BLACKFIRE Fine Cut Aluminum Polish  ![BLACKFIRE Fine Cut Aluminum Polish]()
BLACKFIRE's most versatile,
one-step, metal cleaner & polish.
This is the most widely used,
one-step, BLACKFIRE metal polish. In one application, BLACKFIRE Fine Cut
Aluminum Polish removes minor oxidation, haze, light blemishes and restores a
brilliant shine on bare metals such as aluminum, brass, copper, magnesium and
blended metals. Fine Cut Aluminum Polish quickly
shines chrome and restores a like-new finish on stainless steel.
This is an ammonia-based paste, combined with jewelers rouge and very fine,
diminishing-abrasives. It is formulated to stick to vertical surfaces to
make large panel polishing quick and easy.
WARNING: Do
not use on plated or anodized metals or on painted or clear coated metals.
While the jeweler's rouge in Fine Cut Metal Polish is very fine, it has enough
cutting power to remove the thin gold plating used on automotive trim. Do not
use on Porsche, five spoke, anodized wheels or on clear coated wheels.
Should I use a pre-polish
first?
There's no easy answer to this
question but here are some guidelines. If the metal is slightly tarnished, just
starting to oxidize or has very fine blemishes, Fine Cut Aluminum Polish will
easily remove the oxidation and tarnish to create a bright, chrome-like shine.
If the metal is quite dull and chalky from years of weathering or severely
pitted or water-stained you should pre-polish first with BLACKFIRE Heavy Cut
Aluminum
Compound.
If you're not sure, take this
test. Polish a 1 or 2 sq ft area using Fine Cut Aluminum Polish, wipe off the
residues and inspect the finish. If the gloss is restored and all oxidation and
stains are removed, continue polishing the rest of the area. If you buff off the
residues and still find surface dullness or spotting, you should probably use a
pre-polish (BLACKFIRE Heavy Cut Aluminum Compound).
NOTE:
Always test the metal first with Fine Cut Aluminum Polish. Once you use Heavy Cut
Aluminum Compound you are committed to doing the entire surface. You can not
spot-polish metal with a heavy cut polish like you can paintwork. Once you use a
heavy cut metal polish, the polished area will always have a different gloss
characteristic so you must continue polishing the entire area for a uniform
shine.
Fine Cut Aluminum Polish is
designed to be buffed with a Level Two, Acrylic, Wool Polishing Pad on a
circular machine polisher. For best results,
use our 8-1/2 inch, BF-POLM85, Level Two, pad. Polish with a circular machine polisher at
1,200 rpm, using a medium pressure. This pad requires your polisher be fitted with
a 7 inch Hook and Loop Backing Plate such as our FBP-7C.
Application Instructions: (Circular
Machine Polisher)
- Work on areas of 2 sq. feet, out of direct
sunlight if possible.
- Wipe a thin coat of Fine Cut Aluminum Polish on
the surface (just like waxing your car) using a dry Microfiber Applicator
Pad.
- Using a dry, 8-1/2 inch,
Level Two, Wool
Polishing Pad on
your circular machine polisher, set the speed to 1200 rpm.
- Using a medium pressure go over the entire 2 ft.
area
once using a left to right motion, then go over the entire area a second
time using an up-and-down motion. A black residue will form on aluminum,
brass and copper. On chrome or stainless steel, buff until stains are gone.
- Wipe off black residues and inspect the
surface. If surface has a uniform, chrome-like finish, continue to the next, 2 sq.
ft. area. If spotting, staining or surface irregularities are still visible,
repeat the polishing procedure.
Tips & Tricks:
I apologize for these
long product descriptions and for repeating key steps but I want your project to
come out perfect and there are some tricks that will make the job easier. I also
want you to know ahead of time what you're getting into so you won't experience
any surprises.
1. Polishing aluminum is time
consuming and DIRTY work. The wool pads are designed to "lint".
The cast-off strands will cover everything. Always wear old clothes (I wear old
cloths and an apron),
eye protection (safety goggles)
and rubber gloves. I can't overstate the importance of eye protection. The
lint flying around during buffing is impregnated with polish residues and
metallic particles. You don't want to get this in your eyes or you'll spend the
next six hours in the emergency ward of your local hospital in a lot of pain.
2. At some point, the wool
pads will cake with black residues causing them to flatten and become ineffective. When
this happens, "fluff" the wool using a stainless steel
brush. Place
the machine on the floor (or ground) with the pad facing up. Set the speed
control to the lowest speed setting. Hold the machine down with your foot.
