polishing machined wheels

[crackerican69]

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Hi guys and gals! I have a set of wheels that I want to sand down and polish. (Pictured above) But, I am having a slight issue... I have never done anything with a machined face before and not quite sure on how to approach it (tried small talk over a cup of coffee but came up short). What would be the best way of smoothing the wheel face? And which compounds should be used for polishing? Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

[crackerican69]

 

[rexxdoggy]

Best way is to use a sander of some sort. Its gonna take a lot to get those grooves down. If you wanna tackle by hand, sure. Start like 500 and see how it fairs against those grooves. Once you start smoothing, jump to 800, then wetsand with 1500, wetsand with 2000 or 2500 if you can get a hold of it. After that, you can use any polishing compound. Ive used Meguiars Ultimate compound and it didn't pretty alright. And if you'd like after the compounding, you can finish up with a smoother polisher. And then seal it with some wax to last a while from the elements. Once you start the polishing, there's no protecting it from inevitably dulling, unless you clear coat it. But clear coating it will not be as pretty as pure metal.