markk900

Thought I'd get the collective wisdom from this crowd on how to replicate the satiny grey/silver alloy like it came from the factory.

The situation I have is this: I have a set of bars where the center (exposed) section has the zig-zag scratches on one side from being taken out of a stem (won't say how they got there ). I can easily polish out the scratches using finer and finer grit sandpaper and then the normal aluminum polishes, but what I get is that highly gleaming, almost chrome look instead of the original satin look.

Any suggestions or do I just highly polish the unmarked side to match?

This has been a question I have had for years, having polished many a motorcycle part...never did figure it out so thought it was time to ask!

Mark

Panthers007

The best metal-polish I've found is Simichrome Polish. It's from Germany and it's serious stuff. Does a beautiful job of restoring old components to looking like they just came from the factory. If the original finish is still there, it should find it. Worth a try - or give it to someone else. Google will find a source.

Good luck!

Old Fat Guy

The original finish was anodized, you can't replicate that at home.

WNG

Hmmm, most satin finishes are anodizing. Polishes won't provide a satin look. I think a coarse sand paper of 600 grit to 1000 grit is the closest I've come to a 'satin' finish. Simichrome will make it luster like a chrome.

Grand Bois

I actually read your post.

I wanted a satin finish on these aluminum fenders because I didn't want them to look like chrome. I just rubbed them lightly with 0000 steel wool and then waxed them. The wax prevents fingerprinting.

markk900

Thanks all - appreciate the advice. I've got several favourite polishes (simichrome is one, nev-r-dull another, alumi-nu is the third), so that isn't the real issue. Dirtdrop confirmed what I thought - use some very fine steel wool to simulate the satin look. (Love the Carlton....just gorgeous....)

I'll see what I can do....I needed to sand with fine grit paper to dull the scratches, so now I'll try the wool and see what happens....at worst, I'll either leave it as is (most people probably wouldn't notice) or polish the whole darn thing to a consistent finish....

Thanks again!
Mark

Charles Wahl

What dirtdrop neglected to tell you is that if your bars are anodized, and you've gotten scratches out with abrasion, then you'll find it very difficult to match de-anodized surface with those that are still anodized. The fix for this is to strip the anodizing, so that everything's raw aluminum, and polish from there. This is covered in many threads here -- do a search for Easy Off.

Kommisar89

+1 except I used brass wool.

unworthy1

brass, bronze or steel, you'll get something "close" to a satin finish but any time you are achieving it with hand rubbing there is a "grain" to the scratches. The best satin look I ever got was to take a piece straight from bead blasting and wax it with pure carnuba, but you really have to avoid touching it with ungloved fingers until waxed and really have to keep up the wax or it will corrode.

Kommisar89

Hmmm...I supposed you could have it blasted like that and then anodized. I haven't seen as many threads about that as for paint and chrome but somebody must do it. I would think it would be fairly cheap.

cycleheimer

Just started working on a bike today. Cleaned everything down first with Fantastik cleaner. The handle bar stem looked hopeless, so I got a little "open-minded" in my refurbishing technique. Used very diluted Turtle Wax rubbing compound ($1.99 at Sears) on a rag, followed by chrome polish and then a couple of applications of Turtle Wax paste car wax. The Weinmann rims cleaned up with chrome polish, followed by an application of chrome polish and 2 application of car wax. I a also used the rubbing compound to remove the remains of disintegrated frame decals. Big improvement in the bike's appearance. This was a project bike I took on for fun, and not a prized keeper.

Allan Pollock

you can get a nice satin finish by applying your favourite polish with some scotch brites or steelwool. you'll need to experiment with the "grit" in order to match the other side, but it should be possible.
Allan Pollock

unworthy1

there are home anodizing kits but reports I hear are the results are less than professional-looking. I wonder if the "pearl" anodizing we are thinking of involves some additive in the bath or is just clear anodizing over a blasted surface...inquiring minds need to know.

pass the peas

I would go with scotchbrite. Steel wool will leave small particles of steel embedded in the surface of the soft aluminum, which can then rust and leave stains or at the least darken the aluminum. I like scotchbrite and simichrome together.

