737 wrote:Your restorations are fantastic.
I was wondering how you get the polished metal so polished? I understand you sand and polish, but do you use special tools, such as a Dremel, for those small, sometimes narrow, surfaces? Also, I like your glossy finish, which seems to hide all of the decal edges. Is this just multiple layers of glosscoat, or something else?
Thank you for sharing your fine work,
Thomas
many thanks Thomas. actually when i look back on this particular restoration, i do cringe a bit. come a long way since i restored this.
polishing: its hard work and often after paint stripping, some castings aren't worth the effort. i'll just paint them. preliminary polishing in the worst looking areas will determine if a casting will polish up. if its ok, i'll continue. you can use a dremel, but i only use one for the tight spots my bench polisher won't reach. there's a polishing compound which produces the shine (forget what its called) it comes in blocks, like soap and there are different compounds depending on the metal type being polished (your local hardware stockist will know all about it). cutting compound works too, but not as well.
the polishing wheel's the black disc on the right of the sanding belt and the polishing compound is that green block on the bench, next to the chuck key.
the clear coat does a number of things. as you observed, it gives decals a 'painted' appearance. secondly; it seals them. they'll never peel or discolour with age. thirdly; it makes them scratch resistant(two pot automotive clear i use has a hardener) and lastly, it hides a multitude of sins, filling in imperfections by reflecting the light evenly off the surface. its also possible to produce a semigloss look, which absorbs and scatters more light than it reflects (have a shufti at Pegasus or 5th Sentai Zero posts). so at the risk of being burnt at the stake, i use clear on every restoration.
hope that helps, regards norri