ya id get them sandblasted if 1) i had any idea where to get that done 2) if it wont cost me an arm and a leg.
go to a toolmakers or a local hire shop. if you prepared everything and were ready to blast as soon as you got the equipment, you need only hire the compressor and blasting head for a few hours, you'd probably be done in well under 2.
No, there are stores here in the UK that hire out tools, thats what i meant. If i wanted to sandblast, i could buy a sandblasting nozzle/head for around £30, and hire a compressor for the day/4 hours/whatever period, and buy the sand. rather than have to buy a £300 compressor.
Can i use a this buffer as a orbital sander aswell? http://www.homedepot.ca/escalate/st...323807:01898032388c:12efae001402b6:&pc=168508 If not, which of the following, under $100 CDN should I get to sand my case.... looking for an orbital sander: http://www.homedepot.ca/escalate/st...eNum=10&sortOrder=descByPrice&pulldownFilter=
Either the dewalt or the porter cable orbitals on the first page would be great choices that would last for years. I myself have a makita that has several miles on it and is still going strong, I also have one of the little ryobis (page three 49.95, that is very under powered I.M.H.O.) But before buying any unit wander into your local home depot, and ask them if they have a sanding adapter for the polisher (I wouldn't hold my breath, but hey you never know), or a buffing attachment for what ever sander floats your boat. You may also want to give canadian tire a look see as well.
Okay I went to 3 stores, Home Depot, Canadian Tire and Rona to check out there orbital sanders... Im having an issue with them. In all the stores the max grit they had was 220 grit! What are you supposed to do if you need finer grit???? I wanted to get to at least 600-1000 grit before attempting to buff it out... The sanding disks are attached my velcro. Any ideas????
like mag wheels all alloys oxodise in the air, so you will always be re-shining your panels, unless you seal them. 2pack clear is a good but unhealthy to novice option. The base looks a lot different and always will, its steel metal and will never quiet shine-up the same way as the alloy does as you can see in your photo. Has any one suggested maybe you just take your panels and have them chrome plated? BUT!!!! what you have accomplished so far dosnt look bad at all! infact its 100%+ better then the original look Creds to your work so far
Do you think an orbital sander will be helpful or will it make sanding this case to a mirror finish more complicated? Is it difficult to use? Is it easy to cause damage to my case?
A normal random movement orbital sander is gentle compared to belt sanders etc.., you can get rid of all of the scratches with it at least, and it will be smoooth to the touch, after all thats the worst of the hand-work done for you.
I bought a orbital sander(http://www.homedepot.ca/escalate/st...list=018980323807:01898032388c:12efae00140301) and tried working on my panel. I was using 220grit (because that is the finest grit i can find for it). The surface had already been quiet smooth from all the hand sanding i had done. I kept sanding the surface probably for 10 minutes and the sandpaper lost lots of its grit, so it probably was sanding at 600+ grit by that point. I also purchased Peek polish. After sanding i took out my buffer/polisher, and attached the applicator bonnet and applied some of the Peek polish on it. I then went about polishing the surface for about another 10 minutes, and the panel got really dark grey (is that normal?). I then took out the buffer bonnet and tried buffing for another 10 minutes..... yet the surface is still very dark. My question is this the proper procedure? I didnt clean off the surface between the applicator bonnet and the buffing bonnet.... should i have? Am i missing some step because the finish is far from ideal. I still very clearly see the swirls from the sandpaper. I noticed that if i took a rag and wiped off the panel it became a bit lighter in colour, but i cant seem to easily remove the Peek polish residue. How do you remove the residue? Am i missing something in my process? The surface isnt anywhere close to being perfectly reflective.... how do i remove all the swirls? How do I make it look as good as chrome? Here is a summary of what i did: 1)Sanded (with orbital sander) panel with 220grit until super smooth 2)applied peek polish to applicator bonnet on my buffer and worked on the panel for 10 mins. 3)Changed bonnets (to the buffer) and buffed for another 10 mins.
As far as I understand, you need to remove most polishes with a solvent after polishing, or every so often.
erm, I'm not an expert on this, but acetone would be ok. Something stronger would be better though. Get a test peice and try thinners. You only use the solvents before you wax though!
This marks the end of Project Silver. Thnx for all the support and input. Im sorry to say I am selling it all: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=87716 thnx again.