Our coach needs his wheels polished badly. What are you using with success?
Wheel Polish July 16, 2011, 04:07:49 pm Our coach needs his wheels polished badly. What are you using with success? Quote Selected
Re: Wheel Polish Reply #1 – July 16, 2011, 04:51:46 pm In the old days, used "Mothers" brand name aluminum polish.The newer rims today seem to have a sealer on them, they do not need polished, just washed. If you polish with aggressive effort, you remove the finish.FWIW Quote Selected
Re: Wheel Polish Reply #2 – July 16, 2011, 05:41:44 pm The very best wheel polisher I have ever used was called Simichrome. It disappeared from the market for many years but I have found it is now available on Amazon and at the Harley store under the Harley name. It is in a toothpaste tube. You spread it on and rub it in to the wheel with a rag and then I use one of the Mothers foam ball wheel polishers I got at Orielly'sand an electric drill. Finally I buff it out with a soft microfiber buffing cloth. The finished product looks like a new wheel when you take enough time to do it right. Mothers wheel polishing creme is pretty good but Simichrome is a whole lot better. It also removes rust from chrome parts. Quote Selected
Re: Wheel Polish Reply #3 – July 16, 2011, 07:22:02 pm I have used Simichrome on my motorcycle. Tiny tube. Worked well though. Quote Selected
Re: Wheel Polish Reply #4 – July 16, 2011, 07:35:37 pm An 8 oz can is available from Amazon for $24.95, however I have done all four wheels two times with one small tubes. Quote Selected As an Amazon Associate Foretravel Owners' Forum earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Wheel Polish Reply #5 – July 16, 2011, 10:09:27 pm Quote from: Jerry & Coleen – July 16, 2011, 04:07:49 pmOur coach needs his wheels polished badly. What are you using with success?Jerry,I'm with Kent. Very best I've ever used, by a wide margin, is Simichrome.I came across it though a fluke event.The 1st time we ever went to Crystal Lakes RV Resort in Naples, FL we arrived very late one night, coming up from Key West.I had gotten out to look at the rented lot (tight access amongst abundant vegetation) and a very nice Liberty owner came out and suggested I might want to approach from the opposite direction. I had already concluded that, but he stayed around until after I had turned around, jockeyed sideways a couple of times on the site, landed and secured.He had dozens of questions about the FT and eventually told me he had had a FT GV before and still pined for it.Turns out he and/or his wife had the exclusive rights to the importation and distribution of HAPPICH Simichrome products in the USA. They were from Iowa Falls, IA. They were importing the raw product in liquid form by ship, through the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes, trucking it to Iowa Falls, doing minor processing, packaging and distributing it from there.Larry had a beautiful Elegant Lady Liberty and they gave us an elaborate tour a few days later. They had initially gotten interested in Simichrome because of the utility bay brightwork in the Liberty. That Liberty was an early 90's vintage that had just unbelievable amounts of utility bay copper and brass! I watched Larry and his wife move up through several Crystal Lakes lots and ever newer Elegant Ladies over the years, but his outgoing manner and Central Mid West Values never seemed to change one iota. Very down to earth and never too busy to offer help or stop for a chat. Larry sent me away with a box of samples and an 8oz. tube. I have given samples to dozens of people with polishing experience, and I have yet to find anyone that isn't amazed with the product. For uncoated ferrous and non-ferrous metals, it is by far the easiest and most productive polish that I have ever used. Larry would never disclose the reason for its success. It has to be chemical or abrasive, but all I know is that it is proprietary! The price is steep, but the price is well worth it and a tiny amount of the product goes forever . I've done all four of my Alcoa's on less than one sample package (1 oz.). From my experience, Amazon and e-bay have the best prices. HD has the most expensive. All the same product.A high (variable) speed buffer (3000 RPM upper end) and an 8" soft cotton, spiral stitched, buffing disc (edge pad) make the work the easiest and the least time consuming. One has to have a long stem arbor for the pad. The optimum speed for polishing aluminum is 5000 surface Ft/min. (1/4 X pad Diam. X arbor RPM = surface Ft./Min) i.e (1/4 X 8" X 2500 RPM = 5000 sf/m). Somewhere above 5000, molecular creep starts to occur, from the heat generated, and surface reflectivity becomes altered. It's very bright but no longer uniform in appearance. A 3000 RPM buffer won't get you to that point with an 8" disc. But a heavy duty commercial buffer might develop enough torque with a 10" disc, so no 10" discs.Simichrome works well by hand on all ferrous and non-ferrous metals. It leaves a coating that is much less prone to oxidation and tarnish. I always put Mother's or Maguires wax on and that seems to further slow down surface attack and oxidation. Do Not use on clear coats or ANY other painted surfaces. Here's a link to Larry's company Competition Chemicals, Inc. - SimichromeFWIW,Neal Quote Selected
Re: Wheel Polish Reply #6 – July 17, 2011, 09:24:31 am Simichrome has been around for a while. It was the polish of choice for the aluminum on my brand new 1966 Harley Sprint. It really shone until water hit the hot engine.The one time I polished the wheels on the FT, I used Mother's polish and the polishing ball on an electric drill. The wheels were shining brightly until water hit them while driving.A sealer over polished aluminum is good. Don't remove it. Quote Selected
