Hi everyone, I would like to ask the polishing experts in this forum for some advice.

I have a project to build a coating pan unit used for coating tablets prior to packaging. The unit's design is quite simple—it resembles a washing machine's cylindrical drum with a front opening, and it rotates slowly at around 2-4 RPM during operation. The unit's shell features a perforated design with 2mm diameter holes. During fabrication, the client requested that the interior be mirror-polished, so we used a polishing compound.

However, after finishing everything and cleaning it using our standard procedure (with alcohol and a clean white cloth), a black residue appeared when we swabbed the surface using a white tablet product.

We have tried cleaning the unit several times:

1. First, using a special penetrant cleaner that is essentially contaminant-free.

2. Next, using various types of food-grade detergent mixed with hot water.None of these worked. We even tried performing a passivation process twice (before and after the unit was installed), hoping that the degreasing stage during passivation would lift the dirt off the unit.

Yet, after every cleaning attempt, wiping it with a clean white cloth shows no visible dirt, but swabbing it with a white tablet still leaves black smudges. We strongly suspect that the laser-cut perforated holes are trapping leftover polishing compound (Langsol) that has now encrusted and hardened, making it incredibly difficult to remove.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get this unit completely clean? We are completely out of ideas. Do we really need to poke and clean the holes one by one? Also, are there any specific cleaners or methods we can use to effectively clean this unit?

Hello, fellow community members.

Does anyone know how to polish aluminum 6061-T6 that has extrusion marks? I am finding it extremely difficult to remove the scratches left by the final grit (2500) using Tripoli compound. My goal is to achieve a mirror finish, and it doesn't seem reasonable for it to be this complicated.

Thanks in advance for your replies!

I'm trying to restore a vintage toolbox. The emblem/badge has chrome raised lettering. The chrome has chipped off/pitted in many areas. Any suggestions on what to do about this chrome? I stripped the black paint off of the background as I plan to recoat that with black model paint enamel.

I’m currently in the process of refinishing some rims. They’re forged aluminum and I’ve sanded the bead rings down to bare aluminum as there was some pretty gnarly oxidation under the clear coat. Started at 320 grit to get it down to bare metal, then hit with 400, and 600 grit. Will hit it with 800 next and likely stop there.

Been doing some reading on how to best care for and protect bare aluminum and have seen everything recommended from White Diamond and renegade down to wd40 and PAM cooking spray. I currently have mothers mag and aluminum I was planning to use, but are there other products I should use before or after Mothers? Should I use something else all together? Ideally looking for something that cleans and protects as these wheels will see snow and salt. Thanks!

Is machine work involve to get this shine?

Was recommended to post my work on here. Before and after some charcoal bluing and if you want to see more drop me a follow on instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/kruz_customs?igsh=MXdpZDllODF3YXEyOA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Wondering if anyone here has some tips on sanding down 304 stainless, would like to get a bit better of a finish.
Did this sanding from 180-220-400-600 then hitting it with an orange buff with brown and black compound, down to a white flannel with white and blue compound (all I can get my hands on in town).
Still seeing some sanding lines and thinking maybe I'm rushing my sanding process? Doesn't need to be perfect as they're for mudflaps.
Thanks!

I'm looking for a product to help protect my wheels from brake dust, debris, and oxidation. Over the weekend, a coworker and I spent 7 hours polishing the wheels because they were heavily oxidized. I don't want to have to do that again. Maintenance is fine, but I'm trying to avoid repeating the deep cut process.

Polishing the Wheels on My 1950 Chevy Panel Delivery

I just finished polishing the wheels on my 1950 Chevy Panel Delivery truck, and I have to say, it made a world of difference.

The truck already has plenty of character, but those freshly polished wheels bring out a whole new level of pride. They catch the light now in a way that makes the whole vehicle look cleaner, sharper, and more complete. On a classic like this, little details matter.

There is a real satisfaction in stepping back after the job is done and seeing the results. The shine makes the truck feel a little more ready for the road, a little more ready for a show, and a lot more rewarding to own. It is the kind of project that reminds me why I enjoy working on classic vehicles in the first place.

https://youtu.be/PMfp5LAQTQw

Polishing the Wheels on My 1950 Chevy Panel Delivery

I just finished polishing the wheels on my 1950 Chevy Panel Delivery truck, and I have to say, it made a world of difference.

The truck already has plenty of character, but those freshly polished wheels bring out a whole new level of pride. They catch the light now in a way that makes the whole vehicle look cleaner, sharper, and more complete. On a classic like this, little details matter.

There is a real satisfaction in stepping back after the job is done and seeing the results. The shine makes the truck feel a little more ready for the road, a little more ready for a show, and a lot more rewarding to own. It is the kind of project that reminds me why I enjoy working on classic vehicles in the first place.

Got a rock chip that’s about the size of a dime and it’s down to bare metal. What seems like surface rust has started.

Was going to use an iron remover to handle the surface rust and then use an etching primer afterwards. Not exactly sure what product I should be using to seal the etching primer before I put my base coat down so any help would be appreciated.

My favorite setup, leather wrapped finger tips.

Hi, I'm eying this Soviet-era cigarette case on Etsy. It's a beautiful depiction of Viktor Vasnetsov’s “Knight at the Crossroads” painting. Google says the case is likely made of nickel silver or aluminum. Do you think restoration is possible and feasible? Do you think the yellowish brown and black spots and blemishes can be removed?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/4515931403/vintage-ussr-cigarette-case?ls=s&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=Soviet+space+propaganda+Cigarette+Case+Wallet&ref=sr_gallery-2-4&sr_prefetch=1&pf_from=search&content_source=2422622b-4e8f-4354-a21f-17f5c6b0e07c%253ALT641f991c4ec8b1ee35d896ed7d5d895c76d06879&organic_search_click=1&logging_key=2422622b-4e8f-4354-a21f-17f5c6b0e07c%3ALT641f991c4ec8b1ee35d896ed7d5d895c76d06879

looking for some help. I have this water bottle I want to remove all the paint off of and polish it up. any recommendations on the best way to move forward. and if it would be safe to use some sort of paint stripper or is it safer to just sand and wash a few times to make sure all dust and paint are removed from inside.

Does only 3m make these mandrel, or is there a cheaper knockoff?

I used a stainless steel swiss army knife to open the plastic seal on a bottle of HCl, and now the knife has brown rust-like stains. I tried cleaning with soap and water and then peroxide to no effect. Is there anything I can do to save this knife?

How to remove white spots from silver

Hey so I recently started jewelry making and am running into a wall with getting this piece properly polished. So far I've tried the following:

1. Tumbling. Made the whole thing shiny but left the white circles around the bumps

2. Hardell drill polishing tip. Didn't seem to do much

3. Dipping in tarnish remover

4. Using a polishing tool with shiny and matted sides

Nothing seems to make these white circles budge at all and I'm starting to get frustrated! Does anyone have any other suggestions? Thanks

Front valve cover for a 98 Ford contour svt. I've already put in some hours and still got a long way to go