Polish Aluminum Sheet Metal to Mirror Finish
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- Опубликовано: 20 июл 2019
- Here is how I polished the aluminum sheets that I used in my TARDIS Infinity Box! A few things to remember that I didn't mention in the video. First, using metal as a mirror allows you do warp and deform the surface for different effect. Next, you can have a thinner mirror than using glass. There are other benefits too, just depends on your imagination!!
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▽ Here is what I used:
Tools
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WD40 (amzn.to/2k6XfRE)
Orbital Sander (amzn.to/2lD2JnD)
Fine Grits Sandpaper, 1000-3000 grit (amzn.to/2lDyHjF)
Buffing Pads (amzn.to/2Y7ezYG)
Microfiber Polishing Cloth (amzn.to/2lDuYTd)
(Metal Polish)
Brasso (amzn.to/2Yc2bqs)
Blue Magic (amzn.to/2StLr8K)
Parts
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Aluminum Sheet Metal (amzn.to/2HHzfPe)
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#PolishedAluminum #MirrorFinish 
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I had to change the sound on this video, so there is no longer a voice-over. You can turn on the subtitles to get the text script that I used with the instructions.
I'm from Poland and I must say that it's polish quality.
Thanks!
@@HowDoYouDIY But when will it be finish?
@@wernerhiemer406 I finished it for this video ruclips.net/video/GZtmViBg-K4/видео.html
I got Polish neighbours and am part Pole myself. Nigdy nie poddawaj!
On second thoughts, I quite like the dull, greyish, scratched finish on my Airstream Caravel.
I built a trailer very similar to Airstream Basecamp using 10 sheets of 4x8 new aluminium sheets. First polish on new sheets was Purple Polish and wool buffing pads. Graduated to a black foam type pad with same polish.
Huge job and I towed it 2,000 miles. Watching your video prompts me to polish it again to get closer to a mirror finish.seriously thinking of a chrome vinyl car wrap instead....my mistake was first square I used fine abrasive. Those swirls still there. With factory finish aluminium I learned to avoid any scratches or abrasive. Weeks of polishing did give me 75% of what I wanted....chrome vinyl sounding good!!
Sounds like an awesome looking trailer! I noticed the same thing when starting with I fine abrasive. Those fine scratches that it adds have been a nightmare for me to get out. Vinyl wrap would be a great idea. From experience with it, it seems to create a bit of static when the protective paper is removed from the sticky side. It seems to attract dust and lint which leaves bumps in it. It's still possible to get a perfect result. Just make sure there is as little dust as possible on nearby surfaces, including your clothes. Good luck!
How Do You? DIY Thankyou so much....
Looks good thank you. I have a couple of sheets to polish for light mounting plates. Was using cutting compounds but found these dulled the surface possibly as have chemical base. Will try this as always plenty of wd40 in workshop!
I hope this way works well for you!
@@HowDoYouDIY it did, all polished today and result is spot on! Thank you.
That's awesome!
Awesome Sir
Thanks 😊
That cloth contains used abrasive particles from coarser sanding, you should change it every time to avoid scratching the surface
Correct me if i'm wrong /// The Hex-Logic pads Do Not have grit just different firmness for the amount of pressure being applied on the paste cutting compound added ???????
You're probably right, that makes sense. The surface texture of the pads all feel the same. I've been wondering what the differences are. Thanks for sharing. This info is helping me to rethink my approach to improve the polishing process.
I’m looking to sand a metal table to a polish. What should I spray on it after I get the mirror finish in order to keep rust from surfacing ?
Pretty much anything that would repel or block moisture. WD40 would work but it would be a bit oily, and normal washing of the table would wash it off. I would recommend cleaning it well with acetone then either painting it with a clear coat or coating it with an automotive body wax. Maybe even doing both.
Adding in a diagonal from the corners would've cut this job down to half the time. Every direction possible.
Is that a palm sander used as a buffer?
I've never seen sandpaper that fine for orbital sanders. So instead, I just ordered aluminum that comes polished on one side from the factory via McMaster-Carr
...Oh man, I have lots of patience, but not enough to do all that for one small 2"x8" part for a guitar project.
Getting aluminum that's factory polished is definitely the best way to go. Although it was cool to be able to polish it myself, it is very time consuming and not exactly fun.
How Do You? DIY Precisely. In my high school machine shop class, all it took was some rouge and a big bench top buffing wheel. Buff the heck out of it until the metal was too hot to hold. Then get wipe off all the residue with soap, water, and a clean soft cloth. Boom, mirror finish. But I don’t have access to a buffing wheel anymore. So I find your video. Your method works, but yeah, it can’t be fun.
I feel like some autosol with a polishing pad on a good DA Polisher would have saved you LOTS of time.
I might have to give that a try. I would love to have a better way to do this.
