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Polishing a Brand New Nitto Stem - Sanding Steps?

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Polishing a Brand New Nitto Stem - Sanding Steps?

Old 07-05-21, 07:17 AM
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karldub
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Polishing a Brand New Nitto Stem - Sanding Steps?

I just bought a Nitto Technomic Stem which I thought would have more of a mirror finish. It is shiny, but does not have a mirror finish. From the description at Rene Hearse Cycle, the less polished finish is one of the things distingueshes the mid-priced nitto stems like Technomic from the more expensive ones like NP. Quote: "The differences to the NP are less polish (although that’s hard to see), no anodizing, a simple nut for the clamp bolt (which you replace if you run a decaleur), and no box".

Since the stem is brand new without any scratches:
- If i were to polish the stem to try to achieve a mirror finish, either by hand or getting some kind of polishing machine, would I still need to do the sanding steps to achieve this or can I skip to polishing wheel + compound?
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Old 07-05-21, 07:21 AM
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I would skip any abrasive paper, it would just add a scratches.
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Old 07-05-21, 07:53 AM
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No anodizing? That's odd. The stem will tarnish quickly without some sort of protection, or constant attention to cleaning.

As for how to polish, there are countless guides on the internet and youtube to guide you. In a nutshell, start out with the least abrasive means possible to remove the imperfections you find unacceptable and then progressively move to less and less abrasive means until you have the desired sheen. If you have a power buffer or a decent bench grinder you can employ a wheel and compound to save time. A stitched cotton wheel is likely all you need, along with some compound bars. If you are in the USA you might want to hit up Harbor Freight for supplies.

After finishing the metal will need some sort of protection otherwise it will tarnish very quickly. Wizards Power Seal is one such product. You will still need to keep on top of the polish but this will at least afford some level of protection.
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Old 07-05-21, 08:12 AM
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Good advice from Nessism, another good sealer is Wolfgang MetallWerk Concours Metal Sealant.
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Old 07-05-21, 08:20 AM
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Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish will do exactly what you want. It may take some elbow grease if you do it by hand.
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Old 07-05-21, 08:26 AM
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Great tip with the sealant, I will pick that up.

So I've done some reading/youtubing on the polishing process, and my understanding is as you say go finer and finer as you say Nessim. But since the stem is completely new and fresh, do you think I can skip all sanding steps and go straight to the cotton wheel + compound?
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Old 07-05-21, 08:40 AM
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Originally Posted by karldub
Great tip with the sealant, I will pick that up.

So I've done some reading/youtubing on the polishing process, and my understanding is as you say go finer and finer as you say Nessim. But since the stem is completely new and fresh, do you think I can skip all sanding steps and go straight to the cotton wheel + compound?
It won't hurt to try. Worst case you can backtrack.

For really heavy polishing, which you shouldn't need, I use a "sisal" wheel and black cutting compound. This is the most aggressive polishing method, but yet it affords a pretty darn good polish in the end. Some guys like that chrome look though and for that you need a cotton wheel and rouge compounds. I'd use a stitched wheel though. The fluffy wheels are for mirror finish polishing.

These parts were polished with the sisal and black compound. The sheen is NOT mirror finish, but I didn't want that anyway...

P1020637 by nessism, on Flickr

Last edited by Nessism; 07-05-21 at 08:49 AM.
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Old 07-05-21, 11:45 AM
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Buffing wheel.

If you use progressively finer and finer Emory cloth, then use a good polishing compound, and then use a really good new buffing wheel with first red, and then white polishing rouge, you can put a mirror finish relatively easy. It just takes patience. Unless you wax it, paint it with clear coat, or repolish regularly, it’ll become dull with oxidation after a while.
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Old 07-05-21, 12:19 PM
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I did not sand these but used a polishing wheel, and polishing paste on cloth wheels, to achieve this result. Took me about ten minutes per hub...





Add a bit of sunshine and Bob's your uncle...


If you are just going to sand, start with #1000 wet and dry (used wet) and then finer and finer until you are happy with the result. This takes more than ten minutes per hub. Then, make sure to clean off and protect with wax.
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Old 07-05-21, 12:26 PM
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Start with the least aggressive option first (metal polish, like Mothers). The results may surprise you. If you bring sandpaper into the equation, use wet / dry and use it wet.
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Old 07-05-21, 12:40 PM
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Originally Posted by Nessism
No anodizing? That's odd. The stem will tarnish quickly without some sort of protection, or constant attention to cleaning.

As for how to polish, there are countless guides on the internet and youtube to guide you. In a nutshell, start out with the least abrasive means possible to remove the imperfections you find unacceptable and then progressively move to less and less abrasive means until you have the desired sheen. If you have a power buffer or a decent bench grinder you can employ a wheel and compound to save time. A stitched cotton wheel is likely all you need, along with some compound bars. If you are in the USA you might want to hit up Harbor Freight for supplies.

