Best metal polish?

[Wakefield Turntables]

I need to produce a very highly polished finish on an aluminum arm tube. Please recommend me the best product for the job.

[walpurgis]

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.

[Jimbo]

https://goo.gl/images/sL7kSqAutosol

[spendorman]

https://goo.gl/images/sL7kSqAutosol

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.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4126/5068062560_dff0ce8c70.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/8HR9qY)Arm (https://flic.kr/p/8HR9qY) by A60man (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41679262@N02/), on Flickr

[Wakefield Turntables]

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.

[Stryder5]

3000 grit then silver polish. 3000 grit will give a great finish alone, silver polish will give a form of tarnish protection.


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.

[Haselsh1]

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.

[spendorman]

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.

You may have given you age away, It's a long time since it was called "Solvol" Autosol!!! lol!

[Pharos]

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.

[Jimbo]

I polised my lenco GL75 platter with Autosol from a gunmetal colour to a very shiny mirror finish.

[RothwellAudio]

I am not really keen on Autosol because it contains a grit in it.
Aren't all metal polishes fine abrasives? I thought they all contained some kind of "grit" suspended in a thickish liquid.
Anyway, I could be wrong.
I've had good results on aluminium by going through successively finer grades of wet-and-dry (to about 1200 grit, I think) and then using T Cut.

[spendorman]

Here is the Amazon product description of Autosol:

"Product description
Size Name:75 ml
Product Description

From vehicles, to boats, and even inside you home, there are many items which require to be polished to bring the best out of them. Steel, brass, copper, chrome and aluminium can all be polished to a brilliant shine with Autosol award winning product.

The Autosol Metal Polish is Autosol’s most popular product picking up three international gold medals and is recommended by manufacturers, museums and restoration experts around the world. The special formula has made it safe and easy to remove oxidation, corrosion, stains, and rust from metal. It can produce brilliant reflective shines and also leave an invisible wax coating to ensure long lasting shine when applied.

Autosol was founded in Solingen, Germany in 1929. With almost 81 years’ experience, 3 manufacturing sites around the world and a global distribution network in more than 70 countries. Their products are used by BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Volkswagen. Several of their products have been awarded the prestigious Monde Selection gold medal by the International Institute of High Quality in Belgium.
Legal Disclaimer

Product Description From vehicles, to boats, and even inside you home, there are many items which require to be polished to bring the best out of them. Steel, brass, copper, chrome and aluminium can all be polished to a brilliant shine with Autosol award winning product. The Autosol Metal Polish is Autosol’s most popular product picking up three international gold medals and is recommended by manufacturers, museums and restoration experts around the world. The special formula has made it safe and easy to remove oxidation, corrosion, stains, and rust from metal. It can produce brilliant reflective shines and also leave an invisible wax coating to ensure long lasting shine when applied. Autosol was founded in Solingen, Germany in 1929. With almost 81 years’ experience, 3 manufacturing sites around the world and a global distribution network in more than 70 countries. Their products are used by BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Volkswagen. Several of their products have been awarded the prestigious Monde Selection gold medal by the International Institute of High Quality in Belgium. Box Contains 1x Autosol Metal Polish 75ml"

[spendorman]

Aren't all metal polishes fine abrasives? I thought they all contained some kind of "grit" suspended in a thickish liquid.
Anyway, I could be wrong.

I was going to say something like this.

I've used T Cut too, but this does not leave such a protective layer as Autosol.

[Haselsh1]

You may have given you age away, It's a long time since it was called "Solvol" Autosol!!! lol!

LOL, yes, it would have been around the late seventies/early eighties as everything went black after that (black chrome that is) ;)

Back to real chrome and real alloy now with the Harley

[spendorman]

LOL, yes, it would have been around the late seventies/early eighties as everything went black after that (black chrome that is) ;)

Back to real chrome and real alloy now with the Harley

You are OK, I used it at least a decade before your earliest date. I'm just going to look in a drawer where I think the polish is and see if it says Solvol on it.

[spendorman]

Found the tube of Autosol, it does say Sovol on it, probably used it last over 10 years ago to polish the Technics SL-110 platter, can't find my camera though to take a picture of it!

[snowman_al]

''Aren't all metal polishes fine abrasives?'' Yes or they wouldn't be polish...

Mine must be 30 years old at least (Halfords at £2-03) and still going strong.

http://i63.tinypic.com/5tkpi.jpg

Both silver polish and Autosol work fine on aluminium. You probably get more shine with the Autosol and more sheen with the silver polish. Just keep using clean cloths.

[struth]

https://www.metalpolishingsupplies.co.uk/aluminium-brass-copper-metal-polishing-compounds/

these are good...

[spendorman]

I used to work for Boosey and Hawkes, plenty of metal polishing went on there, but I was in the Design Dept, didn't do any polishing. Don't know what was used.

[Haselsh1]

''Aren't all metal polishes fine abrasives?'' Yes or they wouldn't be polish...

Mine must be 30 years old at least (Halfords at £2-03) and still going strong.

http://i63.tinypic.com/5tkpi.jpg

Both silver polish and Autosol work fine on aluminium. You probably get more shine with the Autosol and more sheen with the silver polish. Just keep using clean cloths.

Oh yeah, scrubby old cloth for putting it on but brand new unused cloth for polishing it up afterwards. Those alloy carbs used to shine like chrome when we'd finished with them and the engine casings were a triumph, even though it was a Kawasaki ;)

[Gazjam]

Swear by Autosol for the rough work, then finesse and mirror finish it down with Brasso.
Works for me.

[Batty]

I polished the black chrome off the silencer on my FZR250 with autosol.
Unintentional but results looked good and it was 'different' maybe even better.

But I used Brasso to polish the platter of my 1980 Luxman TT.

[diviy]

can the tube be removed ? I turn wood and go from 400 grit to 12000 grit .
If tube can be removed I would do it for you on my lathe I polish wood up then seal with ca glue.

[Pharos]

Yes probably all metal polishes have avrasives in, the question is how course they are, and my Solvol seemed in the 70s to have a course grit that one could hear abrasing.

[mikmas]

Many years ago I worked for a (small scale) jewellery manufacturer.

Polishing was done in a large motor-driven drum filled with 4mm wooden cubes impregnated with a mixture of beeswax and ground cuttle fish powder (as abrasive). The result was phenomenal but the process took hours ....