Aces Guide To Polishing Aluminum Rims

[Ace]

I came across a set of polished aluminum wheels for a pretty good price, but someone had been neglecting them for the last couple years. So i decided id find out what worked best to clean these wheels up and make them look like new. Should be easy right, WRONG takes some time and sweat. So here is a write up from my own personal experience on how to clean rims and what works best. Like it, love it, use it, or hate it heres my .02.

The rims i started with

Some Close ups

As you can see a lot of staining and dirt build up. Just all around very dull, dirty, stained, and grimey.

Here is with mothers metal polish by hand. On the spoke in the center right side was polished with cleaner then buffed off.

Here is the first set of products i used.

And here is how it looks after going over one time took about 6 hours.

Next i used 800 grit sand paper and wet sanded and redid all the polishing again with the speed ball on the bigger parts and on the lip and all crevices where the spokes meet the lip i did by hand.

Hard to see.

Heres one that i went over twice compared to one in the shape i got them in.

So i was happy with it but not overly happy with how it looked and i went over them again which helped but still not 100% so i went back today and got some other products. I wanted to get Blue Magic Metal cleaner and Never Dull but the never dull was sold out so i settled for just the blue magic.

I took one of the rims i was already done with and did 4 different things on the lip all next to each other.

The new product, Blue Magic and 1500 Grit Sandpaper.

From Left to right coming around the bottom i did:

1500 Grit with a dry microfiber towel polish after, Blue Magic polish, 1500 Grit wetsand and Blue Magic, 1500 Grit wetsand and Mothers.

I KNOW THESE ARE HARD TO SEE BUT TAKE MY WORD FOR RESULTS.

RESULTS:

Blue magic by itself works best for an already clean surface like i was using. Tomorrow im going to get 2000 grit and see how it looks, but with 1500 then blue magic it took me 2 times to polish it to not notice the very small scratches. IN conclusion for upkeep use blue magic which also leaves a silicone layer to help protect and seal the rims as well. Mothers does not offer any such protection. FOR ROUGH rims like i had i reccomend using the powerball first with the powerball wax then using 800 grit then 1500 grit and then the power ball again to knock down any left over scratches and then blue magic which is what i will do with my remaining rims. Let me know if this helped at all or if there is anything else you want me to try.

Thanks

JB

[assman]

I have had pretty good luck with the same mothers polish.Thanks now i have to go out and buy more and clean my rims.

Edited July 18, 2008 by assman

[Derrick824]

I've had good results with wadding polish getting those small pits out. My rims weren't as bad as yours though.

[Ace]

I have had pretty good luck with the same mothers polish.Thanks now i have to go out and buy more and clean my rims.

Haha. Im just showing how my work and luck has gone. I hope to have an update tomorrow on a rim i havent touched yet with never dull and 2000 grit to add and get better pictures to see what is the best.

Derrick they were sold out of nevr dull but i will have some tomorrow to add to the pics.

Edited July 18, 2008 by Ace

[David]

looking real good.

try some polishing compound with a buffing wheel.

there are many different compounds for polishing metal

goto home depot and get the ryobi metal polishing compounds, I used white then Rouge I think

before

After

[Ace]

looking real good.

try some polishing compound with a buffing wheel.

there are many different compounds for polishing metal

goto home depot and get the ryobi metal polishing compounds, I used white then Rouge I think

before

After

Looks good but thats also a LOT easier surface to polish then rims. Im gonna get more stuff tomorrow to try out and see what works best. No matter what on rims i feel like because of the angles and tight spaces no matter what elbow grease will never be beat.

[assman]

Damn guys,somebody has to come to Maryland and do my rims.I'm to damn lazy

[David]

Looks good but thats also a LOT easier surface to polish then rims. Im gonna get more stuff tomorrow to try out and see what works best. No matter what on rims i feel like because of the angles and tight spaces no matter what elbow grease will never be beat.

suit yourself, but your working way harder than neccessary, I have polished alot of metal in my time, nothing works as good as polishing compounds and a polishing wheel, they make the polishing wheel in various sizes, even some to fit on a dremal.

the compounds are like sanding, the have micro grainuals in them, you do it exactly like sanding low grit to high grit and walla super Sparkly Blingy metal. and you dont have to kill yourself to achieve your goal.

[Ace]

suit yourself, but your working way harder than neccessary, I have polished alot of metal in my time, nothing works as good as polishing compounds and a polishing wheel, they make the polishing wheel in various sizes, even some to fit on a dremal.

the compounds are like sanding, the have micro grainuals in them, you do it exactly like sanding low grit to high grit and walla super Sparkly Blingy metal. and you dont have to kill yourself to achieve your goal.

i wasnt saying you were wrong at all. Im going to try all of that stuff out as well. i was just saying with what i have done so far. no disrespect was meant!

[David]

i wasnt saying you were wrong at all. Im going to try all of that stuff out as well. i was just saying with what i have done so far. no disrespect was meant!

none taken, just trying to keep you from working your ass off . I really like the mothers too, I use it for upkeep.