Project: Metal Polishing

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Jasonmarie
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Re: Project: Metal Polishing

Post by Jasonmarie »

I thought it would make a difference doing a mad YouTube link but I will leave outside and see what happens .

:beer:

Your show the wife and she will say that man is Mad .
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Andrew 2.8i
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Re: Project: Metal Polishing

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Jasonmarie wrote:I thought it would make a difference doing a mad YouTube link but I will leave outside and see what happens .
9 more likes and we get to see an update video. :D

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Re: Project: Metal Polishing

Post by Jasonmarie »

:lol: they always say on these you tube links click subscribe and hit the like button I wonder if it will get to 10 .
Nick did a live Video this morning on Facebook and I thought he could see me and here me so Iam shouting in the iPad I can see you nick and it turns out he cant here or see me as you have to type a meassge to him . What a plonker I must have looked . :lol:
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Re: Project: Metal Polishing

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Jasonmarie wrote:Yes it cleaned up well just might need to get some new pipe is it 4mm or 3mm ?
Hi Jason,
3mm will be way too small, 4mm might still be a tight squeeze though. The narrow part of the washer jet is 5mm, but the barb is closer to 5.5mm.

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Re: Project: Metal Polishing

Post by Jasonmarie »

Cheers for that Andrew I have not order anything yet also it’s all fish tank tube . Anyway going to leave the brass jet outside . Think Marie is booking me in to the Nut house .
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Re: Project: Metal Polishing

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Hello,
I've been at it again! I've sourced a headlight relay with the intention of giving it a bit of a refurb and keeping it as a working spare.
As you can see, it's in typical condition for one of these with a bit of corrosion and a fair bit of oxidisation of the metal.

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The purpose of this guide is to give you some pointers if you want to try some polishing yourself at home. In addition, it shows that non-mint items aren't necessarily only fit for the scrapheap. Even if you don't want to do the work yourself, taking the item to a professional metal finisher will get even better results than I've achieved.

Unfortunately, I've only got rudimentary tools (a rotary drill) so it will take a while to get the desired results. First off, a time check.

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I started off using a dolly mop, sourced from Moleroda https://www.moleroda.com/ with a course (black) compound for steel.

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After about 30 minutes, the relay looked like this.

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Admittedly, at this stage there isn't a lot to show for your time, but as evere with prep work, time spent at this stage will improve the end result.

Time check.

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Evidently the clock has a flat battery...... :doh: Never mind!

Next, I switched to a softer polishing material. I used a stitch mop, but a felt wheel can also be used. At this stage I am still using the black compound.

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The relay cover at the conclusion of this stage.

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Now, it's time to move on to the second stage of polishing. I switched to a less abrasive (white) compound. It's important to not mix different types of polishing compound on the same mop or felt wheel. Use a different one for each colour compound. Just before this photo was taken, I dropped the polishing compound on the floor, breaking it into several pieces. That's why there is only a small bit here.

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Although there doesn't appear to be much reward for the hard work that has been put in so far, it's at this stage where the magic starts to happen.

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After about 2.5 hours of polishing (I did say it took longer with a small rotary drill), but most of that was taken up with getting right into the nooks and crannies. I think I might treat myself to a bench mounted polishing wheel to speed things up a bit and possibly to improve the final results.

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The more observant amongst you will see that there is still a small amount of pitting where the worst of the corrosion was. I'm not saying that the finished article is perfect, but it looks much better in person than it does in these HD photos.
The pitting can be polished out, however, you will then run the risk of damaging the writing. Besides, I think we can all agree that the end result is a dece3nt improvement on how it was in the first photo.

To finish off, I switched to a blue compound for the softer metal of the copper and brass electrical connections. Again, I used a polishing wheel that is used solely with blue compound.

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Not quite finished, but I was running out of light to take the photos.

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In conclusion, before and after.

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Yes, I could have got better results by taking it to a professional metal finisher, but it's kind of satisfying doing it yourself.
Give it a go, you know you want to! :D :goodluck:

Andrew.
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Re: Project: Metal Polishing

Post by andyd »

Good job Andrew :applaud: It's always better to do it yourself, and probably cheaper once you have the kit.
You will have a nice collection of these soon :D

The teatowel looks as clean as ever :)
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Re: Project: Metal Polishing

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

andyd wrote:Good job Andrew :applaud: It's always better to do it yourself, and probably cheaper once you have the kit.
Thanks Andy. It's definitely very satisfying to see the end result after a few tedious hours of polishing.... :) Actually, it's quite fun to see it being transformed in front of your eyes.
andyd wrote:You will have a nice collection of these soon :D
I only have one on the car and now this one spare. I also have another spare case, but that one doesn't have any internals. As we discussed some time ago, it's always a good idea to plan ahead and have spare parts in case of failure. That way I can replace the faulty part straight away without having to wait for a replacement to arrive.
andyd wrote:The teatowel looks as clean as ever :)
The original and the best. Accept no imitations...... :D