Re: Wheel Polish Reply #7 – July 17, 2011, 02:29:04 pm Regarding the RPM's for polishing, I use a very old 1/4" electric drill for the Mothers polishing ball. It works great. The mothers polishing balls and cones are on the expensive side but they sure do work good and you can wash them and reuse them many times. Quote Selected
Re: Wheel Polish Reply #8 – July 18, 2011, 10:57:02 am Quote from: Dave M – July 16, 2011, 04:51:46 pm..............The newer rims today seem to have a sealer on them, they do not need polished, just washed. If you polish with aggressive effort, you remove the finish.FWIWQuote from: J. D. Stevens – July 17, 2011, 09:24:31 am.............. A sealer over polished aluminum is good. Don't remove it.Good points!Alcoa wheels manufactured after Nov. 2002 may be "DuraBrite" (DB) finished. The DuraBrite finish can be damaged by abrasion (including aggressive cleaning), nicks, tire changing tools/equipment and the pH of liquids that may come in contact with the wheel surface. (pH >9.0 or <5.0 will damage the wheel DB finish, especially anywhere the surface is scratched and not still intact).Date of MFG. is stamped into the wheel rim face (Mo/Day/Yr format, 082205 = Aug. 22, 2005) Prior to 2000, some ALCOA's may have only Mo/Yr. in MFG. date.DB finished wheels have a "DB" added after the serial number stamped in the rim face: i.e. 883640DBDB for DuraBriteDF for DuraFlange ( Wheel flange special treated to greatly reduce Rim Flange wear that occurs under heavy loading) (24 mo. Warranty)DD for DuraBrite and DuraFlangeDB wheels require less elbow grease to keep looking good but require more brain power. Keep them washed with very soft gear and neutral pH (7.0) cleaners, avoiding any abrasion, nicks, damage during tire changes (Alcoa has special rim and face protection pads to help avoid tire change scaring but one has to be meticulously careful in using the pads).DB wheels, as compared to non DB wheels, have the appearance of "Satin Gloss" vs. "High Gloss", because the coating doesn't promote as "Deep" a sparkle or mirror/chrome effect as a highly polished, non-DB finished wheel. Both will etch from the effects of non-neutral pH water that is allowed to stand on the surface, like from irrigation sprinkler overspray or road spray.FWIW,Neal Quote Selected 1 Likes
Re: Wheel Polish Reply #9 – July 18, 2011, 11:48:46 am I have used the cleaners and polish from ALCOA for their wheels and it comes with a sealer after spray that has so far held up since last August and that is after our 6 month 12000 mile trip over winter. They still look as good as new. The whole package cost around$90 but I have enough for many cleanings, but at this rate I will only need to do a few as the product is far outweighing what I expected it to do. I used a foam buffing wheel to get in the holes and run around the rims. Excellent product. Quote Selected
Re: Wheel Polish Reply #10 – July 18, 2011, 04:27:46 pm Howdy Neal, Thanks for the great explanation of the Alcoa wheels!!! This is a great forum!!Dave Abel Quote Selected
Re: Wheel Polish Reply #11 – July 18, 2011, 07:32:12 pm I did "a" wheel today. Don't won't to push to hard you know... I used Flitz polish and a Flitz buff ball. Worked great. autogeek.net carries some great auto detail supplies that work equally as well on RV's. They also have video's on the site detailing how to use the products. You have to look around for them under Expert Advise.Highly recommended...Flitz Metal Polish, Fiberglass & Paint Restorer will clean, polish, and protectFlitz Polish & Buff Ball Combo includes Flitz Mini Buff Ball and the originalSee yaken Quote Selected
Re: Wheel Polish Reply #12 – July 24, 2011, 06:11:58 pm We ordered a can of Simichrome from Amazon. It does work well. Our wheels needed polishing very badly. Once we get them shiny it won't be much of a chore to keep them looking new. We had used Mothers on them. Helped. Then Simichrome on one this am. One of four is finished. Quote Selected
Re: Wheel Polish Reply #13 – July 25, 2011, 01:06:09 pm Have been using Semichrome since I was a kid. Works like a charm. A couple other clone products out now that work OK. Aircraft wool also works well but needs to have the lid firmly replaced after using (I usually wander off and discover the lid a couple of days later). For stubborn wheels that Semichrome won't touch, I have gone to Home Depot, bought a gallon (about $14/gal) of Phosphoric Acid and applied it with a sponge until the corrosion is gone and then washed thoroughly. Hit it with a buffer and Semichrome and it looks like new. Just make sure to do it outside, wear gloves and goggles and have a hose close by. This is really mild stuff compared to Muratic Acid for pools, etc. if you need a comparison.I have found Phosphoric is a good chemical solution for a lot of corroded or rusty items where you can't or don't want to use something mechanical like a wire brush. Pretty quick learning curve on it. Don't be tempted to use Muratic Acid. Really BAD fumes and can damage stuff in a hurry. On aluminum, an Alodine conversion solution can be used to really inhibit further corrosion after the Phosphoric treatment. EZ to apply. See: DGR Industrial Products, Inc. :: Specialty Coatings :: Conversion Coatings ::Disclaimer: Again, these are professional products so do the research, wear protective clothing/gear, read the labels and have ducks in row before using. Quote Selected
Re: Wheel Polish Reply #14 – July 25, 2011, 02:50:23 pm Thanks Pierce. Duly noted. I think Simichrome is going to handle the task. Would have been easier to start with the acid. Too late now. Quote Selected
Re: Wheel Polish Reply #15 – July 26, 2011, 02:08:43 pm R.E. Phosphoric AcidDon't leave it on too long as it can turn your aluminum wheels white. We used it to clean aluminum semi-dump bodies. My wash bay guy sprayed a trailer and went to lunch - voila one white trailer in the fleet.Also it is used in dilute form in some carbonated soft drinks such as Coke.Keith Quote Selected
Topic: Wheel Polish