After finishing the metal will need some sort of protection otherwise it will tarnish very quickly. Wizards Power Seal is one such product. You will still need to keep on top of the polish but this will at least afford some level of protection.
I removed the matt black finish on exposed portion of this Truvativ seatpost using fine sandpaper, emery cloth, and then Simichrome polish. Surprised how easy and quick it was. No additional protective material. i expected that there would be tarnishing, but there’s been minimal degradation of the polish level in three years.

Before:


After:
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Old 07-05-21, 07:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Nessism
No anodizing? That's odd.
I've found a lot of my Campy parts aren't anodized, yet they don't seem to oxidize like some of my other parts.

I've come to the conclusion they used alien technology.
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Old 07-05-21, 11:56 PM
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Really nice!

For other smaller scruffy/scratched parts, would wet sanding with gradually finer grit + polishing by cloth and metal yield a good result? (if going for shiny finish but not mirror finish) or is a polishing machine still absolutely necessary?
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Old 07-06-21, 12:38 AM
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For stems, a machine is not necessary at all, but would probably be faster/easier. I've done 3 stems and used sand paper and simichrome with a cotton rag; all came out very nice with no machine buffing.
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Old 07-06-21, 04:39 AM
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I’ve had pretty good results with 4/0 wool and Mother’s.
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Old 07-06-21, 05:40 AM
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Originally Posted by Nessism
No anodizing? That's odd. The stem will tarnish quickly without some sort of protection, or constant attention to cleaning.
.......
I've done similar light sanding and polishing to a GB stem, and it has held up well for 20 years with just a few interim polishings over that time.
It looks much better now, and I have had no issues with it.



Steve in Peoria
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Old 07-06-21, 05:57 AM
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karldub
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Looks really nice.

What grit sanding did you start with and wet or dry?

Cheers,
Karl
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Old 07-06-21, 06:11 AM
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Start with 600 if there are scratches you want to remove, then much finer (1000) and always wet.
If there are no scratches that you want to remove start with Mothers and see what happens.
An wet sanding means WET!
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Old 07-06-21, 07:47 AM
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Originally Posted by karldub
Looks really nice.

What grit sanding did you start with and wet or dry?

Cheers,
Karl
well, it was 20 years ago, so I can't be certain of the details.
I think it was basically what has been recommended... start out with some fine sandpaper... maybe 1000 or 2000 grit and see how it goes. Always wet sand. After getting to the finest sandpaper grit (2000? 4000?), I then used 0000 steel wool, and then finally Simichrome polish.

Steve in Peoria
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Old 07-06-21, 12:04 PM
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As others have mentioned, it's not all that difficult.

I asked for some advice here recently, regarding a Campagnolo seatpost that had some zig-zagging marks.

I ended up wet sanding,, starting with 500/then 1000/and 1200. Some Mothers mag polish and a soft towel to finish. I might have an hour in it.

If your stem is free from any scrapes/gouges, you can probably start with something finer than 500(6-800). I'll also note that using a vise helps a lot(lined with wood).


Before

After

Last edited by Roger M; 07-06-21 at 02:10 PM.
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Old 07-06-21, 04:32 PM
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Fantastic work Roger M !

DD
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Old 07-07-21, 02:40 AM
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Originally Posted by onyerleft
What is your time worth to you? I recommend taking it to a professional metal finishing shop, for the best result. By the time you're done buying materials and putting all kinds of time into the project, you might realize that it would have been worth it to let a pro handle it, for really not that much money.
Normally I would agree with the argument but where I live, just finding somebody who would do it for me and bringing it back & forth would be at least 4 hours and the cost probably 3 x what you pay in the US.
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Old 07-07-21, 02:43 AM
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Originally Posted by Roger M
As others have mentioned, it's not all that difficult.

I asked for some advice here recently, regarding a Campagnolo seatpost that had some zig-zagging marks.

I ended up wet sanding,, starting with 500/then 1000/and 1200. Some Mothers mag polish and a soft towel to finish. I might have an hour in it.

If your stem is free from any scrapes/gouges, you can probably start with something finer than 500(6-800). I'll also note that using a vise helps a lot(lined with wood).


Before

After
Really nice, all by hand?
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Old 07-07-21, 09:36 AM
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Originally Posted by karldub
Really nice, all by hand?
Thanks.

Yes, all by hand. I don't have a polishing wheel.
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Old 07-07-21, 10:39 AM
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you aren't going to mess this up!

Just go for it - see what the local hardware store has (superfine sandpaper would work, or polishing compound, or any number of other things).

You can do this mechanically - but I really enjoy doing it by hand. Especially fun for super old vintage parts to watch the mirror finish emerge. It's a good idea to put some kind of sealer on afterward - or just wax/oil periodically. But the oxidation process takes time - I've left some aluminum parts unfinished and then buffed them back every year or so.
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