Brighten Aluminum without dulling????

[1fine79]

Hey guys, has anyone got a good solution for brightening aluminum (like tread brite or mirror tread) without getting a dulled or milky finish? I just want brighten fairly new sheets that have been exposed to the elements but most of the alum cleaners that I have found just make things worse. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for sharing.

[1fine79]

Really?....Nobody? Man I was hoping someone had the magic cure for my problem.
Oh well, back to the grind.
Man I still love this site!!!

[Gamelord]

Aluminum dulls because of oxidation. The only way to brighten it up (that I know of) is to remove the oxidation via sanding or other methods. Once the raw-aluminum is exposed, it will once again begin to oxidize unless it is coated immediately with something like clear coat, powder, etc...

Aluminum oxide is nearly as strong as diamonds and is exceptionally difficult to remove once it gets on there. i don't know of any chemicals that will remove it from the aluminum without having to do some kind of polishing.

A Quick google search came up with this. I haven't used it or know of anyone who has..but this may be an option for you.
http://www.envirotechcoating.com/Aluma-Brite/
Also, Flitz polish works very good, but it is a polish and would take a bit of work to do a 4x8 sheet.
http://www.flitz.com/flitz-polish-paste/

Hope this helps.

[bhamer62]

Mothers Aluminum wheel polish and a car buffer??