Semichrome, Nevr-Dull, Something Else?

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FWIW - and to endorse post #13 - I recently used toothpaste to polish some brass - worked as well as any brass polish I have ever used! Never tried it but no reason it wouldn't do the same with AL! :)
 
OK, it seems like Simichrome is the winner. I like it too, but can someone tell me how to retain the luster for more than a month or two?

Slick
 
I've been using semichrome since my 1st bike.... see no need to change this far down the road.

Keep the Flitz away from the blued finish on your firearms.
 
Richard Tool said:
Flitz or Blue Magic paste from tubes then Shine Seal ( formerly Zoop Seal ) . Shine seal is a chemical sealant that you simply wipe on for dull finish ( rough castings ) and wipe on / polish out with the included polish for high finish work . Expensive but it works - I live at the seashore in the the Northeast, the corrosion capital of the universe .
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They've salted the roads over here too. Add to that, I live in a place where my only road out floods with the tides, sea water twice a day for half the month. So, even in the summer I have to be on top of rust prevention. ACF50 and WD40 have their own cupboard in my garage.
 
baz said:
Years ago a mate of mine had a kwak h1 show bike
He'd never use autolsol he said it was too abrasive on aluminium
He used to use T cut as far as I can remember
He was a bit anal with the bike he used to take the engine out to clean it!
I remember him flying over to denco tuning with the barrels for porting!
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Wonder how many centuries it would take to wear through an alloy case with Autosol. ;)
 
Sometime in the '70's I used jeweler's rouge and a buffer wheel on a grinder. Finished it up by hand with Semichrome. I quit using Semichrome for some reason I can't recall. I use an old jar of XTreme polish impregnated wad and another of Blue Magic.

Pick your poison. Lots to choose from.
 
Craig said:
Don Pender recommends “california custom purple metal polish” for aluminum , I used it on wheels he built for me and is better than auto sol … this is correct name …..
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66.47€ on Amazon France! Flitz over 50€ plus a lot for shipping......

Truth is most or your go to American products are prohibitively expensive here in Europe.

Autosol is good and cheap, the go to UK product, Belgom is used by a lot of Europeans, it isn't quite as cheap and is a different formulation for chrome or alu, but it is quite good.....

But I'm with the guy who retired from polishing......
 
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If the aluminum is oxidized I start with Marvel Mystery Oil, rub it in and let it sit overnight, then finish with Mothers. Gets old chalky white aluminum to shine like a mirror.
 
Torontonian said:
Toothpaste seems a lot more affordable than other products posted. I'm willing to try. Colgate ? Crest ?
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Back in the mid '60s when toothpastes had a lot more abrasives in them, we used to use toothpaste to run in bevel gears on slot cars. Run the gears for 10-15 minutes with toothpaste, clean them up, apply some lubricant and they were nearly silent. Freed up a lot of parasitic power loss from friction.
 
Dan1950 said:
Back in the mid '60s when toothpastes had a lot more abrasives in them, we used to use toothpaste to run in bevel gears on slot cars. Run the gears for 10-15 minutes with toothpaste, clean them up, apply some lubricant and they were nearly silent. Freed up a lot of parasitic power loss from friction.
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I remember slot car pick-ups . We were always cleaning them until the rail grooves cut through the copper . Likely improved pick-ups 50 years later.
 
Torontonian said:
Toothpaste seems a lot more affordable than other products posted. I'm willing to try. Colgate ? Crest ?
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Whatever is to hand , supermarket own brand willbe cheapest andprobaaby have most abraisive .Another old favourite for cleaning metal was HP sauce..
 
Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish. I've used it with steel wool to remove acid etching from stainless trim parts on my old car.

Semichrome, Nevr-Dull, Something Else?
 
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