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Polishing lips, DIY

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  • #46
    Man that wheels sick.

    I wanna know what color you used on those spokes asap!

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    • #47
      do you use the same process for polishing lips and the centers?

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      • #48
        sweeet write up bro.
        www.youtube.com/jznsn2u

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        • #49
          damn that looks nice... but i must admit im lost on the belt sander... seems like it would be too bulky for a job like this...

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          • #50
            I use the belt sander to remove curb rash, not to polish the rims. Orbital sanders leave too many sanding marks and are not uniform when taking out curb rash. Belt sanders also have a larger surface area which makes it easier for you to blend the curb rash to the rest of the rim. You don't want wavy lips where they curb rash used to be.

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            • #51
              Question: I have a BMW M3 polished LTW that had a primer lip on it that I removed and now I need to polish and clear coat it. I dont think the original finish is too shiny but it is polished. How would I polish it and make it match the original finish on the other rims.

              Also what clear coat should I use?

              Link: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...7#post19601717

              -Nick

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              • #52
                hand polished as well
                My Flickr | SUN*WORKS | SUM*DONT

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                • #53
                  very useful thread! going to have mine polished in a couple months.

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                  • #54
                    good thread, after reading the other contributions, i finally signed up so I could share a few of the tips i've learned over the years. **(disclaimer: everything i'm about to tell you is wrong. but this is the internet so it must be true. use at your own risk)

                    when wetsanding, i use WD-40. i buy it in the gallon jugs so i have a nifty spray bottle i use to apply. as messy as it might sound, it's really not because you use quite a bit less. WD-40 also rules for soaking the wheel nuts/bolts, a few days soak works nice, i've never been a fan a cleaning 120+ tiny ass bolts and i never got around to getting a vibratory tumbler so this method works for me.

                    for the sanding stage, i got crafty and built a turntable. i used a cheap "lazy susan" turntable bearing and some plywood, a few wood scraps to hold the wheel on the turntable, then you just spin the wheel while holding the sandpaper in onespot. helps to keep the sanding marks more consistant as well as speed up the process. heres the bearing i used: http://www.woodzone.com/Merchant2/me...de=Woodworking
                    then just get a 2'x4' peice of plywood (you can get them pre cut this size at large home improvement stores, cut it in half, use the one square piece for your base, then round off the other peice and that is the wheel platform. screw it all together, grab a marker and spin the platform and make some circles of varying diameter, this will allow you to center the wheel later when your are securing it on the turntable (use scraps for this). i'm sure with a little effort, it could be mechanized but for now, this works manually. i can sand through 320, 400w, 600w, and 800w in 10-20mins if i hurry. this whole setup cost me maybe $20.

                    if you have the intial investment cash, you might want to look into getting a floor mounted buffer setup. i put together an 8" setup for around $75 (you can easily make this back if you do a polishing job for a friend). i managed to get both the buffer and stand on sale at Harbor Freight (links below) so it was decent. then an order from Caswell Plating will get you the buffing wheel and rouge needed. really, you only need one wheel to start (more is better of course). a good buffing setup will allow you to use only a black rouge and get an awesome finished product. a good setup will also decrease the amount of sanding you'll need to do. i address any rash/pits, then wetsand from 400-800, then buff it out, then i finish with Mother's (either by hand or with a powerball). if you're buffing correctly, you should be able to stop at 600wet and still buff it out to an sick shine. a nice buffing setup also allows you to get things hot. heat is a huge secret to a good polishing job. the buffing compound inherently wants to stick to the cooler of the two items, so keeping the piece hot will keep the compound on the buffing wheel and not the lip/wheel. you should also purchase a nice set of gloves to deal with the heat if you go this route.

                    Caswell rules: http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/index.html

                    wheels: http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/sscw.htm

                    8"grinder i got on sale for $50: http://www.harborfreight.com/8-inch-...fer-94327.html

                    stand i got for $20: http://www.harborfreight.com/bench-g...and-42986.html

                    a few pics:








                    lol, my old lady was pissed! haha

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                    • #55
                      any suggestions from the polishing gurus? i had these wheels blasted and then went through the process of sanding them and then used mothers aluminum polish. my problem is they still have a haze to them and dont really shine like i want them to. thanks



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                      • #56
                        damn you daron. need compound!


                        Widebody B6 build

                        HIT ME UP if you need Ksport supplies. i can get them to you cheaper than anyone.

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                        • #57
                          pm me exactly what i need please, i wanna tackle this myself asap! tia

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                          • #58
                            Im going to shoot some pics of a set of wheels im redoing now for a guy with a gs300. I took apart an old drillpress and made it bolt to the wall...Pretty much the end result will be a set up for refinishing that will cut my time and mess in half and make the quality even better.
                            chUD..........Asphalt-sux

                            "Success causes envy , jealousy & hatred from the un-successful !!!! "Gregg Valentino

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                            • #59
                              how do i polish bolts???? or make them nicer
                              drift

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                              • #60
                                Here's some stuff I did the hard way..

                                For the most part it's sand paper from 220 to 2000 then aluminum polish with a buffing wheel and a dremel with strips of different sand paper for the tight spots. No wet sanding or compounds.





                                (This pan is stamped steel.. fml)





                                Polishing stuff is heartbreaking.. Out of all that, the master cylinder got brake fluid on it and messed up the clear powder coat. The wheels got the clear powder coat nicked and started to spiderweb oxidize under. That alt cover started to do the same. And that stample steel pan started to rust in tiny little spots under the clear. Steel is workk to polish too.

                                I opted to get stuff powder coated clear since it will take heat and not yellow.. and I know I don't really feel like repolishing crap every season. So much for that.

                                95 Bonneville SLE... Too much done to it..
                                98 Infiniti vq35'd i30: 13.3@104mph, 30MPG Hwy
                                07 Infiniti G35s 6MT
                                07 Ducati Monster S2R 800 with DS1000 swap
                                05 Suzuki DRZ400S
                                72 Yamaha DS7: '74 RD250 swap, JL chambers
                                83 Yamaha IT175

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