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Re: Project: Metal Polishing

Post by Jasonmarie »

What can I say Andrew ( get some batteries for the clock ) no what a Fantastic job you have done :applaud: as you say there something about cleaning don’t know what but it’s great .
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Re: Project: Metal Polishing

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Jasonmarie wrote:What can I say Andrew ( get some batteries for the clock ) no what a Fantastic job you have done :applaud: as you say there something about cleaning don’t know what but it’s great .
Thanks Jason!

I'll get some better photos tomorrow. The light was fading as I was finishing up, and I think the relay looks better than it shows in the photos.
The battery for the clock has been replaced now! :D

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Re: Project: Metal Polishing

Post by Jasonmarie »

I have been looking on there web site you posted up and they do some good stuff , yes I agree with the bench polisher cheapest one with wheels each side was £118 , I could do brass wheels on them and save a lot of time also I noted they do the ultrasonic cleaners that I really should think about nextyear just worried that it goes wrong and could risk a good watch or clock as the Ruby’s in pocket watches are good to be cleaned in them for a short period .
If like me when polishing I have safety glasses on and if been a few hours like you leaves a line around my eyes for sometime as the kids always laugh at me .

I did look if the company did the famous Tea Towel :lol:

No lovely job Andrew as you say bringing something back what many garages now would just throw out .
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Re: Project: Metal Polishing

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Jasonmarie wrote:I have been looking on there web site you posted up and they do some good stuff , yes I agree with the bench polisher cheapest one with wheels each side was £118
Those polishers are standard bench griders with polishing wheels attached. You can get the polishing wheels, mounting spindles and compound for £24 on Ebay. As long as the grinder has power of at least 150W it should be suitable. That might be the way to go for me.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aluminium-Al ... ect=mobile

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Re: Project: Metal Polishing

Post by Jasonmarie »

Yes that’s a great price for all the gear . Would you hold the grinder or clamp it ? As I don’t have a full size vice only small clock and watch’s one .
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Re: Project: Metal Polishing

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Jasonmarie wrote:Would you hold the grinder or clamp it ?
I've got a bench mounted grinder that I can mount the polishing wheels on. I see this as a good interim step, it's not as if I'm polishing all the time and need the equipment set up all the time.
There's a different mounting thing for an angle grinder or drill, so make sure you get the correct one for what you are using. If using a drill or angle grinder, I would have thought it would be easier to clamp it. It's one thing holding a hobby drill in one hand while holding the item you are polishing with the other hand, but a proper drill is quite a bit heavier than a small hobby drill, and will send more vibrations through your fingers that can cause health issues.

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Re: Project: Metal Polishing

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Here is a better photograph of the completed item. I've got to say I'm fairly pleased with it, although I've now ordered a polishing wheel for my bench grinder and some professional cutting compound. When that arrives I'll give it another go to see if I can get a better finish.

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Re: Project: Metal Polishing

Post by Jasonmarie »

A grand job there sir :applaud: , when can we send ours ? :lol:
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Re: Project: Metal Polishing

Post by Peter-S »

Impressive stuff Andrew. Any tricks for keeping it that nice or just a regular polish?
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Re: Project: Metal Polishing

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Peter-S wrote:Impressive stuff Andrew. Any tricks for keeping it that nice or just a regular polish?
Jasonmarie wrote:A grand job there sir
Thanks chaps.
I've tried two different methods to prolong the looks of the polished metal with the intention of comparing both methods to see what works best. I've either used a wipe over with a WD40 soaked cloth or as an alternative I've also tried a standard car body wax. I think they'll both work equally well, but time will tell.

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Re: Project: Metal Polishing

Post by Jasonmarie »

When I get home Tuesday / Weds I will make the long trip to the garden and find out how the washer Jet is going with the clear lacquer.
But at the moment I have been chatting with Dr Homes a neurologist here in Guys who will be switching my legs on at long last
Tommorow . Who also said if it’s the capris 50th birthday next year why don’t we do the Lord Mayor show ? ( nick, John & Tom ) will have to look in to that . ( our London boys ) also they should change there WiFi code here as I nicked this a few years ago and it still works .
Here’s a quick picture if it uploads ?
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Re: Project: Metal Polishing

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Jasonmarie wrote: Here’s a quick picture if it uploads ?
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Hi Jason,
Nice slippers!
Best wishes for tomorrow.

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