Topic: Having trouble getting mirror finish on alloy
Hello,
First of all let me list my arsenal :
- Flap Wheels 60, 80, 120 grit.
- Sisal, Colour stitch, white stitch, loose flap mop, swansdown mop
- Sandpapers 240-1200 grit
-- Grey Fastcut Bar, Brown Tripoli, Terracotta Light Brown, Blue, White and Green ORION compound bars
- Liquid Reflection and Blue Saffire Polishing Liquid and Paste.
- Microfibre cloth.
I have an alloy Piece that I started off with. I used a 80 grit flap wheel to get rid of casting marks, then I used sandpaper starting from rough 240, going up in grit working upto 1200 until the surface was smooth.
The compounds I use are not Caswell but Orion but still the same types I believe. I started with the Dark brown Tripoli to begin with on a colour stitch buff, going across the piece in straight lines/rows, then holding my buff on a diagonal angle and working down the piece in rows again.
Then I used the Light Brown (Terracotta I think it is) compoundicon with the White stitch mopicon, again working my way in the same method.
I now used the Blue compoundicon on the Loose Flap wheel.
Then used the White compoundicon on a Swansdown wheel, after that, I used the Green compound on the swansdown wheel.
Using Liquid Reflection or similar polishes from bottles in the end on a microfiber cloth did not help.
In the end what I noticed :
1. At some Stage when I used the Tripoli or terracotta, I put some sort of "stain marks" on the alloy that are visible on the final finish, like black tinges that just don't come off.
2. I cant get a mirror finish, when looked at from a distance it looks like a mirror finish a bit, but if I look into it my face is very dull, reflection is dull, like a fog over a mirror best to describe.
I don't know if it's my method of the compounds i start with and ended with or the sequence i used the compounds and on which buffing wheels I used them.
Any input appreciated. Thanks.
