Motor Polishing Help

[gckless 5,000+ posts]

So I did the first step, with the emery (scotchbrite) pads and WD-40, and it took off quite a bit. But, I am left with these spots:

Any way to get these off, or are those spots the finish I am looking for and it's the rest of the motor that I need to scrub harder? I was putting some good pressure on all areas of the motor.
@Better n&\#39; Reverse

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[ciaonzo 5,000+ posts]

You've got a good start, there.

The only tools I use have served me well. What I do is strip the old clear coat off and clean everything up after. Then go to town with Mother's. Just do it over and over and over.

 

[garretttt4 10+ year member]

You've got a good start, there.

The only tools I use have served me well. What I do is strip the old clear coat off and clean everything up after. Then go to town with Mother's. Just do it over and over and over.

Holy cow that looks clean! Dang!

 

[gckless 5,000+ posts]

You've got a good start, there.

The only tools I use have served me well. What I do is strip the old clear coat off and clean everything up after. Then go to town with Mother's. Just do it over and over and over.

Ok so those spots I have are actually the clean spots. That's what I thought after I looked at it closer. This is gonna take a while //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

 

[whitedragon551 5,000+ posts]

http://www.caraudio.com/forums/car-audio-reference-database/536230-how-sub-motor-polishing.html

 

[gckless 5,000+ posts]

http://www.caraudio.com/forums/car-audio-reference-database/536230-how-sub-motor-polishing.html

Following it. Did the first step and I got these spots. Just need to do more I guess.

 

[mlstrass 5,000+ posts]

might need something more aggressive then scotchbrite pads...

 

[MellowYellow 10+ year member]

Although I have never polished a sub motor, I have done my fair share of metal polishing (stainless, aluminum).

For steel I always start with steel wool usually 00 and then work my way to 0000. Then I move into some jewlers rouge moving to finer and finer rouges. The polishing compound comes last and is basically for final cleanup.

One thing about polishing metal that I have learned is speed. You really can't do a good job with a drill be it corded or cordless. They will work, but you will never get that really nice deep shine. I use a variable speed electric die grinder. It does up to 25,000rpm and works great. It's just bulky but that's not an issue if your working on a bench.

 

[gckless 5,000+ posts]

might need something more aggressive then scotchbrite pads...

Although I have never polished a sub motor, I have done my fair share of metal polishing (stainless, aluminum).
For steel I always start with steel wool usually 00 and then work my way to 0000. Then I move into some jewlers rouge moving to finer and finer rouges. The polishing compound comes last and is basically for final cleanup.

One thing about polishing metal that I have learned is speed. You really can't do a good job with a drill be it corded or cordless. They will work, but you will never get that really nice deep shine. I use a variable speed electric die grinder. It does up to 25,000rpm and works great. It's just bulky but that's not an issue if your working on a bench.

Well I went out and bought some steel wool, still really slow taking that stuff off. The scotchbrite actually seems to work better, which is odd. I've been working on it for literally about 5 hours now, and here's where I am:

Not the best picture, but you can see it's clean on the right side, except for the outer edge, and a little in the middle. It's coming off, but slooooooooowly. My hand is starting to get sore lol.

 

[Serpent710 10+ year member]

Well I went out and bought some steel wool, still really slow taking that stuff off. The scotchbrite actually seems to work better, which is odd. I've been working on it for literally about 5 hours now, and here's where I am:

Not the best picture, but you can see it's clean on the right side, except for the outer edge, and a little in the middle. It's coming off, but slooooooooowly. My hand is starting to get sore lol.

Its gettin there lol. IF you have a dremel i know they make little polishing pads for them now too.

 

[ciaonzo 5,000+ posts]

Looking good. You're gonna be so angry when I tell you that citrus stripper allows the clear coat to be wiped off after sitting for 10-20 minutes, lol. Maybe you can try it on the other one.

It'll all be worth it. When you get the shine you want, you may consider a new clear coat to protect your hard work. Otherwise, it will quickly fade with the condensation of daily use. And don't touch it! You get acid-etched fingerprints, lol.

 

[gckless 5,000+ posts]

Looking good. You're gonna be so angry when I tell you that citrus stripper allows the clear coat to be wiped off after sitting for 10-20 minutes, lol. Maybe you can try it on the other one.
It'll all be worth it. When you get the shine you want, you may consider a new clear coat to protect your hard work. Otherwise, it will quickly fade with the condensation of daily use. And don't touch it! You get acid-etched fingerprints, lol.

FFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU. I want to punch a baby right now.

I'm getting some tomorrow -_-

 

[gckless 5,000+ posts]

Looking good. You're gonna be so angry when I tell you that citrus stripper allows the clear coat to be wiped off after sitting for 10-20 minutes, lol. Maybe you can try it on the other one.
It'll all be worth it. When you get the shine you want, you may consider a new clear coat to protect your hard work. Otherwise, it will quickly fade with the condensation of daily use. And don't touch it! You get acid-etched fingerprints, lol.

Got impatient and went and bought some. Just applied it about 2 minutes ago. First impression: this stuff smells amazing for a stripper. Do I need to be worried about the magnet in any way?

The thing that sucks is I don't know if I'm going to do the top plate in fear of ruining the basket. Do you know how well this stuff does against blue painter's tape? Might just tape it real well I guess.

Edit: Nevermind, I have painters tape, I'll see how the stripper works with it right now on a test piece.

 

[mlstrass 5,000+ posts]

still might end up needing some wet/dry sandpaper. Just keep going to finer grits until you are ready for polishing compounds...

 

[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

You've got a good start, there.

The only tools I use have served me well. What I do is strip the old clear coat off and clean everything up after. Then go to town with Mother's. Just do it over and over and over.

Im going to try a few more things to add to the write up and this looks like a good one