Calling all Polishing Nutcases! Like Me!

[Strauss]

Beautiful pics everyone!

 

[vic2367]

very nice pics....

 

[scottee]

Wow, they all look fantastic !

Any tips and details of the process everyone goes through would be appreciated; could do with this for some of my watches as well.

 

[kenster]

Will and Luxlunatic, those are the kind of pics I was hoping would be posted so I could..... Very nice! :twothumbs

Mac, thanks for posting your pics of my Ti 27LT. I like them better than my shots. :rock: Still haven`t polished the Yaesumofo Ti bezel that is on it but I will get to it soon.

For the polishing, I hand sand with MIcro-Mesh MX grade sandpapers which is for metals. They are expensive so I bought a package with all of them in the 12 x 12 sheets and I cut off small pieces to use hoping to save a few bucks in the long run but I don`t even use some of the coarsest grits. Spend plenty of time with each grit before moving on to the next or you will end up with some scratches that didn`t get sanded out. Takes a bit of time but I enjoy doing it this way. The final polish I do with a cloth wheel on a Dremel tool. I have all kinds of different compounds I have used for this on the different matals. A green dry compound I picked up at a jewelry supply store has given the best results on Titanium so far. That compound will not remove any scratches that were left while sanding. It just puts a high gloss finish on the Titanium. That is what I used on my Ti 27L before I sent it to Mac. I think that polished finish came out pretty sweet.

Ken

 

[will]

I have 2 dremel tools - and I do like to use them for certain things. They are good to get into the very small areas. For most of the polishing that I have done - I picked up some 4 inch buffing wheels from Eastwood. I put these in an electric drill which I hold in a wood vise. ( don't use a battery drill, too slow ) Eastwood has the different polishing compounds as well. If you have a grinder - a 6 inch wheel works great. Different metals polish differently and look different.

The buffing compounds seem to be waxed based. I use a bit of kerosene to wash them when I am finished, then a final wash with soap and water. I don't use a cloth to dry, I just use an air hose to blow them off. It does take a fair amount of work to get them really nice, in the end it is worth it.

http://www.eastwoodco.com/

 

[kenster]

Will, thanks for the info. I have some compounds that seem to be waxed based and they can really build up on the wheels. Time to wash some wheels. The green compound I use for the final finish on Titanium is a dry compound so is doesn`t build up on the wheel but it has other drawbacks. It is very messy and green powder goes EVERYWHERE! :sick2: :laughing:


Ken

 

[luxlunatic]

I do about 90% by hand, I will use the dremel on areas that my fingers wont get to, and sand up to 2000 grit then polish a few times over with softer rags using some Mothers and buff with a clean, dry soft towel.
But I think I need to add one final step and a dry compound like you mentioned kenster sounds like the ticket. The job I do is ok but in most light, it still shows some hazing, I have to get the light just right for those shots.
Like I said, still refining my system!
BTW fun thread kenster, thanks.

 

[nein166]

Kenster its about time you let the rest of us in on the fun. Great tips and even better pics. I stuck the dremel sand drum in the butt of my TiPi and spun it on the dremel at low speed sanding thru 200-2000 grits. Came out ok but now I see I missed the dry compound stage. Thanks and good thread

 

[VidPro]

Awesome, love them mirrored finishes. (insert drool icon)

 

[TOOCOOL]

there you go Vidpro

 

[kenster]

I do about 90% by hand, I will use the dremel on areas that my fingers wont get to, and sand up to 2000 grit then polish a few times over with softer rags using some Mothers and buff with a clean, dry soft towel.
But I think I need to add one final step and a dry compound like you mentioned kenster sounds like the ticket. The job I do is ok but in most light, it still shows some hazing, I have to get the light just right for those shots.
Like I said, still refining my system!
BTW fun thread kenster, thanks.

Hmmm.... at 2000 grit I am just getting started.

The Micro-Mesh sandpapers I use have thier own numbering system. The finest grit I use before the Dremel and dry coumpound is equivalent to either 10,000 or 12,000 grit sandpaper but I can`t recall which of the two at the moment.

The only thing the dry polishing compound I use does is bring out more of a high gloss to the finish after I am finished sanding or basically polishing. There are faster ways to polish than by hand but........

I am a nutcase and I like doing things the hard way sometimes.

Ken

EDIT: I completely understand about the haze you mentioned when trying to photograph a polished light. Look at the bezel in the pic below. It wasn`t polished as well as the rest of the light and shows the haze which to me is simply scratches from not being polished well enough. I went through the grits of sandpapers to quickly and so it has that haze look.

I started over and it ended up polished more like the rest of the light. Well, look at the second picture showing this TNC proto Ti bezel after I worked on it some more and you decide.

I am still learning and always trying to improve on my polishing because this is fun to me.

