wheel polishing technique questions

Reg · 01-31-2003, 01:24 PM

I have read many posts on this board about fuchs polishing and all the hours and hours it takes to do it. The tedius nooks and crannys etc etc... I have seen beautiful examples from both professional and DIY'ers but I do not think I am a patient enough man.

Have any of you out there used grinder/sander/polishers with large buffing pads and and the like? What about lathes?

I have these tools (the lathe is for wood) and was thinking about stripping my spare with the easyoff and building a jig to spin the wheel on the lathe. Would touching the wheel say spinning at low rpms with fine grits of paper would speed up the process of taking minor scratches off the lips and petals? Then I'd hit the spinning wheel with the spinning buffing wheel of the grinder.

Is the lathe idea crazy? What do the pro's use?

scottb · 01-31-2003, 02:21 PM

The best technique to get your wheels looking great is --

AL REED!!

Eric86Red911 · 01-31-2003, 03:25 PM

I'm thinking Al Reed is a good idea. I did mine myself. Big mistake. I thought I'd save some effort if I just left the Easy Off on all night. Heh heh. Go ahead and laugh. It pitted the aluminum and was a HUGE pain to sand out. If you do it yourself, remember: LET THE EASY OFF SIT FOR NO MORE THAN 45 MINUTES!! Then scrub with medium steel wool. It'll take 2 or 3 applications. Wish somebody had told ME that...

Randy Webb · 01-31-2003, 04:50 PM

The lathe is a great idea if you have the swing. I'd use a rotary or random buffer on it to prevent circumferential scratches. You are one of the rare folks who can avoid sending the wheels out, so enjoy the lathe.

Reg · 01-31-2003, 05:40 PM

The lathe I have is circa 1875! hehe

Al Reed is in California, and I am in Ontario Canada. It makes things harder logistically.

It is one of those projects that when I do it , I'll be sure to post them on the board.

Thanks for the tip Eric.

Zeke · 01-31-2003, 05:49 PM

If you're just going to polish the outside lip, the lathe should be the hot set up. Work your way down through the sandpaper spectrum to as fine as you can find and then hit it with jeweler's rouge.

JKeen · 01-31-2003, 06:12 PM

I looked at all the options and suggestions and decided not to do it myself. There is a company in California that will make your wheels perfect and in any finish and color you want. Al Reed Polishing that specialize in Fuch and other porshe wheels. He can do them for $50 a wheek plus shipping. I got mine back yesterday and the are perfect! Here is his Number 714 632-3907. He was recommended by others on this site and they can confirm his work. I will post my wheels on monday to show the quality.
JK

Eric86Red911 · 01-31-2003, 06:40 PM

$50 per wheel is all?!?! It pains me to think how many hours I spent on it and how much better he would have done it. I'll just keep telling myself that the shipping would have cost me a fortune.

redducati750 · 01-31-2003, 06:41 PM

50 bucks! Geez i was thinking about this...no more, my wheels are going to AL Reed.

EWPurdy · 01-31-2003, 07:10 PM

Once the Fuchs are all polished ant pretty, how do you maintain the finish? I assume there is no more anodized coating and so the metal is exposed to the elements.

Chuck Moreland · 01-31-2003, 07:47 PM

15 inch fuch on a wood lathe? That would be one hell of a lathe.

JKeen · 01-31-2003, 07:58 PM

The shipping is $50 or less in the US. He is one of a very few that understands wheels. He can anodize wheels to orginal. Call him and get more info. People on this this site need to trust what others say. I get tried of individuals that think they know it all. Call the co. to back me up. If you think I'm B.S. anyone ask on this site and you will get the response I am backing!!
JK

Jack Olsen · 01-31-2003, 08:05 PM

JK, Al quotes more than $50/wheel to new customers, now. And he has different rates for different finishes -- some are much more than $50/wheel.

But there's no doubt that he's popular and well-respected by members of this board. No one has ever found fault with his work, that I know of.

If you did a search before posting, you'd see dozens of threads about Al and his expertise -- virtually all of it positive. I'm not clear on who it is you think is doubting you.

Reg · 02-01-2003, 03:47 AM

Quote:

15 inch fuch on a wood lathe? That would be one hell of a lathe.

...used to make wooden well pumps!

Truely, I have a smaller 48" unit that I will attach the wheel to on the outside of the head stock.

02-01-2003, 05:56 AM

Reg,
I've polished several wheels and have been very pleased with the results. It's just very messy and takes time. I spent about 10 hours per wheel. One of the tools I used most was a cotton buffer wheel in a drill motor. Just be patient and youl love the results. Also, I see a lot of people use black paint for the background. I used a very dark gray and it looked awesome. Good luck.
Mark
BTW - Love the wheel. Gonna hang it in my office till I have a car finished to go around it.

89911 · 02-01-2003, 06:03 AM

I'll second Marks opinion. Anything that you can get your hands on that is power driven will make the task much easier. I found a dremel with a sanding "puff" fantastic for getting in around the lugnuts very helpful if you are doing the finished paddle of complete polish. Tripoli with a high powered electric drill and linen wheels was also extremely usefull. This can take out the majority of scratches.

Chuck Moreland · 02-01-2003, 08:07 AM

Damn. That is one hell of a lathe!

Reg · 02-01-2003, 12:29 PM

Chuck

That is my father on the Lathe. When the chisel bites, it can pick your feet off the ground. You also need to be sure the post is mounted correctly and everything is tight!

dgcate · dgcate's Garage

I repectfully disagree with how great a deal you can get by sending wheels out for refinishing. $90/wheel, ok, not bad, considering the work involved. I sent mine in pairs, 2 boxes (small as possible). $152.04 ups ground for both boxes (ins. and tax) is the cheapest quote I could find. If it costs the same home (which it shouldn't be quite as much), that's $304.08 just for shipping. $360 for the work and approx. $300 shipping = $660.00 for refinishing 4 wheels (just having the rims polished). I didn't check "trunk" carrier rates such as Roadway (maybe I will home). But at the end of the day, you'd almost have to send them for free for it not to get pretty expensive. (I sent mine from TN)

Regards,
David Cate

Argo · 02-01-2003, 07:36 PM

I used a cotton buffing wheel, an electric drill and Mother's polish. They came out looking like mirrors.

Argo
88 Targa