That's a lot of work
Yes it is. Always keeping an eye out for quicker options.
thats cool, i would just end up buying a plastic mirror from dollar tree XD
That would be my first choice for a mirror too. Sometimes it's nice to have options 😉
@@HowDoYouDIY Sometimes it's nice to have the option, to work your ass off! :-)
LMAO! 😂
How many reps of the process before you have a surface shiny enough to reflect IR light?
It depends on how clear of a reflection you need it to be. The surface will reflect IR light without any polishing.
How long it took you for this small piece ?
It took a few hours with these tools/methods. I'm looking into faster and easier options.
Hi! no idea if you will respond to this message, but do you think this same technique could be used to polish a bike frame? thanks!
It should work on a bike frame. I am working on another technique that should be better and easier, but I won't have a video for that ready for at least a month or so.
@@HowDoYouDIY Im looking for better and easier technique, and chance you can share with us mere mortals?
The technique is not quite yet ready, but it's looking promising. I'll upload a video when I get it sorted out.
what does the sand paper feel like? I would imagine that fine it would feel much like writing paper. the finest we have here is 400 grit. I want to try to mimic sand Paper that fine, my care provider doesn't want me ordering stuff off the net
I apologize for not responding sooner, I've been trying to think of a way to describe it. The best way I can think of to describe the way it feels is that it's between the texture of 400 grit and plane paper. Not sure of a good way to mimic it. But I do know that toothpaste is a bit abrasive. If you need to polish something small, you can use a little toothpaste and water and rub it into the surface with a cotton cloth. But if it's something big, that could get expensive using toothpaste. I'm also not sure how polished that would get the surface. Hope this is helpful?
what alloy is that? 6061?
I'm not sure what alloy it is. It's whatever was at Home Depot.
Was this the 40 step polish or 41 step
My good this would take years on a trailer. ?!?!!
Yes it would. I'm still looking for an easier way to polish sheet metal
@@HowDoYouDIY please post if you find a way.
I did make a video of a much easier way to polish aluminum, but for some reason it works better for thicker aluminum than it does the sheet metal that I've been trying it on. Here's a link to that video, if you're interested: ruclips.net/video/FiqFERXawz8/видео.html
Imagine doing this to a MacBook XD
It would be awesome having a MacBook with a mirror finish!
Why use wd40? I use soapwater
I'll have to try this with soap water, haven't even thought of that.
I used to polish leading edges before they were installed onto aircraft. The customer was very delicate with the final finish. Also try using windex or any glass cleaner mothers polish rubbing compound.ATT. very messy process use with caution lol jk with that said a little goes a long way.
And a tip depending on scratches i started from 1000 grit dry all the way up to 4000 then repeat but wet then use buff pad. Good luck!
Thanks for the tips! I'm doing another project in the next month or two that will need me to polish some again. I'll follow your advice.
negativna ocena iz razloga, nevidim cemu sluzi ovaj video, ? NEDOSTAJE KREATIVNOSTI, i kakva korist od videa, ako za jednu Aluminijsku plocu ulozis 100 evra za materijal. ??
two days polishing and not even close to the original edge of the plate!
It is a time consuming process, but I was purposely staying away from the edges. Didn't want to be sanding away at my work mat.
Uh, all you had to do was use the correct compound from the start.
What's the correct compound? This is definitely not the best way to polish it. I'm still interested in improving the results.
@@HowDoYouDIY You only need yo take it to maybe 400 grit then use something like Meguiar's aluminum polish.
I have another video where I followed those steps. It worked great on thicker aluminum, but for some reason it didn't work so well for this same sheet metal. Here's a link to that video, if you're interested in checking it out (I understand if you're not interested)
ruclips.net/video/FiqFERXawz8/видео.html
@@HowDoYouDIY Sorry this took so long, I haven't been messing with metal for a while. I happened to be making an aluminum shield so I figured I would polish it. That was an old piece of aluminum sheet I had laying around, and I used NO sandpaper, just straight aluminum polishing compound, by hand, one pass. I uploaded the results of that in a video.
Again, literally one single pass by hand, no sandpaper, you can see the before and after. And it's literally shiny, not matte like your results.
the polishing pads have different grits or levels of polishing so why in the world would you keep going back and forth from coarse to finer then back again to coarse . you are defeating your own efforts! that's why it never got to a mirror finish.
That's a good observation. It's because the finer levels cannot get out all of the scratches and roughness that prevent a perfect mirror finish. Have to step back to the levels that can. This seems counter-productive, but a polished scratch in the metal is still a scratch, and it's more noticeable when it's polished. It's best when you can get everything perfect on the first try, but that doesn't always happen. Also, I mentioned in the video that I wasn't trying to polish the whole piece to a mirror finish, just the center.
That was a waist of time