Here is the method I have used with great success:
JM
- Remove label and residual adhesive
- Hand sand with non-woven sanding pad - Maroon (00), then Gray (000), then White (0000)
- Spray paint from can. I use Rust-Oleum Mist Metallic Spray Paint, Carbon Mist 261413; Generally one coat is sufficient.
- After several days or a few weeks, use a light clear wax to protect (apply by hand and buff). I use Briwax for all wood or metal finishing.
JM
That's what I did (Gord's Aluminum Polish). It's possible to almost get it to a chrome-like shine. After six years it looks the same.
Just polish them mirror shiny, aluminum creates its own clear coat, like it or not, so no need to add anything else for protection.
It might be needed if they are subject to, say, saline spray mist (beachside home) but then steel parts (chassis) will rust alarmingly fast, way before the aluminum corrodes, so it's not the case.
This is the resident Bass amplifier at a seaside restaurant, after 6 years.
Mind you, it did not look that bad from the outside:
even so, visible aluminum surfaces were way better than an\y iron one ... even though iron was zinc plated.
What's my point? ... don't overworry about aluminum
It might be needed if they are subject to, say, saline spray mist (beachside home) but then steel parts (chassis) will rust alarmingly fast, way before the aluminum corrodes, so it's not the case.
This is the resident Bass amplifier at a seaside restaurant, after 6 years.
Mind you, it did not look that bad from the outside:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
even so, visible aluminum surfaces were way better than an\y iron one ... even though iron was zinc plated.
What's my point? ... don't overworry about aluminum
Here are the results. The two center capacitors are polished with Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish. The longitudinal scuff marks are still present but perhaps less obvious in person. The overall polish was underwhelming at first, even after two to three passes with a rotary buffing wheel and hand polish. That said, after ogling them for a while I think it's an improvement over the raw aluminum.
Don't worry about what you can't solve: those scuff marks are deep and inevitable, the result of deep drawing aluminum (which started as a disk) to make the can.
Brass can be deeply drawn as much as you wish with no marks or scratches, it's a very forgiving metal, just look at this beautiful 88mm antiaircraft cannon cartridge:
... aluminum? ... "not that much"... and that's the polite answer.
Brass can be deeply drawn as much as you wish with no marks or scratches, it's a very forgiving metal, just look at this beautiful 88mm antiaircraft cannon cartridge:
... aluminum? ... "not that much"... and that's the polite answer.
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