TOPIC: Trim aluminum

Ok I have all my trim in a shop to be power coated when I got a call from the shop they said it bubbled up
When I looked at it I was shocked bubbles everywhere it's awful so they are going to sand it and try it again but I'm afraid I won't be able to replace it. This is about 20 pieces as my 57 bellboy had a deck, another piece on top of the deck for the Windows then a convertible top so lots of trim.
Any suggestions on we're I can but new trim or a website? Thank you

Oh man, that's bad news! Hopefully things will go better second time around. Some of that stuff you may be able to find replacements on eBay or something similar, but some would likely have to come off of a donor Bell Boy boat, making it very difficult to source.

PS - If you have pic(s) of what you have originally it might help, some of the gang here have "stashes" of vintage hardware they might consider selling?

Thanks Mark, I've been striping all the powder coat off thinking about polishing it with some buffing wheels but I have never done that and I'm not sure how to maintain it or maybe I can clear coat it after buffing?? Any idieas is welcomed. Thank you for the advise.

Take a look at Eastwoods web site, they specialize in all sorts of buffing and polishing supplies and have videos showing technique.

From what I have been told by the guy that does power coating for all my old car restorations it will not stick to anything with even the slightest bit of contamination at all. I have taken him some old Alum. or SS and have been told "Not wasting my time or your money" it is just to old and the weather has gotten in to deep. Not saying that is what you have but sounds like might be. I have yet to find a clear coat that will stay put and I believe its because you can't seal or prime before clearing but that just me and I am a old goat maybe somebody has the answer and I will watch to see it.
Good Luck.

ok thanks, I purched a buffer and buffed for seveal hours on one small piece, not great resuls but im just a novice at this I used Black, then white maybey Im missing something? i bought the buffer at harbor fright, any advice if i should by a better one? or try a different color for the buffing wheels. I may just sand and paint as this would take me forever.
Thanks for any advice.

hi i can comment on this because i got the t shirt. i bought the 1/2 hp buffer and the buffing kit with all the compounds for my aluminum trim and window frames . you start off with maybe 320 or 400 grit paper then gradually work up from there as you do you can start to see the mirror come in i got 400 600 800 1000 1200 1500 and 2000 grit as i got to the 1500 i had a gloss then 2000 finished it off i used the emery (red) ad then the white Tripoli
and i am very happy with the finish eastwood has a clear coat after you finish mine was oxidized very bad and now it looks new. they make a paste compound i didnt get it but i sanded everything down and then buffed what was left. i couldnt get the result i wanted with buffing alone.

Ok thank you sounds like I need to spend more time on sanding with dinner grits I will try that.
Thanks again !!!

Ok I spent some more time on sanding so thank you for the tips, Im learning that by sanding up to 1500 grit I dont need to buff as long, I was just not sanding enough. I still have a long ways to go takes me several hours to get a six foot piece done.
Im not to sure if i should clear coat after all this buffing as I think I can just polish every so often to keep the shine?
Thanks again for any input.

I always do my aluminum pieces by buffing with Tripoli (brown) compound on a 8" spiral sewn buffing wheel using a Baldor 1-1/2 HP 3200 RPM buffer. This also removes all the anodizing. Generally, the resulting shine is very good but sometimes I go over it with the rouge (red) which can deepen the shine and remove tiny little scratches. I've never clear-coated any of the finished pieces. When the boat is finished, I give everything a coat of paste wax (Meguiar's)...trim and all. Unless you live in a salt water environment, you shouldn't have any real trouble with oxidation...at least I haven't.

I sprung for one of these about 20 years ago:


www.tptools.com/BALDOR-1-1and2HP-Buffer-11-Ga-Steel-Stand-and-Buffing-Kit,7243.html

I consider it to be smart money but then again, I do this for a living so it has paid for itself several times over. You might consider trying to find a used one on Ebay or Craigslist.

That's a great setup Nautilus and the way to go if you're doing it for a living.
If you're on a budget you can get by with a used motor 1/2 hp or bigger and a buffing or grinding arbor.
I bought what will probably be to a lifetime supply of buffing wheels and compounds for me from these guys about 12 years ago.
www.caswellplating.com/
No affiliation, just a happy customer. They also have a free guide on polishing.
Dedicate a wheel to each grit. You don't want cross contamination of a coarser grit to a finer one. That will just create more scratches you will need to get out.
I generally use a sisal wheel then a sewn cloth wheel for the black then either sewn or loose wheels for the finer grits after that.

I agree with Nautilus, My painter tried to clear coat the polished aluminum with several different brands, and it looked great for a couple weeks, but then little starbursts started showing under the clear-coat.
I had it all stripped off, and now I just polish it by hand from time to time with Meguiar's #2.
doc

Ok great I think I will just leave the clear coat off!! Sounds like this polished aluminum will hold a shine for awhile then I will just polish once in awhile. Thanks again