Heavy Cut Metal Polish for Bare Aluminum?

[Lydia]

Hi all,

I'm looking for a good metal polish for bare/uncoated aluminum motorcycle wheels. I've got the DynaCone for my drill. I was able to find a source for Heavy Cut Metal Polish, Medium Cut, and of course the new Hot Rims Metal Polish. I already have the finishing polish but am wanting something with a little more bite. My thought is to go with the Heavy Cut, but wanted to see if any of you had any experience with using any of those three with the DynaCone on bare aluminum and could recommend which would be better. I've got a few different sets of wheels I want to spend some time on, but one in particular shows some pretty nasty black "oxidation", for lack of a better word, even after a couple thorough cleans with Aluminum Wheel Cleaner and various brushes. They're definitely bare aluminum though.

I'm also a little concerned about how quickly the DynaCone will load up with black gunk. Tips for cleaning it?

Thanks in advance!

[Nick Winn]

Re: Heavy Cut Metal Polish for Bare Aluminum?

Hey Lydia,

Our Heavy Cut Metal Polish is definitely more aggressive than the new G4510 Hot Rims Metal Polish. I actually haven't had chance to try the new G4510 Hot Rims Metal Polish, but have heard from a very accomplished pro detailer that he says it is the craziest/coolest one step metal polish he has used. "Cuts very well for how well it finishes."

Good thinking when it comes to keeping our Hot Rims Wheel Polisher Drill Attachment clean during use. I typically will clean the attachment on the fly with an old towel. Get the attachment spinning, and then hold the towel onto the attachment, so the residue transfers onto the towel. Hope that makes sense. Just be careful!

[Lydia]

Re: Heavy Cut Metal Polish for Bare Aluminum?

Hi Nick,

Good information, thanks! Just what I needed. I might just give both a try. It sounds like the G4510 is a good one to have on hand for metal that hasn't been neglected for many years.

Makes perfect sense about cleaning it on the fly. It sounds pretty similar to cleaning a DA pad on the fly except to get the drill spinning first in this case. I've found when cleaning DA pads on the fly that every once in a while, spraying a little Last Touch onto the pad then cleaning really gives it a good deep clean (say, if I'm running low on clean pads to switch to). The sling when cleaning can be a little difficult to manage so not sure if I'll try that on the drill attachment. Metal polish, aluminum residue, and Last Touch slinging in a 360 degree pattern sounds like a big mess.

Thanks again!

[Shootist]

Re: Heavy Cut Metal Polish for Bare Aluminum?

As much as I love Meguiar's products, I've been somewhat disappointed in their metal polishes. If you've never tried Blue Magic Cream metal polish, you should give it a shot. Readily available at all automotive stores and Walmart for about $7/jar. Stinks to high heaven of ammonia, but I've used it to polish aluminum bicycle parts to almost chrome finish.
BTW, I do have Megs Heavy Cut polish and their finishing paste. The Heavy Cut should never have been packaged in the metal tube. It seperates and kneading the tube is a pain.