Take your Meguiars Hot Rims wheel cleaner, set the nozzle to spread the spray and give your pre-rinsed wheels a good coating with the wheel cleaner. It really is fantastic stuff and is safe for bare metal, alloys, lacquer, powder-coated and painted wheels. Select below from our great range of Pro-Max Metal Polishing Compounds ideal for use on aluminium, alloy, brass, copper, steel, stainless steel and chrome. I’m also using a second cut file to carefully shave off any big dings while still preserving the original profiled and then redressing as above. By using progressively finer abrasives (whether by hand or on a mop) it should, with time, be possible to get surface that will readily polish up to an acceptable level. Finally, unless you have a workshop area you can dedicate to polishing it’s probably best to do it outside; it’s inevitably a messy process and you don’t want the debris all over your bikes or work area. ON THE MOPS If this happens you will see parallel tram lines along the surface that will show up on the finished item. The sisal mop is used until the work piece is uniformly buffed and further polishing doesn’t enhance the sheen. It’s nearly time to get polishing, but first you will need to apply a good amount of alloy wheel brightener. This product is designed brighten the aluminium and alloy parts, plus is a great product for removing brake dust. Apply an Alloy Polish of Choice

Metal polishing compounds can vary in abrasiveness, ranging from coarse compounds for heavy-duty polishing to fine compounds for achieving a mirror-like finish. They can be used on a wide range of metals, including stainless steel, aluminum, brass, copper, silver, and gold. It’s also worth investing in a kit that comes with the smaller dolly mops (1”, 1 ½” & 2”) as these can be a godsend. The larger mops cannot get into recesses or tight spaces but the smaller mops can get into the nooks and crannies. Don’t throw a dolly mop away until you’re absolutely sure it’s beyond use; it’s guaranteed that you will need a worn down 1” version the minute you bin it. KEEPING IT IN PERSPECTIVE It’s quite viable to polish the odd piece of alloy by hand using any one of the well-known metal polishes. The results are eminently acceptable and it’s a viable method for small articles or one offs. However, if you have a number of parts to shine, a set of mops makes a lot sense. As with all things the amount of energy expended on a job dictates how good the results will be; it’s not all about how hard you polish though. The annoying phrase…don’t work harder, work smarter….is very appropriate when it comes to polishing.While some alloys need polishing, others will require wax. This will be dependant on the wheel’s finish, if the wheel has a chrome finish, a chrome polish is required. If the alloys are polished, they will need an aluminium polish. If the alloys are painted or coated, it’s best to choose a quality wax to protect the finish. Thoroughly Wash the Alloys As a rough rule of thumb a 370-500w electric motor should cope with a 6” mop. For 8” mops you’ll need a minimum of 500w and more if you can get it. On intricate castings or small parts it’s viable to use a cordless or normal powered drill and even on some large castings the easy access afforded by a drill makes the job simpler. It's important to dry off your bike. Some people recommend a micro-fibre drying cloth over a chamois, but I use a chamois. The main mistake I used to make was to fold up the chamois into four and then scrub at the bodywork to soak up water. You don't need to do this and all you'll do is rub any remaining grit across the surface, causing hairline scratches. Take your chamois and lay it across surfaces like your tank, take it off, wring out the chamois and repeat. On vertical surfaces, you can pat dry the surface, again, helping to reduce hairline scratches. You may be left with a small film of water or a few beads, but this is fine, they'll evaporate.

To use a metal polishing compound, you apply a small amount of the paste to a soft cloth or polishing wheel and then gently rub it onto the metal surface in a circular motion. The abrasive particles in the compound work to remove scratches, oxidation, and other blemishes from the metal, while the lubricating properties of the binding agent or wax help to prevent further damage to the surface.

