Refurbishing aluminum slotted mags

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   Just got my 15X10 aluminum slots today and they were a little ruff.
They have scratches and some nicks and dings in the aluminum but I didn't pay nearly what other  15X10 slots have been going for on ebay. 
 So I was working late tonite painting a Dodge Caravan at work and in between I started sanding down one of the wheels to remove the scratches,nicks and dings on the aluminum wheel.
I started with 180 grit on a 6in DA sander to remove the heavy scratches and deep nicks in the metal and smooth it out.I then switched to 320 grit on a DA, then 500 grit.I also have a 3 in DA sander which is great for the center of the wheel and tight areas.
Next I start wet sanding by hand with 800 grit wet/dry sandpaper removing the heavier scratches left from the DAsander then I switch to 1000 girt wet,then 1500 grit. I still have to remove some deep nicks in the metal but wanted to see how the wheel would polish up.
had I been done completely sanding I would finish off with 2000 grit wet before polishing with compound on a 3in buffing wheel  then use a polish glaze with the buffer and sponge pad to really polish to a high shine and minimal swirls or ultra fine scratches.
You can also finish polishing with a metal polish to get a real deep mirror finish.

I'll post some before and after photos but the polished wheel is not finished yet and needs more sanding but just wanted to show the difference from before and after sanding and polishing.

Before

deep scratches

after sanding and polishing

Edited by 73 ProStreetTorino - 01-December-2009 at 6:41PM