What can i use to polish my newly acquired Brushed aluminum trim?

[absolutegtr]

Just like the title says....What can I use (compound wise) that i can apply and use my Dremel polisher-bit to shine up my "home-made" brushed aluminum trim....

I am excited...its looking great, just need to polish it up!

Any ideas?

[k6gix]

dont u want the brushed look? if so i dont think u want to polish it.

[Maverick]

try to wash it every other day which it will keep them clean. I try to do that so far it has been good.

polish: Eagle One Never Dull. I like that thing a lot. bought from walmart as well

[B6Lovin]

how polished to you want it? if you want like... chrome style polished aluminum then you need to sand it first (which im sure you know)

if you just want to clean it up - i always use mothers mag/aluminum polish. :) (brought my fat 5's to a mirror/chromesque shine!)

[absolutegtr]

/\ Well technically its not brushed aluminum, lol

My fish-scale trim was peeling and everything, So I started picking at it and discovers that there was some shiny metal behind it, lol. So I sanded down the whole piece (front passenger door - it was broken anyways) and then I polished it up with, I dont even know what, lol, and it looks quite nice actually....

[Hamotee]

/\ Well technically its not brushed aluminum, lol

My fish-scale trim was peeling and everything, So I started picking at it and discovers that there was some shiny metal behind it, lol. So I sanded down the whole piece (front passenger door - it was broken anyways) and then I polished it up with, I dont even know what, lol, and it looks quite nice actually....

Pictures?

[A4TL]

indeed lets see but man that black trim looks hot on a platinum interior too

[absolutegtr]

indeed lets see but man that black trim looks hot on a platinum interior too

I never had the piano black trim....I wish I did

But, yea, I definetly need to post up some pics....it is turning out ALOT better than expected. It actually looks REAL nice. You see I started with the already broken piece, and after MUCH sanding and MUCH polishing and then MORE sanding and then MORE polishing it looks real nice.

I have 3 digital camera and none of them work....so give me a few days to get my friends camera, lol

[absolutegtr]

Here are some crappy cell phone pics....but you get the point:

Orginal crappy dirty fish-scale trim:


New vs Old


Another angle of the new



Edit> Those are dirty marks or any imperfections...its just the cell phone and lighting :)

[B6Lovin]

damn dude. that looks REALLY good!

anyone wanna trade fishscale for some of the grey stuff? hahaha

[absolutegtr]

More pics installed:

[MikTip]

WOW! The home-made brushed look! I like it!

[riot5alex]

damn.. good job with that... that would look dope in my car too.. haha

[B6Lovin]

very nice!

matches the door handles pretty well too. they could use a bit of scuffing with some steel wool or a brilo pad though

[audi314]

looks nice!

[absolutegtr]

very nice!

matches the door handles pretty well too. they could use a bit of scuffing with some steel wool or a brilo pad though

Yea, I just read that on some other forum....I used 800 grit paper for the final sanding, but I think I need to go even finer than that....so i guess I will get a hold of some steel wool and see how that goes!

I'm glad to hear some positive responses

[Capt. Obvious]

I've been looking everywhere for that trim so I could do that!!! I am so jealous.

[skeeball]

A little more polished than the OEM brushed AL. Looks great! Any problems with sun glare?

[absolutegtr]

No problems with sun glare what-so-ever.....

I was thinking that black chrome would look SICK!

[absolutegtr]

Alright guys, well I have decided to change it up again:

Since I have beige interior, I want to paint the trim a gloss black....piano black

What paint would I need to ensure a good quality and one that can withstand heat and wont become gooey....I will need to clear coat it correct?

Any suggestions would be great!

[B6Lovin]

if you want to do a gloss black trade me for my trim. the work you've done on yours is far too good looking to just paint over.

i have that glossy grey plastic trim (it has some wierd name, saw it once somewhere... bottom line is it matches the platinum interior and isn't good for any others)... it's not good for much else than painting. hahaha.

[Doss]

What paint would I need to ensure a good quality and one that can withstand heat and wont become gooey....I will need to clear coat it correct?

Rattlecan will work just fine with proper prep and application.

Sand it with about 1000-1500 (don't leave any deep scratches).

Clean it with a surface prep like Prep-All.

Primer it with the proper primer. Now's a good time to look for any scratches b/c they will definitely show in the gloss black paint).

If all is good, paint 2-4 light coats (can about 8-12" away in a clean sweep pattern). The paint should hit like dust on the surface, not like water spray. Most people who hate rattlecan paint hate it b/c they do not know how to apply it properly.

If all looks good, hit it with 2-3 coats of clear.

Come back with 1500, 2000, and higher wet sanding.

Buff.

Make sure the paint has cured (usually 2 days to a week) before you do the buff.

Sit back and watch it shine.

<Tone = informative>

[absolutegtr]

Thanks Doss for the info!!

B6lovin, Yes, indeed. The trim does look good when the polish is applied. But it eventually wears off...unless you apply it perfectly...which I have not yet.

Anyways, do you have a pic of your trim (color). Honestly I wouldnt mind a trade...BUT my trim has some deepish scratches in it, which I would probably have to fill in before I paint it black.

If you are honestly interested...shoot me a PM...its whatever.