Polishing wheels with no anodizing

[Chris_1983]

My Fuch wheels had the anodizing removed some time ago. Previous owners decision. Now they had a dull stained finish and really need to be sent out for reconditioning. Until then, is there a wheel polish that really works well? I've tired so many polishes and waxes that make big claims, and don't do jack.

[ben parrish]

Any good aluminum polish will work well. The secret is: lots of rubbing and fresh rags. No short cuts. Polishing wheels will speed things up but you must still work hard at it. Expect no less than a few hours per wheel. Once they are clean, a good coat of auto wax will keep them from getting dull for a while. Freshen up about every 3 months or so and they will look beautiful.

Ben

[RickM]

If the staining is relatively superficial then a good ole standby like Simichrome will work. I've also found a supermarket brand of cleaner that works well as an initial step...called Noxon. It's cheap and takes alot of the elbow grease out of the job.

After a good polich I would wipe brake dust off after every couple of rides with windex and paper towels (I can hear the howling already). Just do what you have to keep that corrosive crap off.

For a quick touch up shine I use Never-Dull. It's a cotton based product impregnated with cleaners. As Ben mentions a coat of wax is very helpfull. In fact a wax is out there specifically formulated for wheels called Wheel Wax.

For any deeper staining or surface imperfections you may have to consider a wheel and some of the polishing compounds.

[Chris_1983]

Thanks Guys

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

It's not hard to get un-anodized aluminum wheels shiny--lots of polishes will do that--what's hard is _keeping_ them shiny. Aluminum begins oxidizing the instant you're finished polishing it, and the key is keeping it coated with a really good wax.

The problem with aluminum (and magnesium) is the microporsity of the metal; you can polish for all your worth, but the tiny pores will hold micro-quantities of oxidation, dirt and schmutz thast immediately begins to do its evil work the isntant you're through polishing.

There was a thread a week or so ago about a product called Gibbs Brand, which is apparently some kind of spray-on micropenetrant that will if not keep wheels supershiny--it gives aluminum and magnesium a semi-shiny, semi-matte finish but does stabilize and protect the metal. I ordered some, but it hasn't arrived yet. Do a search, you might be interested in the photos. At $20 a can, I figured it was worth a shot, since I too have un-anodized Fucheses, whcih I use as my track wheels.

[EarlyPorsche]

How are you guys getting the anondizing off? I have three that I polished but one won't take a polish, what could it be?

[ben parrish]

Anondizing can be removed with oven cleaner such as Easy Off . No matter what you use, it will be a PITA. If you have someone in the area that does powder coating, they can get it off for a few bucks.
Ben

[S2GART]

Use any aluminum polish like Blue Magic, Mothers, etc. aplly it with, and polish it with #0000 fine steel wool. Oh yeah, and lots of elbow grease.

[shbop]

Shark-Hide also works well as a sealant for raw aluminum. Developed for the marine world. I found out about it when I bought my 03' FatBoy and wanted to try and keep Hawaii from destroying my wheels. Maybe a similar product to Gibbs.

[WPOZZZ]

Have you tried Mothers Powerball with their aluminum polish?

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

As I tried to say before, the polish is not the problem. Anything works--Mother's, Simichrome, Noxon, there are dozens and dozens, and they're all simply very fine abrasive in a medium. It's pretty much irrelevant which one you use, they all work. The problem is sealing and preserving the shine one you've gone to the effort of polishing.

[joetiii]

Not to hijack the thread, but this post seems closest to all the threads I've just read about wheel refinishing.

I'm just winding down a refin on my polished Fuchs. The black was ugly so I followed Bev's instructions and taped up the metal, prepped the painted surface and shot them in a nice semiFlat Duplicolor Black. Upon removing the tape the next day, I noticed a few spots on the polished petals that at first I thought was tape residue. Mostly on the seem of the paint or in a corner near the wheel center. On my first pass at polishing, I used Noxon and had terrific results taking off the basic buildup on the entire surface. this made the spots which I thought were residue more noticeable.

Since I had a few scratches and edge rash to take out, I got some 1500 grit and 2000 grit paper and wet sanded the rash. Worked great on the scatches but not the hazy discoloration. The spots look almost like a sanded dull finish. Thing is, I can't really get the 2000 grit on a block into the tight spots or near the black paint seem. I was thinking of getting Mothers power Ball once the black paint cures completely and have a go at it with some more polish. Any other suggestions?

[Gordo2]

If the anodizing is gone and the wheels had a good base polish, you may want to try hitting them with a polishing wheel and compound. You can buy a set up that works with a drill for around $15.00 at Lowes/Home Depot.

This was the last step I took when I polished my wheels. They were rather dull from wet sanding to ~ 3,000 grit. Polishing with the wheel & compound brought out a mirror shine.

Good luck, Gordo

[Brew 66]

Maybe an answer to my questions is here?

I bought a 81 sc with black centers on 16". I know they were anodized originally. I think they may have been painted over.

Will rubbing them with some paint thinner tell me if there is paint on them , but not hurt an anodized finish?

[89911]

Unless you live in a salty environment, the polish of my bare metal fuchs lasts all year. They actually are one of the easiest finishes for a wheel in my opinion and normal washing and drying is all you need. If you happen to get anything like a harsh cleaner on them, a quick polish with any bare metal cleaner (Wenol, Mothers, etc.) brings right back to a high gloss. They even look great after pulling them out of storage for 5 months. Never has been a problem for me

Picture shows fuch refinished about 4 years ago with perhaps 1 x 2 polishes a year.