Axle polish

[PolishRacer]

Getting ready to polish axles , sandpaper I have is 1000,1500,2000
2500,3000. Micro Mesh 4000,6000,8000,12000.
Zero friction axle polish, Diamond paste in syringe , Mothers Billett polish

Could someone tell me in what order I should use the polishes ??
Not sure what grit or microns they are . Thanks for your time .

[Vitamin K]

I don't go above 2000, and then finish with Mother's Aluminum mag polish. I know some will go higher, though.

You don't think you might want to start at a lower grade to get the file marks out, though?

[sporty]

You appear to have a good list there, certainly all the stuff u need for a nice shining axles.
There our two types of micro mesh, do you know what type you have ?
The 12,000 is 2 micron. Sometimes 1 micron, depending on which type of micro mesh you have.

Some of those polishes might be 2 micron.
I think the bulles mother polish is 2 micron. I would not use it. The 12,000 grit, then zero friction, then diamond might be what to try.
I don't know the micron rating for the zero friction.
Does the site say ?
Diamond polish might be 1 micron.
To go sub micron, I used diamond lapping film.
.050 micron that is.
Using .100 as 1 micron reference here.

The key is how you use the strips. I assume u have strips or will cut to strips.
Its hard to explain it, cuz its a feeling type process.
Not to much pressure and not to light of pressure.
Don't leave the strip in the same spot for more than 4 seconds.
For me its a slow movement with pressure as I polish the axles in drill press.
4 inch long strip, 22 seconds to use up that strip and grit before I move to next strip and grit size.
That is just a reference of things, time/ distance, pressure.
Everyone seems to do it with small differences.

I've seen people hold it in one spot with pressure, it what I mean.
I do not move the strip back in forth, just one direction and I hold, pull and move down the length of the strip.
I do a u shape with the u being 1/2 wrapped around the axle. Then as I move the strip forward, I'm more or less at a upside down L shape.

[ngyoung]

I second what sporty said. Go up to 12k, ZF, and the diamond. Keep the sanding time short at the low grits. I found if you hold in one spot you end up with more grooving on the axle. I wiggle the strip back and forth a 1/2 inch and count to 10-15. I can get all 4 axles done with one strip for each grit that way.

[PolishRacer]

I emailed the guy about zero friction micron size, not heard back yet.
Best place to buy lapping film ? It should be .05 micron ? 22 seconds or so
with it. I have selvyt cloth also ( apply polishes with ). Use the diamond
lapping film wet ? Lapping film should be last step ?

Use all sandpapers and micro mesh wet ? I do not know what kind of
Micro mesh I have . I will ck when I get home. Thank you for all your
time !!!!! Sincerely appreciated.

[sporty]

Lapping film is plastic backed and I use it wet.
The micro mesh on axles, I used dry, I tried it wet before and found it did not matter in my opinion.

I applied the polish with a micro fiber cloth, the sylvet was a final process after everything.

I think some vendors sell the lapping film. I bought it direct and its been awhile, I'd have to think or find where I got it, I bought it in sheets of 8x10 or something.

[sporty]

www.micro-surface.com

Three types of micro mesh.

Regular
MX
MXD

Many carrying diamond lapping film these days, even amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/661X-Diamond-Lapp ... YQQSRCZE61

40 micron ~ 400 grit
15 micron ~ 1200 grit
5 micron ~ 4500 grit
1 micron ~ 14000 grit
.5 micron ~ 60000 grit

3M Imperial Lapping Film 40 Micron (Blue)
3M Imperial Lapping Film 30 Micron (Green)
3M Imperial Lapping Film 15 Micron (Grey)
3M Imperial Lapping Film 5 Micron (Brown)
3M Imperial Lapping Film 1 Micron (Yellow-Green)
3M Imperial Lapping Film 0.3 Micron (White)

0.05 µ = 1/2 MICRON this is sub micron
0.03 is the lowest I could ever go. usually a powder form, sometimes in a paste.

the issue is you are going finer, then what you even have to use to apply it with !

Lots of good info on old posts here from 2008,2009,2010. using search feature.


http://www.derbytalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5451

[Stan Pope]

Some good info above!

IIRC, some of the "diamond polish in a syringe" is available at 1, 0.5 and 0.25 micron. Finding a suitably nonabrasive cloth with which to apply the polish could be a challenge.

Some photos from last year indicated that I was exhausting my 3"X0.3" strips of paper abrasives before they had accomplished their job. For me, the magic number was 3 strips of each.

For paper backed abrasives, I placed a strip of leather the same width behind the abrasive paper so that I could avoid breaking the paper when pulling it against the axle shaft.

The step sizes for the grits in the lapping paper seemed rather large ... stepping from 1 micron to 0.3 micron to 0.05 micron seemed to me to be large steps and likely to use a lot of films to complete the jump. What is the ratio you guys usually use in stepping to finer grits?

[PolishRacer]

I will be using a drill with trigger taped about half speed and do not know
What RPM it will be turning . Still use the 22 -25 second times ?

The diamond lapping cloth is finer than the selvyt cloth ? I have a cloth from
work for polishing aircraft windshields and it feels softer than the selvyt cloth.
I will research the windshield cloth and see what I can find out about it.

[sporty]

I will be using a drill with trigger taped about half speed and do not know
What RPM it will be turning . Still use the 22 -25 second times ?

The diamond lapping cloth is finer than the selvyt cloth ? I have a cloth from
work for polishing aircraft windshields and it feels softer than the selvyt cloth.
I will research the windshield cloth and see what I can find out about it.

I must have missed you said diamond lapping cloth, never tried that.

[sporty]

Sylvet cloth should be softer then any polishing film

[PolishRacer]

I ordered the diamond lapping film you referenced on Amazon . Thanks for your
help