Modding getting a gloss finish without new paint job

[chrisc1277]

hi, im looking for a solution for my problem...

i have the coolermaster Cosmos S its going through the stage of been modded up, the case itself is made of aluminium i believe,
ive seen so many paint job tutorials today its unbelieveable about how to get a "mirrored finish". how ever much this wud b very nice. this isnt what i want.
I rather like the general look of the case, so all modding is realli going to stay inside the case, but one thing id like to do is just make it shine a little bit more, so heres my question...

is ther any way of gettin a gloss shiney finish to the existing paint job by simply wiping something on it like maybe that 3m imperial hand glaze??
like so many tutorials say youve got to sand it all down and respray it, but if im happy with the colour of the case and just want to make it shine a little bit more surely i dont have to go through that hole process??

is this possible? or is it not and i should just give up on the idea? lol

thanks very much in advance

[Picarro]

Use some carwaxx , makes it look good, and protects against scratches.

[The_Beast]

Originally Posted by Picarro

Use some carwaxx , makes it look good, and protects against scratches.

That doesn't shine the case that much, no way you're going to get a mirror finish from car wax (at best a shiny dull look)

[talladega]

glossy clear coat?

[mansueto]

buff and polish followed by some wax to seal it, or a clear coat but both ways would require time and a bit of effort and resources...

[chrisc1277]

Originally Posted by talladega

glossy clear coat?

glossy clear coat of what? is it like that clear spray paint you can get?

[Bad_cancer]

It is that clear spray paint you can get, clear coat is a transparent epoxy based paint. It is like varnish but much more durable and shines real good too. ideal for protecting your case and shining it up too. (or shining it up first and then protecting it.....whatever)

Hope that helps (And i haven't made a fool of myself by saying something totally wrong.)

[Burnout21]

Factory finish will be super thin, so using a high grit paper as normal would cause the paint to break though.

Go grab so rubbing compound from an auto store, its a super fine grit and when buffed removes paint imperfections which will give you a high gloss look.

[Bueno]

You say mirror finish? On aluminium? Polish that man! Will have a chrome appearance and look the dogs dangles! Get some 400 - 1500 grit wet and dry, start with the lowest and make your way up. I found using it dry worked best but wear a mask! Once you get to 1500 use some scotch brite after.....then use some Auto Sol metal polish many to polish all over... Polish will have to be done many times but looks great. I done my motorbike swingarm with this method and it helps to use an electical sander and once polished, as its aluminium it wont need a lacquer or anything

[Burnout21]

Originally Posted by Bueno

You say mirror finish? On aluminium? Polish that man! Will have a chrome appearance and look the dogs dangles! Get some 400 - 1500 grit wet and dry, start with the lowest and make your way up. I found using it dry worked best but wear a mask! Once you get to 1500 use some scotch brite after.....then use some Auto Sol metal polish many to polish all over... Polish will have to be done many times but looks great. I done my motorbike swingarm with this method and it helps to use an electical sander and once polished, as its aluminium it wont need a lacquer or anything

The aluminium will oxidise making the surface dull over time but its only a visual thing, lacquer would help keep the shine, or at least wax from polishing the paint work would offer some protection.

My fear of doing such a thing to a swing arm is creating surface stresses in the aluminium which would lead to it warping over time.

you take any sheet metal remove paint or surface finish off only one side and that mother fu*ker will warp, now think about a swing arm, complex geometry full of radiuses where the suface is difficult to polish and then apply some hard arse riding of high speed turns and acceleration, oh boy makes me a little worried inside thinking about it.

[Trance]

Yeh the only aluminium I polish on my bike is the kickplates... although my swingarm is powdercoated :P

Try some T-Cut Paint colour restorer, not quite as vicious as rubbing compound so less likely to go through the paint, then once its smooth polish it with some nice thick polish, my personal favorite is turtle wax, which gives a lovely shine but not a mirror effect.

[Bueno]

Autosol on the swingarm stops it oxidising just have to do it when I clean it every week. As for warping,it was a brushed finish originally so I've hardly taken any aluminum off only a few mm, nothing major. Think about polished frames, they don't warp!