Aluminum Polishing

I have a 1946 415C that is all aluminum, except the fabric wings. I buff/polish it twice a year. It is a two stage process. First stage is buffing with a conventional 7"rotary buffer with a wool pad using Nuvite C (medium grade) paste. This gets the heavy crud off the surface. Then I follow up with a cyclo polisher using the Nuvite S (fine grade) paste. This is what delivers the "mirror" finish. The cyclo polisher has two 4" pads that rotate opposite directions to reduce the "tiger stripe" effect. I place a microfibre cloth over the two cyclo pads and that is what is in contact with the paste and aluminum. I'll buff a 2 square foot area, then reposition the cloth to expose a clean area on the cloth and buff again. I repeat the process until the section of microfibre I'm using shows almost no black residue. I wear a $10 bunny suite I buy at Lowes and wear safety glasses because the 7 inch buffer throws debris all over my clothes. I've done this 4 times in the last two years since I bought the airplane. Each time I do it I find the final result is a little better than the last time. It takes around 48 microfibre cloths to complete one buff job. I get them in 48 unit bundles at Lowes. The Nuvite paste can be purchased on line at "Perfect Polish" 707-792-2875, in Colati, CA, Google them and you can order on line. I consume about 1lb of each paste per year, each 1 lb jar is $68. You can search Youtube for "aluminum polishing" and several videos will pop up of guys buffing trailers, airplanes, etc. It is hot, exhausting work and takes about two 8 hour days per time, so you may want to break it up into several sessions spread over a week or two. Feel free to call me for more detail
Tim 619-750-4289

My Alon was stripped of paint before I got it. With myself and a full load of fuel I get 130 pounds in the right seat. That said I know that painting will add 30 pounds to the aircraft empty weight.

I have mine about 1/2 polished. Mirror finish? NAH! I’m shooting for looks good at 20 feet.

In order to get the kind of shine you are looking for you are going to overall sand it with finer and finer aluminum oxide sandpaper till you are well into the wet & dry papers before you start polishing, and be very careful you don’t sand your rivet heads off.

I have tried a series of machines and polishing products. There is no magic wand. Just a whole lot of work. Get yourself a good respirator and some bunny suits (zip up painters suits) and try starting at Harbor Freight with a full sized angle grinder and 7 inch cotton polishing wheels and a couple sticks of rouge. Look at what the people who polish Airstreams, pontoon boats, and big rig truck fuel tanks recommend.

I’d say work opposite directions 3 times in an area 6” x 6” before wiping it all off with microfiber cloth before really looking at it. I talked with a guy who had the grand champion aircraft a Sun N Fun. He details out million dollar yachts as a full time job. He said you have to focus on one foot at a time. You can’t look at the entire job.

When the plasmonic paint becomes available, I will get my Alon painted. www.sciencealert.com/scientists-create-w...-covers-a-boeing-747

Have owned 5 airplanes through the years---all painted. I will be purchasing a bare aluminum 415 C to which I intend to polish to a mirror finish. Not many past inquiries on this topic posted from years ago. As a result, I would appreciate any new responses as to the best and easiest polishes to use. My preference is a one step process. A Luscombe owner on YouTube shows good results applying Mothers Mag and Aluminum polish followed by Mothers All Chrome Spray. That being said, any and all suggestions are appreciated!