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Author
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Topic: Aluminum Polish for end plates?
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Mark Trzepacz
Member From: Hamburg, New York USA
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posted 13 November 2006 08:58 AM
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I'd like to give the end plates of my Sho-Bud LDG a good polishing up. Any suggestions as to a good Aluminum polish or method of polishing to use on them?------------------
Sho-Bud LDG, Gretsch Syncromatic Lap Steel, Bach Stradivarious 37 Trumpet, Getzen Eterna Flugelhorn, Fender Precision Bass (pre-CBS)
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Todd Kapeghian
Member From: Vestal, New York, USA
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posted 13 November 2006 09:08 AM
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Hey Mark, Simichrome polish is what I use to keep things lookin good on my steel.
Bethel D-10 9&9 |
John Swain
Member From: Hamilton SqNJ 08690
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posted 13 November 2006 09:11 AM
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Mother's Mag & Aluminum polish works very well..And there's always Semichrome in a tube...Mother's is available at most auto supplies...They also have a extra fine Mother's but I've never tried it..JS |
Roger Rettig
Member From: NAPLES, FL
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posted 13 November 2006 09:17 AM
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'Nevr-Dull' is another. Jimmie Crawford suggested I use this, and I've stuck to it ever since.RR |
James Morehead
Member From: Durant, Oklahoma, USA
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posted 13 November 2006 10:30 AM
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Jagwire Strings makes this stuff, simply called Aluminum Polish, designed strictly for musical instruments. I got some from Russ down at St. Louis show in August. It works better than any of the above, IMO. If you are going to polish your end plates, but not take your guitar apart, get a roll of blue masking tape (for painters) and mask it of. Now you do not have to worry about damaging the guitar's finish. Hope this helps! |
Chris LeDrew
Member From: Newfoundland, Canada
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posted 13 November 2006 12:19 PM
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James is right on the money - I bought a bottle of this stuff in St. Louis on James' advice (you should have seen his Sho~Bud pedal board) and used it with miraculous results. Just used it today on my changer housing. I highly recommend it as well.I also found out today that Armor-All is great for putting a shine on Sho~Bud dust-catcher fretboards. |
Mike Wheeler
Member From: Columbus, Ohio, USA
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posted 13 November 2006 12:39 PM
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I've used the polishes mentioned, too. They're very good, but I found a product called Peek, by Tri-Peek U.S.A. It's amazing stuff...I like it better than the others. It leaves a mirror-like surface on aged aluminum in a matter of seconds...and you can buff out minor dings and scratches. You might like it too.
(I'm not affiliated at all, I just like it) |
Mike Randolph
Member From: Cook, Minnesota, USA
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posted 13 November 2006 05:33 PM
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Hey Mike, where do you find Peek? Mike |
Mike Wheeler
Member From: Columbus, Ohio, USA
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posted 13 November 2006 05:40 PM
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I think it was at a auto supply store...Auto Zone, I think. Got it many years ago...it works on glass, almost any metal, ceramic...heck, it might even polish up some of my raspy licks!  |
Al Udeen
Member From: maple grove mn usa
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posted 13 November 2006 10:40 PM
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Del Mullen was way ahead of the game by using chrome plated metal end plates, never need polishing! & always look the best, my Mullen is 15 yrs old & looks new! Its been played every week too! au |
Dennis Wallis
Member From: Bryant, Arkansas, USA
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posted 13 November 2006 11:30 PM
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Some stuff called FLITZ is good. Polishes different kinds of metal. |
David Mason
Member From: Cambridge, MD, USA
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posted 14 November 2006 02:49 AM
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Flitz is completely non-abrasive, so it just chemically removes oxidized metal (this can sometimes result in a less polished appearance, depending on whether there's some sort of pitting). Mother's, Brasso and so forth have varying amounts of abrasive designed to flatten out scratches too. |
Mark Trzepacz
Member From: Hamburg, New York USA
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posted 14 November 2006 06:03 AM
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Great info guys. Thanks!I think that I'll start by trying out PEEK that Mike suggested. Then I'll go from there. For anyone else that may be interested, here's their web site:
http://www.peekpolish.com/html/about.html Like an idiot, I tried using Chrome polish. Needless to say, it didn't work well at all. Left them looking sort of cloudy in appearance. (You'd think I'd know better being an Engineer / Machinist by trait...DUH!! I guess the operative word here is "Engineer"!) BTW..Not a good idea to use a lot of Armor All on the pad of a Sho-Bud LDG. It looked great, but with a long sleeved shirt, my arms were sliding around faster than my bar!!!   Thanks again. ------------------
Sho-Bud LDG, Gretsch Syncromatic Lap Steel, Bach Stradivarious 37 Trumpet, Getzen Eterna Flugelhorn, Fender Precision Bass (pre-CBS) [This message was edited by Mark Trzepacz on 14 November 2006 at 10:24 AM.]
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Dennis Wallis
Member From: Bryant, Arkansas, USA
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posted 14 November 2006 01:30 PM
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An abrasive can scratch smooth surfaces and create swirl marks too if you're not careful. If you want to do is "polish" the already smooth surface that would be my choice. Works fine on my guitars. Thanks for the chemical analysis tho. |
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