hi all,

When I polish the aluminium of the forks, or the rim of the spoke 1000 wheel, they look really nice, like a mirror, however I guess is a matter of days until they loose this shine. Is there any treatment after polishing to extend the polish effect?

I heard about a transparent powder coating.. but never tried it. Did those parts have a protection layer when out of the factory?

Best regards,
Miguel.
 
Miguel


In boat maintenance,  I have had great success with a product called Glisten PC, one of the POR 15 range of finishes.


I tested the product over 10 years at a marina, outside nailed to a timber wharf.  Sun, shade, covered in salt water at high tide, hit with hammer, one of those long term product tests that we?d all like to do to test durability and performance.


The product worked extremely well for the first 8-10 years in this environment, eventually going dull, then cloudy -  but would I use it on a motorcycle?


Not too sure about engine parts, but I would think it useful for rims and forks. 


Would need to know more about how to re-coat/remove after a few years, touch up any stone chips.. 


I?m not sold on clear coating polished aluminium, but then again, my 1200 ones are painted black, the Atlas one?s gold... each to their own.


Yogi
 
Japanese motos used to come with a clear coat over their 'polished' (brushed) alu covers and they always ended up with fungus getting in underneath and looking yellowed and rank. If you really want the beautiful alloy on Lavs to retain that gleam IMO you just have to keep at it with metal polish - probably agree that car polish makes the gleam last longer - personally, I polish when it's a big rebuild then slowly watch it turn to patina until the next rebuild - or I decide to spend a day making my fingers hurt (which is rarely). Luckily the alloy looks good whether it gleams or is dull.
 
The better the shine, the better it lasts. Then you need to keep at it. I use car wax to make it last a little longer, but it still fades, especially in winter...
 
Hi Miguel,

It is not a matter of days. You will notice that it remains shiny for a very long time, unless you ride in the rain a lot. The engine covers and the forks sliders are of a high quality duraluminium that doesn?t need a protective coating. Get yourself a bottle of Belgom alu and give it a quick polish now and then to keep it shiny and pretty.

Marnix
 
its good stuff for sure Marnix, I won some at a Dutch rally a few years ago in the famous LCN tombola (which I think no longer happens)
and used it and loved it, but found it hard to buy in UK, so on recommendation of the polisher that I use, I now keep the shine with "Brasso" wadding (was at one time called Duraglit)

CLEM
 
I remember Duraglit - good stuff! I bought some Autosol fpr alu recently - only tried it on a tiny bit of rim and it worked a treat.

I'd love to know what Shimano use on their high end bicycle components - anodised polished silver that lasts for many many decades and still looks brilliant - ridden in the rain, whatever.
 
"anodised polished". My anodising on polished alu came back satin finish, but it has been totally stable for decades without a hint of corrosion. I took them to Hunter Douglas in Brisbane who make alu windows. They just put them through with their own stuff, hardly charged for it iirc.
 
Rub n buff is the best stuff for bare aluminium. Its a wax based paint so doesn't peel off. Apply with an old toothbrush then buff up. Available on Ebay.
 
rub n Buff is a burnisher  I think,
thanks for the link Alan, Brasso can be bought in my village shop or Tesco's.
CLEM
 
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