I had no idea polished aluminum would come out so beautiful. Not to mention I also had no idea how to even do it, Until now. I must admit, I'm still pretty green to this whole polishing business, But you know what ? It's definately worth taking the time and learning how to do it properly.
If you have a teardrop trailer or any type of faded aluminum that you want to bring back to life, then may I suggest you peer into the world of polishing. Here in Canada we have a little place called Princess auto. I believe the US has a similar place called harbour frieght tools.
I've never stepped foot into harbour frieght tools, But I have been online and have seen their variety of Polishers and accessories. As far as princess auto goes, I'm in their almost every day. I bought a polishing kit, and If you're a newbie to polishing then I suggest that you want to get one of these kits. The pads / wheels in the kit are a little smaller, 3" and 4" but the great part about the kit is the step by step instructions inside.
It also comes with two different polishing compounds; Red jeweler's rouge and white diamond, and most importantly the mounting hardware for your household drill. I've come across many different videos on this subject. Some say to use as high as 6000 rpm, others use 3000 rpm or less.
This is where I'm conflicted. The pros use higher rpms and end up with beautiful results. The kit I purchased says to use 3000 rpm or less for best results. Whatever it is, one thing is for sure. You need a lot of patience and practise. I'm sure it will take some time to get really good at this type of skill, but when you see the end results, it will be worth every minute. One last thing I must mention to all you first timers. Make sure you wear your goggles and a mask. This stuff gets everywhere. It's a fine dust that turns your face and hands black. Not something you want to be breathing in.
Well, I think my next step is to get the higher rpm polisher / sander. Can't wait to see the end results of our product. We'll post the finished pics on our instagram page. For any of you pro polishers out there, We'd love to hear you weigh in on the subject too.