Home › Forum › Ask A Member › Aluminum Polishing Issues › Re: Aluminum Polishing Issues
Bare, unanodized aluminum has a nearly invisible oxidation coating (the stuff that comes off gray on your hand). If you start to polish aluminum without removing this coating first, you create more work for yourself by smearing it around until sanding/polishing dust absorbs it. There are several chemical removers on the market – many made for cleaning aluminum refrigeration coils. Below is a link to one type. After polishing, a coating of wax or some type of clearcoat will keep the oxidation from forming again – it forms faster than rust on steel, but does not corrode like steel because, unlike iron oxide (rust), aluminum oxide is non-porous so once so much forms, it seals the aluminum underneath.
Dave