Polishing Aluminum

[Theraven]

I helped someone at the harbor wetsand/polish out some aluminum hatch frames, that where dull and corroded. Started or with low grit and finished at 2000, then used 3m aluminum res&polish.They turned out very nice. He was thinking about using a color wheel to add some extra shine at a later point. It is very messy!! Even with the small amount of aluminum, using the 3m polish, your rag turns black instantly and it's almost endless. Just wondering if there are any other methods/tools (tips)to take on a larger tasks eg. hand rails, towers, rod holders which are in really ba shape

[scrubs147]

You can always polish by hand using something like buff magic and some plastic gloves. If aluminum is heavily oxidized than machine polishing is the way to go. This type of work is actually know as "the black art" for a reason.