16 replies to this topic

[LESTA MINI]

hi guys,

just a quicik one. ive been given a replacement carb by a mate and i want to know as ive got a few days ebfore its fitted. Whats the best way of polishing it up.

Cheers

Dan

[alicetheauto]

I think I have used brasso or t-cut before. Hold the carb steady on something and then use a long strip of rag to run around it, so you can pull on both ends. OORRR use a dremel or drill with a small polishing mop on it.

[LESTA MINI]

cheers matt, what we miss at the meeting after we left?

[alicetheauto]

Not much, by about half nine there were only 7 of us left. Talking about capris....

[LESTA MINI]

lol, ok,

i dropped luke off came home and went straight upstairs, so did martin by what he said on monday

[alicetheauto]

Yeah. back on topic, mak sure you bung any holes in the carb before you use any polish so none of the residue gets in. olish in the bore of an engine would probably not be good.

[LESTA MINI]

lol, kk cheers

by the way would u pm me ur moblie no. because ive lost the sheet

cheers

Edited by LESTA MINI, 19 May 2010 - 08:37 AM.

[dklawson]

I'll focus my polishing comments on the vacuum chamber on the assumption you are not interested in polishing the carb body.

Do not leap in with Brasso or other polishing compounds first. Treat this exactly as you would polishing/buffing paint that has debris or blemishes in it.

Start with wet/dry paper and sand the outside of the chamber. Start with something around 320 Grit. Then change to progressively finer media (600, 1000, 1500 or 2000). Rinse the vacuum chamber between each different media to remove any abrasives left on the surface. Once you have finished with the 2000 grit the chamber will look smooth but won't shine. At that point you can switch to a buffing wheel with compound on it. I would not use Brasso. I've had good luck with Simichrome which you should find in the U.K. as well. However, almost any quality polishing/buffing compound will work after sanding with 2000 grit. Work at a low speed. Do not use the Dremel, drill, or buffing wheel on high speed. If you do, you will introduce scuff marks. Start with a clean buff so there are no left over abrasives from a previous polishing job. Also, wash your hands often in the process.

This may sound like a lot of work. However, if you sand the chamber as I suggest working to finer and finer grits, the whole process will go faster and have better results than starting directly with compound on the vacuum chamber.

[Ethel]

Or you could just buy a dash pot cover.

Be wary of using power tools, too much heat could distort it.

[Sammy D]

I ruined mine using a dremel. So I painted it.

You don't know until you try.

[me madjoe 90]

Buffing wheel on bench grinder and cuting compound the fine one mine was green. Worked good cant find any pictures tho sorry.

Whats wrong with brasso i used it on this alloy switch plate.

[rick.spi]

as stated above work through the grades with wet and dry first if you want a really nice job, then a fast cutting polish then finish it off with a smooth one. i use some specail stuff from work desighed for gelcoat on a boat as it comes in a few different grades of polish (works very well) but theres no reason you cant work the grades then t-cut and then autoglym, i have done this on a hif44 in the past and it wasnt too shabby. there isnt a right or wrong product to use as such, just diffrent ways.

Edited by rick.spi, 19 May 2010 - 11:17 PM.

[dklawson]

Whats wrong with brasso i used it on this alloy switch plate.

My only reason for suggesting something other than Brasso is that Brasso contains ammonia for removing oxides from copper and brass. Ammonia is a base and when you use bases on aluminum and aluminum alloys they attack the surface a bit. In short, it just will make polishing a bit harder but that's not to say it won't work.

[BJst416]

Whats wrong with brasso i used it on this alloy switch plate.

My only reason for suggesting something other than Brasso is that Brasso contains ammonia for removing oxides from copper and brass. Ammonia is a base and when you use bases on aluminum and aluminum alloys they attack the surface a bit. In short, it just will make polishing a bit harder but that's not to say it won't work.

It will work but you will see it stained and dull in a few weeks.
Take the "long route" for a lasting job.
There are other aluminum products that do not contain ammonia. i dont recall any names but ask around in the stores

[me madjoe 90]

Whats wrong with brasso i used it on this alloy switch plate.

My only reason for suggesting something other than Brasso is that Brasso contains ammonia for removing oxides from copper and brass. Ammonia is a base and when you use bases on aluminum and aluminum alloys they attack the surface a bit. In short, it just will make polishing a bit harder but that's not to say it won't work.

It will work but you will see it stained and dull in a few weeks.
Take the "long route" for a lasting job.
There are other aluminum products that do not contain ammonia. i dont recall any names but ask around in the stores

Fair Enougth if theres actual science to it, but my switch plate still looks same after like 4 months without polishing just dusting.