Grand Bois

I always use steel wool when polishing aluminum and I've never seen any indication that there is any truth to that.

Old Fat Guy

This thread made me curious, so I tried something I hadn't done before.

I had a Cinelli stem that was a mess, and awhile ago I did the EZ-Off stripping of the anodizing, then polished it on the trusty buffing wheel. It was a bit 'too shiny' for my tastes, so it went back into the parts bin.



I decided to try to make a satin finish out of it, so I got out the sandpaper. I started with 320, then went to 400.


The results were going in the right direction, but not what I would put on a bike. So I went to 800 and 1000 grit. Much better.



I finished it off with a couple of treatments of Mother's, followed by som good old Johnson Paste Wax to protect it. It came out good enough to use, and an acceptable satin finish, though it's a bit hard to photograph well.

markk900

OFG: the finish you got is what I am looking for (and the one you started with is the one I am trying to avoid)....thanks for the photos and advice.

Mark

Old Fat Guy

Mark, It came out quite nice. Now I have to unwrap the bars on the Primato I just dialed in to put this stem on.

My advice is to strip it with EZ-Off, and start with a 320 grit, and slowly work up to the effect you are looking for. For me it came at 1000 grit.

I sanded in one direction, front to back, so that the sanding lines ran along the top of the stem, and wrapped around the vertical part. I went lightly with the sandpaper, and used some Mother's between grades to judge what the final look would be.

It took maybe a half an hour, starting with an already stripped and polished stem.

I put a few coats of wax on after I finished. This stem will stay in AZ, so corrosion is not an issue. If I was in CA or FL I would consider spraying a clear coat on it to seal it. I have no clue if that would adhere, or even work. Wax is good in my locale.

Thanks for arousing my curiosity, I am VERY pleased with the outcome.

Catnap 

bumping this thread up. I'm restoring some Gran Compe brake levers and a Sugino Mighty crankset that have all been pantographed with Zunow logos. I removed all the scratches and buffed them to a mirror polish on a bench machine, but that finish isn't really what I'm going for. Will experiment with Simichrome and a red 3M pad next.

bulgie 

When I polish an un-anodized part, like an old Campy seatpost or hub, and I don't want the high-polish gleam on an old bike, I knock back the polish with a brief acid etch. I used to use Aluminum Jelly (similar to Naval Jelly but a different acid, intended for Al), but I haven't found it in recent years. It appears to be discontinued.

In recent years I've used an aggressive aluminum cleaner/brightener I got from Amazon. It works great but beware, it's really fast, like seconds to get to the finish you want. Probably should be diluted some before use. Use personal protective gear, face shield and rubber gloves recommended as a minimum. Wash it off the part with warm water ASAP to stop the etch from continuing. Oh and make sure any traces of polishing compound are washed off before doing the etch, or the compound will act as a resist, and you'll have areas that didn't get etched.

Here's a seatpost I polished then etched. It's a finish that's definitely better than new, but it looks somewhat consistent with the patina present on the other Al parts on the bike.



This bike has a Nitto Pearl stem, and the post looks similar to the pearl ano on the Nitto. The post being un-anodized, it will tarnish over time, but only slowly. High polish slows down the corrosion process. And unless you live by the sea, the added patina over time doesn't look bad.

-Mark B

BTinNYC 

I'd try Ajax and a wet cloth, after getting the area to a high polish.

markk900

BTinNYC : I’ll try that next time; I did get the result I was originally looking for by going to 2000 grit - it looked perfect. At that stage you have to be careful with paste polishes as they quickly take that back to a mirror finish!

RustyJames 

I was recently messing around with my son’s AL BMX frame. Paint has been stripped and I am getting a finish I like with a gray Scotchbrite pad.

Mad Honk 

In the golf world we use a grey Scotchbrite wheel for creating a satin finish. There are many metal moving items available including Trizac belts, 3M belts of different colors, all with differing finish options. I would suggest the 3m grey Scotchbrite in pad form to get to a satin finish. Smiles, MH

retroman57 

I vaguely recall someone here mentioning bringing to a mirror polish and then dip or soak in brake cleaning fluid to knock back the shine.
I haven't tried this myself, so can't promise that it will work. Worth a try...