rcairflr

My Feedback: (44)

I was reading a post on RC universe where an individual said that he can't understand why someone would build a nice giant scale airplane and then put a Dave Brown spinner on it. My first thought was that I think Dave Brown spinners are very nice, but then I went and looked at mine and noticed a lot of machine swirls in it and it just wasn't very shiny.

So off to work I go ( I work in the aerospace business) and I ask one of the mechanics for a good way to shine up aluminum. So it just so happens that he had just come upon a product called Nu-vite metal polish. So I go home with a little sample and below is the result. I wish I had a before and after picture to show.

You can find the website by doing a Google search for Nuvite.

Here are the steps I followed:
1. Started with 320 grit sandpaper to get all the machine swirls out of the aluminum
2. Sand with 400 grit to start smoothing the metal, use a lightweight oil such as WD-40 to wet sand. Works better than water.
3. Sand with 600 grit sandpaper to continue smoothing out the aluminum and again wetsand with WD-40.
4. Sand with 1200 grit sandpaper, again wetsanding using WD-40
5. Do final polish with Nu-vite metal polish.

rc-sport

My Feedback: (12)

WOW, it's so shiny I can see you in the spinner. Nice

exeter_acres

My Feedback: (2)

there are so many inappropriate things I could say about a guy... "Shining up his spinner!!"


But that would be wrong!


I'm a geek and build my own computers and use water cooling setups and love to overclock the heck out of the system....
One of the things we do is "lapping" or polishing the heatsink or water block to get the best surface to surface contact with the CPU

I used basically the same process that you use and keep going down to 2000 grit paper....
Looks like a mirror....

Your spinner looks great.... Just don't put a starter on there!!

rcairflr

My Feedback: (44)

That was the intention when I took the picture, it is hard to show how well it shines with a picture. It was amazing how easy it was to make it shine using Nuvite, I can't say enough good about this product, and before anyone asks- I do not in any way represent Nuvite and don't even know anyone who works for them. I am just passing on good information for anyone who wants to make their spinner, landing gear or any other aluminum on their airplane shine.

rcairflr

My Feedback: (44)

Be careful there may be children listening.... I may try going to 2000 grit next time.

rcfury

My Feedback: (5)

ALAS, There is someone here that actually knows what Lapping is. HAHA! Im also a little computer geek at heart, ive overclocked a number of my computers with good results and straight up scary results.. who knew a CPU could actually blow a hole in a motherboard. Now i need to figure out a way to overclock this Cisco router sitting in my room. MMMMMM Packets!!

Oh yeah back on topic. Love the spinner, i have also polished a couple of spinners and landing gears. Good tip on using WD-40, never thought of using it with wet-sanding. Also you may discover have a few weeks that the aluminum will begin to tarnish pretty quickly. A good car wax does pretty good on keeping the aluminum tarnishing as quickly. Back in the high school days i played the trumpet in the marching band and used this product from 3M called Tarni-Shield on my silver Bach Omega trumpet. Although designed for sterling silver, it also does a very good job on keeping the aluminum from tarnishing.

rcairflr

My Feedback: (44)

Good tip on using car-wax, I will give that a try. It may prevent the aluminum from tarnishing to begin with. Also Nuvite makes 6 different grades of metal polish-from very course to very fine. The very fine would also work very well for the week to week maintenance of tarnish.

vicman

My Feedback: (10)

Simichrome paste and a cotton puff is what I have used for years.

When you guys lap the heat sinks looking for the uber flat surface you are working the piece in a figure 8 across the paper right?

exeter_acres

My Feedback: (2)

LOL... Yep... I have a couple mobo's and CPU's that the "blue smoke" has fallen out of!!!!

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

I'm just glad you were dressed when you took that picture

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

I was taught that figure 8 technique in A&P school back in the 70's.

We also used solvent as the 'wet' medium when polishing aluminum.

JustErik

In case someone is looking for alternatives, I've had very good results with Mother's Aluminum Polish on aluminum spinners. It's available in the auto department at almost any discount store. With a little time and patience, you can produce a mirror-like shine.

vicman

My Feedback: (10)

Mothers takes too long.

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

Most truck stops carry aluminum polish products that are about equal to the Nuvite you mentioned. Ever notice how well the fuel tanks and wheels on a lot of big trucks shine? They're aluminum also and don't start out shiney at all. The car wax technique works well. That's how those tanks stay with that shine for so long.

World Models makes some relatively inexpensive aluminum spinners in various sizes that don't require all that initial sanding to polish up. Matter of fact, they are almost mirror quality out of the box. Pretty good spinners, too.

jetpack

My Feedback: (1)

Nice spinner! I've taken to polishing quite a bit of my hardware with my boats. Most everything that goes on them is machined aluminum, but to get a nice consistent look it all has to be sanded and polished down past the machine marks or stock material finishes.

The only place I really keep a mirror polish is on the rudder blade, the rest after polishing is "re-marked" to a satin finish with scotchbrite, which is the same as what is used to clean it back up to color again.

Going that extra step gives a nice consistent even look to the whole works. Takes away all the "patchwork" look to things.

Another nice compound to use is "Copper Cleaner" found at the grocery store cleaning isle. It's water based and rinses real well with just water and protects after. I also use it for lapping in my disc rotor faces on a granite micrometer test stand. It leaves a powder gray finish, but abo****ely flat.

Clean

Am I going to the firey place if I admit I just put the buffing wheel in my drill press, put on a little joulers rouge and buff the thing to a nice glowing shine and touch up with mothers? Takes about 10-15 minutes tops?

Geistware

My Feedback: (16)

Where are your legs.
They are gone!!!

rcairflr

My Feedback: (44)

Next time I will get my wife to take the picture, she is much better looking than I am. As far as my legs, the convex shape of the spinner makes it hard to get normal proportions. (but then again not too many people say I am normal). One thing is for sure, from now on my spinner will be polished to a mirror finish and I will keep some Nuvite on hand. It really is amazing stuff and all was done by hand, no polishing wheel used. Now if only the wind and rain would go away here in Kansas maybe I could get out to the flying field and show it off.

Robotech

My Feedback: (9)

I use a product called " Flitz ". Excellent results and works instantly. My father used a product called ' Brasso " on his military insignia when I was growing up ( Army brat ) and Flitz has the same smell. Funny how smells can bring back memories.

aresti1963

Toothpaste...... Does the same job and you always have some handy in the bathroom. Just use it like a fine rubbing compound. Also good for scratches in canopies.

vasek

My Feedback: (4)

OK i have to ask. i've tried to polish a canopy once with toothpaste (sanded fist like the guys described) never did get a polished surface with the toothpaste... what am i doing wrong? i even let the toothpaste dry before polishing[:@]

V.

RC-Captain

are you sure about that ? I would bet dawn power dissolver would do the best job. I will report back with the results.

jetpack

My Feedback: (1)

If you'r trying to polish a canopy, the best thing I've ever used is something thats comes out of a guitar shop, called GHS Guitar Polish. It's a cream and leaves no haze or swirl if you use a worn flannel with it. And no static.

rogue-RCU

My Feedback: (2)

MOthers metal polish works great too.

jetpack

My Feedback: (1)

Yep, on aluminum...Mother's polish works great, I agree. There's also Mother's Billet Polish. It's slightly more per can and you get less, but you cannot get a better compound. Absolute mirror shine with light buffing. It will make you go back and do a better job of sanding, it works so good! The trick to using the Billet compound is using the softest washed flannel you can find, and a very fine film of it on the rag, and light strokes. Wow. Just like NASA.