Polishing lips, DIY

[w0w]

pm me exactly what i need please, i wanna tackle this myself asap! tia

[BreakMyWallet]

damn you daron. need compound!

[w0w]

any suggestions from the polishing gurus? i had these wheels blasted and then went through the process of sanding them and then used mothers aluminum polish. my problem is they still have a haze to them and dont really shine like i want them to. thanks

[zerolux]

good thread, after reading the other contributions, i finally signed up so I could share a few of the tips i've learned over the years. **(disclaimer: everything i'm about to tell you is wrong. but this is the internet so it must be true. use at your own risk)

when wetsanding, i use WD-40. i buy it in the gallon jugs so i have a nifty spray bottle i use to apply. as messy as it might sound, it's really not because you use quite a bit less. WD-40 also rules for soaking the wheel nuts/bolts, a few days soak works nice, i've never been a fan a cleaning 120+ tiny ass bolts and i never got around to getting a vibratory tumbler so this method works for me.

for the sanding stage, i got crafty and built a turntable. i used a cheap "lazy susan" turntable bearing and some plywood, a few wood scraps to hold the wheel on the turntable, then you just spin the wheel while holding the sandpaper in onespot. helps to keep the sanding marks more consistant as well as speed up the process. heres the bearing i used: http://www.woodzone.com/Merchant2/me...de=Woodworking
then just get a 2'x4' peice of plywood (you can get them pre cut this size at large home improvement stores, cut it in half, use the one square piece for your base, then round off the other peice and that is the wheel platform. screw it all together, grab a marker and spin the platform and make some circles of varying diameter, this will allow you to center the wheel later when your are securing it on the turntable (use scraps for this). i'm sure with a little effort, it could be mechanized but for now, this works manually. i can sand through 320, 400w, 600w, and 800w in 10-20mins if i hurry. this whole setup cost me maybe $20.

if you have the intial investment cash, you might want to look into getting a floor mounted buffer setup. i put together an 8" setup for around $75 (you can easily make this back if you do a polishing job for a friend). i managed to get both the buffer and stand on sale at Harbor Freight (links below) so it was decent. then an order from Caswell Plating will get you the buffing wheel and rouge needed. really, you only need one wheel to start (more is better of course). a good buffing setup will allow you to use only a black rouge and get an awesome finished product. a good setup will also decrease the amount of sanding you'll need to do. i address any rash/pits, then wetsand from 400-800, then buff it out, then i finish with Mother's (either by hand or with a powerball). if you're buffing correctly, you should be able to stop at 600wet and still buff it out to an sick shine. a nice buffing setup also allows you to get things hot. heat is a huge secret to a good polishing job. the buffing compound inherently wants to stick to the cooler of the two items, so keeping the piece hot will keep the compound on the buffing wheel and not the lip/wheel. you should also purchase a nice set of gloves to deal with the heat if you go this route.

Caswell rules: http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/index.html

wheels: http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/sscw.htm

8"grinder i got on sale for $50: http://www.harborfreight.com/8-inch-...fer-94327.html

stand i got for $20: http://www.harborfreight.com/bench-g...and-42986.html

a few pics:








lol, my old lady was pissed! haha

[Mkv Flipp]

very useful thread! going to have mine polished in a couple months.

[KANTSTANDLAM]

hand polished as well

[LASTTOPGUN]

Question: I have a BMW M3 polished LTW that had a primer lip on it that I removed and now I need to polish and clear coat it. I dont think the original finish is too shiny but it is polished. How would I polish it and make it match the original finish on the other rims.

Also what clear coat should I use?

Link: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...7#post19601717

-Nick

[SeeClass]

I use the belt sander to remove curb rash, not to polish the rims. Orbital sanders leave too many sanding marks and are not uniform when taking out curb rash. Belt sanders also have a larger surface area which makes it easier for you to blend the curb rash to the rest of the rim. You don't want wavy lips where they curb rash used to be.

[mad325is]

damn that looks nice... but i must admit im lost on the belt sander... seems like it would be too bulky for a job like this...

[jznsn2u]

sweeet write up bro.

[*96tegls*]

do you use the same process for polishing lips and the centers?

[Lux]

Man that wheels sick.

I wanna know what color you used on those spokes asap!

[SeeClass]

Here's some of my work and I love JDM wheels because they always look soo much better than the alloy used on other wheels.

It's easier to sand in ONE direction and BUFF the other way. I always start wet sanding with 400 and use lower grits on curb rash only.

Tools I use:
Belt sander - GET ONE!
Drill
90 degree grinder
Air compressor with die grinder

[Lux]

Question, when sanding do I need to do in the same direction the entire time? This is my first time polishing and I'm doing a set of RS lips, and after some 320 grit sanding (no aircraft stripper) I see some little hooks from where I switched directions while sanding. I really want to do this myself but am thinking about just taking it to someone just because there are so many intricacies in the lips.

Sorry to jack OPs questions but what I have been told and what I have been doing is sanding in one direction \\\\\\\\ then moving to this direction //////,... if you get what Im sayin.

[Lux]

I think the clearing is dependent on what the manufacturer has done. For example if it was cleared than you want to clear it but if it was not and you want to stick to the original finish dont clear it. Thats just my thoughts. I would recommend clearing it myself just to keep it lasting longer. One thing about that however is you should also wet sand and buff the clear and you could fuck up and dig down into your hard work.

About the curb rash. I have painted a few wheels before and in all cases regardless of the lip if its curbed I just paint it a very nice silver and do a flawless job wetsanding it and polishing it before a clear. Not exactly a mirror finish but looks good. This is cause I use the red metal filler so of course that wont polish up to a nice mirror finish.

What would you recommend using to fill curbage to get it to polish again?

Also, the stripper you recommend,... is that thin liquid or gel? I have used the gel and the aerosol versions of Tal-Strip in the past and I have been able to just spray/brush it on and often the stuff was so good I could just blast it and the paint off with a hose.

Now, Im working with a powder coated set of wheels and I just cant get the damn paint off with any paint removers. Dont got the funds to take it to a shop for a blasting either. Sanding has been taking days!