24th June, 2019

The bottom line here is that if the mop slows down substantially you don’t have enough power to hand. Also consider the size of the work piece. Large objects may be heavy and it’s probably easier to polish something like a bike wheel on a bench with a 4” mop on a drill than it is to hold the wheel up to a bench mounted 6” mop. Metal polishing compound is used to remove surface imperfections, oxidation, and tarnish from metal surfaces, thereby restoring their shine and luster. It is commonly used in various industries, such as automotive, jewellery, manufacturing, and metalworking. Then we need rub the surface over with some Vienna lime to remove any residual polishing soap, grease or finger marks and the job’s a good’un as they say. All that’s left to do is possibly give the readily oxidisable surface coating of protective wax polish and it’s time to move onto the next job. Sharp eyed readers will note I’ve not polished out the marks in the top face of the carb cover. As the intended bike has a patina of wear I’ve elected not to go over the top but rather carry out a sympathetic refurbishment. Metal polishing compounds typically consist of abrasive particles suspended in a binding agent or wax. The abrasive particles can be made of various materials, such as aluminum oxide, diamond dust, or silica, depending on the specific application and desired level of polishing. The binding agent or wax helps to hold the abrasive particles together and provides lubrication during the polishing process. Once you are happy that your alloys are sparkling clean, you need to thoroughly dry them. Use a clean, soft microfibre cloth to remove all moisture from the wheel, as this may react with the polishing treatments. Apply an Alloy Wheel Brightener

Within reason a larger power source will give better results, you’ll need to expend less time/effort/energy and there’s less likelihood of damaging the shiny bits. Bench or post mounted grinder/polishers generally have the guts to do the job but you need to match the mop size to the motor’s capabilities. What we're looking to do here is remove the dirt from within the paintwork. I say within, because the finish on your bodywork is very much a three-dimensional. We're looking to get a deeper clean. I've chosen Zymol cleaner wax to accompany the Zymol car shampoo used earlier. It's now strictly a polish, but it is a wax polish, and by far the best one I've used to get a deep shine. When new, engine covers of Japanese machines were either polished and lacquered or painted. Add time, stone chips and ultraviolet light and the coating breaks down. Add in some road salt and the alloy starts to fester away gradually delaminating more of the protective coating to a point where the casting grows a furry grey overcoat. If you discover damage to your alloys when polishing your alloy wheels. ChipsAway specialists can repair the damage in a matter of hours so your wheels look as good as new again.The final step is to apply a finishing polish to the alloy wheels. Apply the finishing polish with a soft microfibre cloth and polish until the cloth is free from product. The longer you polish the wheels, the shiner they will look, so keep polishing! Avoid using abrasive cleaning products, as they will harm the quality and longevity of the alloys. Find our favourite alloy wheel cleaners here. Once your bike is washed in this way, you'll spend less time keeping it clean. With the Zymol cleaner wax, the surface is sealed and protected. After a ride, you will be able to rinse down the bike to wash off surface grit and retain the shine. You can use the Autoglym Showshine to give an instant gloss. When water stops beading up on the bodywork, it's a sign that you could do with a fresh wash and re-application of wax. Pressure washers. I don't use a pressure washer. Apart from being incredibly lazy, they're just not necessary. You're cleaning a small surface, not the side of a boat. Using a pressure washer is a bit like turning up to an Archery competition with a sawn-off shotgun. You want more precision for a better result.

When you rinse the bodywork for the second time, you should notice the water 'heet' off the bodywork and even on non-polished surfaces, it will bead up. If it does, this is a good sign of well cleaned bodywork.Here I’m using gelled aerosol type stripper which clings to vertical surfaces while it does its job. If there’s a fair amount of polishing to do it makes sense to do it outside and have sufficient mops and buffing soap on hand. Always allow more time than you think the job will take if you’re new to this and aim to finish a certain number parts with the final calico mop rather than do all the roughing out in one hit. Firstly you can then do something else next time rather than get terminally bored with a bike’s worth of polishing. Secondly you get to see some genuine results for one days work rather than moving from dull grey to slightly brighter grey. Alloy wheels add style and substance to any vehicle, but alloys can get pretty dirty and fade overtime, especially if you do a lot of miles. Its important to care for the alloys as you would care for the car’s paintwork. To keep alloys looking as good as they should, they should be regularly polished to maintain the finish. Wire brushes are generally unlikely to leave bristles in the mop face. Finally we’re onto the soft calico mop and removing the polishing marks left by the stitched mop. Time taken here to cover every facet of the substrate will be rewarded with a gleam that will satisfy most of us.