I just got a couple of free, slightly corroded, but otherwise great condition diamond plate tool boxes for my F250. Anyone know what would be the best/shortest/easiest way to get them shining again?
I have tried the 'Mothers' stuff with a buffer and a polisher. Not enough. I need a better product or way to do it. Polishing compound/. Will that scratch the crap out of the finish? I saw something about the stuff called 'metalwax'.. anyone use(d) it at all?
The only way to really polish aluminum (or pretty much any metal) to a chrome like shine is to use products that are made specifically for that purpose. Thankfully, they're easy to find and pretty cheap.
Got a heavy duty drill? Head off to your local home store (Home Depot/Lowes etc..) and pick up a loose polishing wheel and an arbor. (A long bolt, a couple washers and a nut will work as an arbor if ya can't find one.) Pick up a tube of white rouge - it'll be in the same section as the wheels.
Install the wheel on the arbor, slip it in the chuck and fire up the drill. Apply the rouge to the spinning wheel and buff away on the diamond plate. If the white rouge isn't cutting it, pick up a spiral sewn wheel and some triploli (brown) compound and use that combo, then follow up with the white rouge/loose wheel combo.
With both ways, keep the speed up and don't press too hard. Let the wheel and the compound do the work. Apply more compound (a couple seconds) every 20-30 seconds and work it in sections.
Be forewarned, you'll fling black crap all over the place and you'll end up wearing half of it. Some sort of dust mask and some safety glasses are a good idea. If you have to "two step" it, make sure you clean the boxes THOROUGHLY between steps or you'll contaminate your loose wheel and scratch the hell outta the metal.
My F-100 has this pattern on the rear bumper...no rust there, so I just washed it off, rinsed, and after it dried I sprayed it with spray can silver...NOT the chrome shiny bumper paint, but a metallic silver...it looks VERY good (sorry no pic), but I don't even want to add another coat of clear to protect it - I'll just spray it silver again sometime (clear-coating can dull the silver)... just a cheap idea...:+) Paul
Aluminum trailers get acid washed at certain trucks stops that do that.
That's great for removing the oxidation, but you are still going to have to polish and buff when done.
Rita
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