Polishing Alum? Panda Question

[MikeMcCasland]

Gents,

Just picked up a new 'polished' panda action, and the trigger guard it comes with appears to be unpolished/in-the-white. In order to get it to match, should I just grab some mothers alum polish and a rag and go to work, or are there other/better ways to do it?

Secondly, what are you guys doing with the bolts? Leaving them as is, or shining them up?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Youll have to have a pretty serious buffer to get the cast aluminum smooth. Nows your time to get a buffer. Harbor freight has a nice one along with all the compounds and wheels youll need

 

[Bc'z]

Sand it first to smooth it out a lil bit start with 4 or 500 grit wet or dry to start, finish in 800 should buff out nice.
You'll need a cone to do the inside.

 

[magic mike]

I polished the stainless steel action, bolt handle, trigger guard and recoil lug on my Savage with a few assorted grits of wet/dry sandpaper and a Dremel tool with the 1" diameter felt and cloth wheels along with a few 1/2" diameter sanding sleves. I used some polishing compound I picked up at Harbor Freight. Took me several hours but it looks like a mirror. Aluminum is a piece of cake compared to stainless. Trust me on this one as I had a drag boat full of polished aluminum. Been there, done that.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I polished the stainless steel action, bolt handle, trigger guard and recoil lug on my Savage with a few assorted grits of wet/dry sandpaper and a Dremel tool with the 1" diameter felt and cloth wheels along with a few 1/2" diameter sanding sleves. I used some polishing compound I picked up at Harbor Freight. Took me several hours but it looks like a mirror. Aluminum is a piece of cake compared to stainless. Trust me on this one as I had a drag boat full of polished aluminum. Been there, done that.

Like this?

 

[msinc]

Sand it first to smooth it out a lil bit start with 4 or 500 grit wet or dry to start, finish in 800 should buff out nice.
You'll need a cone to do the inside.

This.....and depending on just how "rough" the item you are polishing is you might want to start with a coarser grit, maybe even a file!!! Rough, as cast aluminum usually warrants a starting grit of 220 or so. Take it down thru the grits with wet or dry type sandpaper getting all the marks out from the last grit. By the time you get to the point of buffing a trigger guard, if you have done all the hand sanding properly, buffing it will take about 10 minutes. When polishing something that has not been polished already believe me, power buffing is the simple, small, easy part.
Trying to power polish it with a buffing wheel only is where you can really mess it up if you don't know how to properly. It can be done, but it is very easy, especially with aluminum, to round edges and get the surface uneven because the buffing wheel will cut into the soft aluminum.
Take it from a guy that has polished more schitt than most....and for the record, I always admire wishful thinking.....but looking at a rough cast piece of aluminum and buying a can of Mother's is like looking at a pile of iron ore and ordering a chamber reamer!!! Or a tree branch with walnuts hanging off of it and getting some checkering tools.

 

[bichettereds]

I just went with a bat aluminum trigger guard. Very easy to polish up nice.

 

[MikeMcCasland]

Take it from a guy that has polished more schitt than most....and for the record, I always admire wishful thinking.....but looking at a rough cast piece of aluminum and buying a can of Mother's is like looking at a pile of iron ore and ordering a chamber reamer!!!

That puts it in perspective. Thank you.