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Buffing Aluminum

RV6Pat

I'm New Here
I'd like to restore the shine and take out some minor scratches in my project. Any advice on a buffer and compound to use?
 
Are you planning to have a painted or polished finish? If you are planning to paint then dont touch it. You may contaminate the surface causing adhesion problems later.
 
If you will be painting, don't polish.

How deep are these scratches?
If they are superficial they will be removed in the paint prep process.
 
The problem isn't so much the polishing, but the chemicals if you use buffing compound or polish. Silicone is not a good mix with paint. Buffing with a clean pad shouldn't be a problem - you will have to rough it up with a scotch guard pad and clean real well before you paint anyway, but don't use polish if you are going to paint.
 
I don't know whether it would give the finish everyone is looking for, but I know a quick, easy way to put a pretty good shine on aluminum. I buff it with micro balloons. There is no chemical problem and it does a nice job, and quickly. While you rub, you create incredibly small glass particles that really cut. I wouldn't allow it to get into anything like the engine or bearings, but that would be true of all cutting polishes. Try it on a scrap and see how nicely it works!

Bob
 
FWIW, Nuvite polish does not have silicone in it - at least that's what a good looking woman working their display OSH told me.
 
Polish

Just had my RV-8 painted after six years of polishing with Nuvite. Had no problems prepping for paint. No silicone, so it comes right off with standard pre paint preparations.

If it's going to be a couple of years before you paint, you might as well make it look nice in the meantime.

Go to the Nuvite website for instructions and recommendations for the buffers/polishers to use.
 
I fly an airplane that was polished for the first 30 years of its life. When I bought it, I had it painted. No problems at all and the paint looks great.
 
Sorry to resurrect this but I stumbled across this thread while looking for something else. One thing I noticed in it is there were no opinions expressed by professional paintings irt Nuvite and eventual painting.

My understanding from those who do this professionally is that there is an etching process that takes place and a good scrubbing to remove contaminants.

When polishing anyway, of course, care should be taken to remove excess polish around rivet heads (mineral spirits and elbow grease works).

Whether you polish or not, there's going to be a fair amount of oxidation on your aluminum by the time you get around to having your ultimate solution in place and there has to be some mechanism for removing it. I would think if a paint shop properly prepares a plane for painting, it would involve removing that oxidation and I would also suspect that preparing a surface by treating it for removal of any buildup -- Nuvite included -- would be a standard.

Anyway, I'd like to hear from the paint-shop pros on this question. I'm polishing my plane, but it will eventually have at least a small stripe down the side.
 
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