Help with polishing fuel tanks!

Detailers use microfiber.

 

Goes good with crackers!!! Get's ya your fiber too!!!



Thin cloth that almost looks like single layer gauze... ask your DW or significant other!

 

Try regular flour on cheescloth an rub lightly in vertical and horizontal directions only.The flour dust will blow away on its own.

 

After i use the power buffer, i clean the area with windex to get all the residue off. Then i use a fine polish by hand for the final finish. Knowing how to run a buffer makes a big difference, a buddy of mine that's a bodyman can get it right just with the buffer. Never thought of the cheese cloth, I'll try that next time.

 

Microfiber towels are the bomb. They won't scratch. Forget about the flour, it gets in the pores and polish won't last as long. I agree with the red rouge and white rouge with hi speed buffer, then finish with white cream polish. When you take last coat off, fold towel nice and thick and use the palm of your hand, or you will see finger trails and hash marks.

 

Polishing isn't rocket science (that's the art of not changing anything so you don't get blamed for the explosion!) - just keep using finer and finer grades of abrasive until you get to the desired finish. By the time you get to rouge, you're in the final stages. The cloth you use is an abrasive too... always check to see if what your using is going to ruin the current finish on a unnoticable area before you use it... if so go to something different.

 

Microfiber is definitely good stuff. You can get microfiber towels at any Best Buy or other electronics stores, it's the specialty cloth for cleaning plasma and LCD TV's. It's also perfect for cleaning CD's and DVD's, you will never see it leave a scratch on either and it cleans them perfectly.

 

You have to be VERY careful when using a power buffer.
It's possible you've 'burned' the aluminum, and if so,
it's a hassle to correct.

Also, if the aluminum has never been 'cut' (highly polished -- smooth) before, it would require the acid treatment mentioned by others in this thread.

The acid softens about 0.0005 of the aluminum surface and
better prepares it to take a mirror finish.

When using the first cloths while polishing, don't discard it when it becomes black. The discoloration is aluminum-oxide, and can be beneficial.
Use clean, softer cloth for the final polish.
Muslin works well.

Once the desired finish is achieved, DON'T WIPE THE ALUMINUM WITH ABRASIVE CLOTH, like terrycloth. And don't use a lot of pressure.
Think feather dusters, and/or detail cloth.
NEVER use paper towels!

 

FireBird,

I use this stuff on my Big Dog. Works on everything. It turned my aluminum cases into almost looking like
CHROME. It's a little pricey but it's the best product I've ever used, and believe me I've tried it all.

MOTHERS BILLET

Give it a try, sure you will not be dissapointed.

Stevie

 

yea its a oxidizer but as long as you dont let it set very long it works great at removing surface rust,just make sure that you coat all surfaces you put acid on with good polish(zepher).as far as your tanks go i would put a black foam pad on a automotive polisher and buff at aroun 3000 rpm with the zepher polish.by the way did you use the rouge? I never liked that stuff,its too messy and hard too work with.and also what kinda machine polisher did you use, i wouldnt recommend polishing with the small high rpm buffers, they create too much heat and permanent buff marks.oh yea i used too run a detail shop, ive got alot of hours doing this stuff,proud of me??lol.