I need to produce a very highly polished finish on an aluminum arm tube. Please recommend me the best product for the job.
I need to produce a very highly polished finish on an aluminum arm tube. Please recommend me the best product for the job.
SS
CD Teac VRDS25X(Audiotuned) DECK 1210 Mat Crystal Audio Mods MN Base/Bearing/Platter+Ebony armboard Feet Isonoe PSU Paul Hynes SR7EHD-27XL/DCSXL Ag DC lead/3 Stage Regs/Recap PCB+No Pitch/Strobe/Light ARM SME V(Kondo Ag Rewire&Tags) MC Cadenza Black FGS CABLES Arm Yannis SPD-4 IC Yannis 222 Litz+Ag bullets Power WAR PRE ATC SCA2 SPEAKERS ATC 50ASL STANDS Atacama PHONO Sugden Masterclass PA4 SUT Ortofon ST80SE POWER PSAudio P10
VALVE
PRE Croft Epoch(Modded) AMP Sondex S100 (Modded) SPEAKERS Tannoy 15"MG+RFC Warwick cabs+ Ref XO + Batpure supertweeters DECK Garrard 301 Mat Teunto Bearings 401(Bastin) Plinth Bamboo Arms 3009/3012 PSU Eagle+Tachometer MC Ag Meister II/FGS + Ortofon SPU MONO CABLES Arm Yannis 420.5 Litz+ SpeakerPC Tripple C+WBT-0681 Ag IC Oyaide FTVS-510 AgWBT 0110Ag Phonostages Paradise(4 Box Mega-Modded) / Croft Musicmaker
Does this arm tube have scratches or is it basically OK Andy?
One thing to bear in mind. Most arm tubes that look like aluminium are actually a harder and more rigid aluminium alloy. Plain aluminium is not stiff enough.
It is impossible for anything digital to sound analogue, because it isn't analogue!
Autosol
Main system : VPI Scout 1.1 / JMW 9T / 2M Black / Croft 25R+ / Croft 7 / Heco Celan GT 702
Second System : Goldring Lenco GL75 / AT95EX / Pioneer SX590 / Spendor SP2
Location: Middlesex, UK
Posts: 4,482
I'm Alex.
Not only does this give a good shiny finish, it seems to leave a protection behind to slow further corrosion. Over 10 years ago my SL-110 platter looked dull with a few corrosion marks. I used Autosol (tube so old it was called Solvol Autosol), today it still looks good.
As Geoff, says, arm is probably harder than just pure aluminium, probably Dural, this is what I made the arm tube of in the arm that I machined. It was made over 40 years ago, unfortunately, over the years I broke the headshell (moulded from polyester resin), need to repair sometime. If I was to polish it again, I would use Autosol.
Arm by A60man, on Flickr
Spendorman
It's a DECCA mk 2 Superarm. I've got rid of the scratches using 400 grit right up to 1500. The tube looks a lot better now as it had scratches from various tonearm lifting devices. I'll have a look at Autosol, many thanks.
SS
CD Teac VRDS25X(Audiotuned) DECK 1210 Mat Crystal Audio Mods MN Base/Bearing/Platter+Ebony armboard Feet Isonoe PSU Paul Hynes SR7EHD-27XL/DCSXL Ag DC lead/3 Stage Regs/Recap PCB+No Pitch/Strobe/Light ARM SME V(Kondo Ag Rewire&Tags) MC Cadenza Black FGS CABLES Arm Yannis SPD-4 IC Yannis 222 Litz+Ag bullets Power WAR PRE ATC SCA2 SPEAKERS ATC 50ASL STANDS Atacama PHONO Sugden Masterclass PA4 SUT Ortofon ST80SE POWER PSAudio P10
VALVE
PRE Croft Epoch(Modded) AMP Sondex S100 (Modded) SPEAKERS Tannoy 15"MG+RFC Warwick cabs+ Ref XO + Batpure supertweeters DECK Garrard 301 Mat Teunto Bearings 401(Bastin) Plinth Bamboo Arms 3009/3012 PSU Eagle+Tachometer MC Ag Meister II/FGS + Ortofon SPU MONO CABLES Arm Yannis 420.5 Litz+ SpeakerPC Tripple C+WBT-0681 Ag IC Oyaide FTVS-510 AgWBT 0110Ag Phonostages Paradise(4 Box Mega-Modded) / Croft Musicmaker
Location: East Riding of Yorkshire these days
Posts: 4,779
I'm Shaun.
On the aluminium parts of my motorcycles I have always used Solvol Autosol but it does require a serious amount of elbow grease as well. The resulting shine though is almost like chrome.
Location: Middlesex, UK
Posts: 4,482
I'm Alex.
Location: Seaford UK
Posts: 1,861
I'm Dennis.
Solvol Autosol is designed for use on chromium.
There are several polishes which work well on aluminium alloys; Brasso - quite vicious and removes a lot quickly, Silvo, a finer finishing polish which I use after Brasso, but I find best of all is what used to be Duraglit, available in forms for both yellow and silver metals.
I am not really keen on Autosol because it contains a grit in it.
I polised my lenco GL75 platter with Autosol from a gunmetal colour to a very shiny mirror finish.
Main system : VPI Scout 1.1 / JMW 9T / 2M Black / Croft 25R+ / Croft 7 / Heco Celan GT 702
Second System : Goldring Lenco GL75 / AT95EX / Pioneer SX590 / Spendor SP2