 

[will]

There is one other technique I didn't mention earlier. When you get down to buffing wheels, buff at a 90 degree angle to the sanding. If you picture buffing a bolt, going at the same angle as the threads - the wheel will buff the peaks and valleys, not really smoothing out the surface. THe wheel will follow the grooves. When you buff at 90 degrees, you smooth down the peaks, getting them closer to, or even with the valleys, this gives a smoother finish.

 

[luxlunatic]

Hmmm.... at 2000 grit I am just getting started.

The Micro-Mesh sandpapers I use have thier own numbering system. The finest grit I use before the Dremel and dry coumpound is equivalent to either 10,000 or 12,000 grit sandpaper but I can`t recall which of the two at the moment.

The only thing the dry polishing compound I use does is bring out more of a high gloss to the finish after I am finished sanding or basically polishing. There are faster ways to polish than by hand but........

I am a nutcase and I like doing things the hard way sometimes.

I checked out the website for Micro-Mesh, and you weren't kidding, pricey stuff but if it provides the finish I will be proud of, then its worth it!
Did a search a while back but did not come across that site, thanks again kenster.
You are right, there are faster ways of gettin' it done but I too like to do it the hard way by hand. There is something about it thats, should I say, therapudic(other than the sore fingers!), and the results you can be more proud of, like anything done by hand, it just has that personal touch.
Time to order some micro-mesh! Better rest my fingers up, they are going to get a workout.

 

[kenster]

I checked out the website for Micro-Mesh, and you weren't kidding, pricey stuff but if it provides the finish I will be proud of, then its worth it!
Did a search a while back but did not come across that site, thanks again kenster.
You are right, there are faster ways of gettin' it done but I too like to do it the hard way by hand. There is something about it thats, should I say, therapudic(other than the sore fingers!), and the results you can be more proud of, like anything done by hand, it just has that personal touch.
Time to order some micro-mesh! Better rest my fingers up, they are going to get a workout.

I warned you that Micro-Mesh sandpaper is expensive stuff. It does last quite a long time though. As you step through the grits, try to go 90 degrees to the last grit. Will has a very good point doing this. It also helps show your progress and you will end up with a better polish job in the end by changing directions with each grit. It can be difficult, extremely time consuming or close to impossible to do on some parts of a light but I try to do this anyway. Send me a PM if you would like a small piece of the green dry polishing compound I use for a final high gloss on Titanium to check it out for yourself. :thumbsup:

Ken

 

[luxlunatic]

I agree on the 90 degree trick. I kind of stumbled upon it a while back and it became part of my formula, definately helping the end results, I just need some more steps in the formula to be happy with it!

So Ken, after seeing the polish jobs you do on your lights for a while here, I have been wondering if you are a nut about the paint and detail on your car as well, I for one am, even under the hood!

 

[TranquillityBase]

I agree on the 90 degree trick. I kind of stumbled upon it a while back and it became part of my formula, definately helping the end results, I just need some more steps in the formula to be happy with it!

So Ken, after seeing the polish jobs you do on your lights for a while here, I have been wondering if you are a nut about the paint and detail on your car as well, I for one am, even under the hood!

Lux, send me a PM, I have another light for you to polish.

TB

 

[aikiman44]

Thanks to everyone for the polishing tips. I see that there are 4 types of Micro Mesh sandpaper. Any recommendations on a particular type?

 

[kenster]

Jay, at first I bought a little polishing kit. As I recall it came with the AO grade but it has been a while. Here is a link.

http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?MerchantID=RET01229&Action=Catalog&Type=Product&ID=80939

The kit seemed expensive with such small pieces of sandpaper and I wanted to polish more flashlights so I found the manufacturers website hoping to order some larger pieces at a better price. Below is a link to thier home page. Lots of info on the different grades to read.

https://www.micro-surface.com/default.cfm?page_id=1

The MXD grade looked interesting but I decided on the MX grade when I noticed the "Call for prices" on the MXD. :huh2: Yikes and no thanks! :laughing: The MX is almost twice as expensive as the AO which does work but I found that the MX has a heavier backing that holds up better and it does last longer as well.

Ken

 

[luxlunatic]

Well Ken, I think I'm getting a little better, with some help and tips from you! I can see dust on my camera lens in this first shot.

You can just see the batt tube there, thats next to finish off this sweet little A19!

I will post another shot when completed, had to give my fingers a rest.
Thanks Ken!

 

[kenster]

SWEEEEET!!!!!! :goodjob: It`s time consuming and sure dose a number on the fingers! When your done it is hard to do this...... :nana: I haven`t been polishing today obviously! :laughing: Just seems more rewarding in the end doing most of it by hand.


Hey, that looks like my camerea???? :huh: A Canon PowerShot A620 by any chance?

BTW, I am about ready to brighten up the outside of on my Ti 27S Cx2 with a mirror polish. :naughty: Lots of Titanium and the ribbed battery tube should be loads of fun by hand. :thinking: NOT! Polishing the ribbed tube will be like polishing quite a few of those tailcaps you just did. :sweat: I`m going for it anyway! :rock: