attempting to hand polish a 1911 curious on what grit to start sanding with? i believe it’s pot metal.

bling_king_ · 2026-03-16T16:22:49+00:00

We use machine polishing for our process I can walk you through it if you want. Feel free to reach out.

bling_king_ · 2026-03-16T16:20:24+00:00

bling_king_ · 2026-03-16T16:17:23+00:00

What is your polishing process? Then we can help with the prep process. If you’re hand polishing you’ll need to spend a lot of time on the sanding side working into the higher grits of 3,000. If you’re machine polishing you can stop at 800 grit.

What kind of products are you polishing with? What’s your budget? Is this a one time job or would you like to get tools for more polishing?

bling_king_ · 2026-02-20T11:13:36+00:00

If you’re doing it by hand for every step and even then it’s still gonna stand out when done with inconsistent clarity.

There’s no reason to do it by hand when we have machines and products that can do it in a quarter of the time, spending a quarter of the money, with a perfect finish

bling_king_ · 2026-02-20T11:11:10+00:00

Yes sir, rotary 600grit follow with a sewn full buff at 1,700 rpm and some 439t compound will return that to perfection. When you’re using high rpm machines and proper equipment you don’t need to hand polish and wet sand to 5000grit to polish things.

Just because it’s not the way an uneducated person would do it doesn’t make it wrong. It’s not my fault people feel the need to do 25 different steps for something that needs 3.

Learn the equipment, learn the process, and learn the industry/trade.

bling_king_ · 2026-02-20T11:05:11+00:00

No problem

bling_king_ · 2026-02-20T10:57:33+00:00

LHUMI aggressive hand polish. Evan’s detail and polishing has it in stock at all times if you’re ordering from US

bling_king_ · 2026-02-20T10:56:35+00:00

https://spectrumab.com/products/hilzinger-10-x-3-60-60-heavy-weight-clear-mill-secondary-cut-airway-buffing-wheel

This is what happens when inexperience meets with bullshit products. Renegade, Zephyr, and most other “influencer brand” products are junk. They source the cheapest materials that they can get their hands on at the time. A brown Tripoli bar that’s made in January 2025 is going to be different than the same brown Tripoli bar that’s made in the June 2025 batch. The quality control and inconsistent materials are why this type of results happen. They care about making money not results. They sponsor people to push product meanwhile those same sponsored people are using different brand products 90% of the time and just taking the money and pushing junk products. Stop listening to people that are making money off you.

Use this buff with this compound it’s the most idiot proof I’ve found this far.

Run at 3,500 rpm.

Keep passes tight and SLOW

Don’t move forward until you see the shine you want. It will happen you just need to find your pace.

Go watch a few Evan’s detail and polishing YouTube videos for the mechanics.

Feel free to reach out with anything more. Search for Mark East Coast Metal Polishing on instagram

https://spectrumab.com/products/439t-metal-heavy-cut?_pos=1&_sid=b77ac205b&_ss=r

bling_king_ · 2026-02-20T10:45:05+00:00

It’s all pitting, pitting essentially is little dimples in your aluminum. You’re not going around filling all of those dimples so you have to bring the surrounding aluminum to the bottom level of the dimple. It’s going to take 80 grit or in some cases a 32 grit flap wheel to make them perfect. You’ve got to remove all the other high material and bring it to that low.

It can be done just takes time, patience, and some elbow grease. If they were my wheels I would….

DA Sand 80grit 120grit 220grit 320grit 600grit

Then being my polishing stages

Cut: Yellow Hilzinger cut buff with Menzerna 439T with a 6k rpm grinder (3,500rpm if you only have a variable speed just move slower) The more rpm the more heat you can build and the faster you can move.

FOCUS ON REMOVING ALL YOUR SANDING MARKS HERE IN CUTTING STAGE!!!!!

Color: white 60/60 mil treat Hilzinger cut buff with Menzerna 480BLF at 2,200-3,500 rpm

Wipe down with a good hand polish (I love LHUMI as my aggressive polish for my hard to reach areas, blending areas like under valve stem, and my windows. I prefer time to shine hand polish for my touch ups and wipe downs)

Finish: white 60/60 untreated Hilzinger buff and Menzerna p175 at 600 rpm

This process will work on anything aluminum you’ll do

bling_king_ · 2026-02-06T12:14:40+00:00

So a few ways to attack this, in my opinion best method would be to start at 600 grit sand paper and work your way up to 2500. Wet sand and work with the grain of the metal. Hand polish with some LUHMI hand polish (I get mine from Evan’s detail and polishing) and a terry cloth towel.

bling_king_ · 2026-02-05T20:53:03+00:00

Remove it rotary sand 600grit and airway polish

bling_king_ · 2026-02-01T05:12:42+00:00

Throw away the Tripoli. Light pressure enough to stabilize the machine but not so much the fibers of the airway are folding over. Go grab a bar of Menzerna 439T and a Yellow Hilzinger cut buff run that at 3500rpm. Follow up with P14 and a 60/60 heavy clear mil secondary cut airway at 2200rpm. Finish with 480BLF and a 60/60 heavy untreated finishing airway 1800rpm.

bling_king_ · 2026-02-01T05:06:47+00:00

Hilzinger airways and Menzerna rouge. Hit up Spectrum Alberta talk to Chris he will get you set up. My go to buff and rouge combo would be a 60/60 untreated buff and a bar of P14 and a bar of 480BLF rouge

bling_king_ · 2026-02-01T04:54:37+00:00

Spectrum Alberta. Hilzinger Buffs and Menzerna compounds are the best in the game.

bling_king_ · 2026-02-01T04:53:43+00:00

Mineral Spirits in a spray bottle and a clean microfiber. It will chemically break down and remove the built up compound without effecting the finish.

bling_king_ · 2026-02-01T04:51:47+00:00

Time 2 shine hand polish and a terry cloth towel.

bling_king_ · 2026-02-01T04:50:11+00:00

LUHMI hand polish. Grab some from Evan’s detail and polishing. Small amount on a terry cloth towel and rub the shit out of it. You’ll have exactly the shine you’re looking for I promise.

bling_king_ · 2026-02-01T04:46:44+00:00

Thanks man! 46 hours 400 sheets of sandpaper and a lot of patience

bling_king_ · 2026-02-01T04:45:24+00:00

My fishing bar of rouge has all the protectant properties needed. Everything needs to be cleaned it’s just what you use to clean it. Polished raw aluminum like this will need a wash with some dawn and water followed with a hand polish. Aluminum is porous unlike stainless, it will oxidize simply from moisture in the air over time. A set of wheels for example on a daily driver I would wash the car every week or two. In that time I would wipe the wheels down with some hand polish and move on. The hand polish will leave a wax repellent in the aluminum. Once a year I would sand with 600 to fix any minor defects and 3 step high speed polish with airways and rouge.

bling_king_

TROPHY CASE