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Use one hand to turn the machine on and your other hand
to hold this stainless steel brush against the pad's surface. It only takes
a few seconds for the wool pad to fluff up so you can continue polishing.
Pads can usually be "fluffed" three or four times before they
become so black that they must be replaced with a fresh pad. |
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Before you start polishing, fill
a bucket with water and put in two, Snappy Clean, pad cleaning
packets. When you remove a blackened wool pad from your machine, immediately
put it in the bucket to soak. Never let blackened residues dry in the pad.
Do the same with your buffing cloths. When they become blackened with
residues, throw them in the bucket to soak.
4. Always apply polish to the
surface. Never apply polish directly to the wool pad. Always use a dry pad.
Never spray the pad with water or use a pad still damp from cleaning.
5. Have extra
Polishing, Wool Pads. You typically can not stop, wash a wool pad and wait for it to dry. If
you're good, you might do a 16 ft Airstream with three pads, but you are
more likely to require 5 pads. Beginners typically apply too much polish
which requires you to change pads more often.
6. After polishing in a left
to right and up and down pattern, you need to wipe off residues with a cloth
and inspect the finish. One trick I've learned is to wipe the finish with a
Mineral Spirit (available at any paint store or Home Depot). This removes
the residues quicker and you can wipe more area before the towel must be
replaced with a clean towel.
7.
If polishing trim on a vehicle, mask off adjacent paintwork.
Polishing with a
dual-action machine polisher.
Circular machine polishers
will always do a faster and better job but dual-action machines like the Porter
Cable 7424 will do an acceptable job. They will certainly make the surface look
better but may not have the cutting power to remove deeper spots, stains and
blemishes.
If using a Porter Cable 7424
machine, use our 6-1/2 inch,
Level Two, BF-POLM65, polishing wool pads (the 8-1/2 inch wool
pads are too heavy for the counterweight used in the 7424 and could result in
motor failure). This pad requires that your 7424 Polisher be fitted with a 6
inch Hook and Loop Backing Plate such as our FBP-6DA. Set the Porter Cable's speed control between
4 and 4-1/2.
Follow the same instructions as outlined above for a circular machine polisher.
You can also fluff wool
pads using the Porter Cable 7424 polisher using a stainless steel brush
but you must use a very light pressure on the pad. Exerting too much
pressure with the brush will stop the pad from rotating.
After Polishing:
Polishing should
leave the finish with a uniform, bright, chrome-like, shine. You now have
three options:
- Do nothing. If you're working on a
show vehicle, most enthusiasts do not use any sealants so they can
touch-up the shine, as needed, using Fine Cut Aluminum Polish and a
Microfiber Cloth.
- Apply a sealant. If the vehicle or
trailer is used on the highway, we recommend sealing the polished
metal with BLACKFIRE All Metal
Sealant. This locks the shine
under a protective barrier, resists bug splatter build-up and makes
future cleaning easier.
- Take the shine to the next level. This
is primarily for show or concours vehicles where you want a true,
mirror-like, finish. Aluminum in particular is a remarkable metal that
can be polished to a mirror-like reflection. Use BLACKFIRE Wet
Diamond, Aluminum Show Polish to create the ultimate, mirror-like,
finish.
Pad Care & Clean-up:
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Allow pad to soak for
5-15 minutes, fluff
pad using your fingers, and rinse. |
Spin dry at a
high speed and allow to
air dry, preferably in the sun. |
Dirty pads should have been
soaking in a bucket of water with two packets of Snappy Clean Pad Cleaner for 5 to 15 minutes. Fluff up pad with your fingers then
hand squeeze out excess water. Spin dry by putting pad back on machine,
hold machine upright, away from your body, set the machine to the highest
speed setting and turn the machine on. When water has spun out, remove pad
and allow to air dry, preferably in the sun. Do not polish metal with a damp or wet pad.
Next remove the wipe
towels that have been soaking in the bucket, squeeze out excess water and
wash in the washing machine. If you're using Microfiber wipe cloths, wash
these cloths by themselves using Micro-Restore Microfiber
Cleaner.
Customer Comments:
"I recently tried your BLACKFIRE Heavy Cut and Fine Cut Aluminum Polishes
on a friend's dragster trailer diamond plate that hadn't been touched for
14 years! While I wasn't looking to make it a mirror finish, I did want to
see what could be done. The before pic shows absolutely no shine or
reflection at all. After, I was very impressed! It restored almost all of
the shine and reflection. What a great pair of products. Thank you and
keep up the good work!"
Jim T., Ware, MA
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Before BLACKFIRE
polishing. |
After BLACKFIRE
polishing! |
Net weight 16 oz. can. |
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