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how to restore new "shine" to aluminum door sill plates?
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jerrybev
Posted 2017-10-11 4:25 PM (#550157)
Subject: how to restore new "shine" to aluminum door sill plates?


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Location: Winston Salem, N.C.
hi
I hope someone knows a way to restore a fresh shiny appearance to aluminum door sill plates. Mine are dull.
thank you
jerry whitfield
winston salem NC
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mikes2nd
Posted 2017-10-11 4:35 PM (#550158 - in reply to #550157)
Subject: Re: how to restore new "shine" to aluminum door sill plates?


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just aluminum polish? I don't think these are anodized or clear coated(obviously 1950's)...

I need to do this also and I will trim a couple millimeter to clean the bit of corrosion along the inside edge.
Bump out any tiny dents also.
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mstrug
Posted 2017-10-11 4:43 PM (#550159 - in reply to #550157)
Subject: Re: how to restore new "shine" to aluminum door sill plates?



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I bet they are anodized. It will have to be stripped off and replated, 'brite dipped' or polished and cleared with a bare metal treatment.
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brdtee
Posted 2017-10-11 4:46 PM (#550161 - in reply to #550157)
Subject: Re: how to restore new "shine" to aluminum door sill plates?



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I'd say just aluminum polish. I've used AutoSol products which are recommended by many. After you get them shine like crazy, it's good to add up few layers of good wax to protect the surface. Polished aluminum tend to dull out easily.
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Phatton
Posted 2017-10-11 5:33 PM (#550164 - in reply to #550157)
Subject: Re: how to restore new "shine" to aluminum door sill plates?


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How bad are they and how nice do you want them to look? If they're not too bad, try the polish route. If you don't like the result, you will need to remove the anodize and sand the scratches out. You will need to use a coarse enough grit sandpaper to remove the scratches, then use grit about 100 grit finer to remove the sandpaper scratches until you get to around 600 grit. From 600 you can jump to 800, then 1000. If you want them to shine more than that, sand at 1500 grit then polish. To protect the Al after you get it where you want it, use a product called Shark Skin - it's almost as good as anodizing.
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56D500boy
Posted 2017-10-11 5:41 PM (#550166 - in reply to #550157)
Subject: RE: how to restore new "shine" to aluminum door sill plates?



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Jerry: I asked the same question a while back (sometimes it helps to search the sub-forums with Ctrl F before you basically start another thread on the same topic).

That said, here is the thread I started with the answers I got:

Any hints for polishing sill plates?:

http://www.forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=65234&...

Left end polished, right end as found:





Edited by 56D500boy 2017-10-11 6:35 PM
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56D500boy
Posted 2017-10-12 6:12 PM (#550215 - in reply to #550166)
Subject: RE: how to restore new "shine" to aluminum door sill plates?



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Jerry: This is where I quit a few months ago (probably an hour into it)

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57plymouth
Posted 2017-10-15 6:01 PM (#550341 - in reply to #550157)
Subject: Re: how to restore new "shine" to aluminum door sill plates?



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I buffed all of mine with a buffing wheel. They looked great for ab 15 years. Now they need to be touched up to be super shiny again.
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59 in Calif
Posted 2017-10-15 6:46 PM (#550344 - in reply to #550157)
Subject: Re: how to restore new "shine" to aluminum door sill plates?


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I just buffed my out too with Blue Magic metal polish cream. They look nice and clean now. Probably wouldn't hurt to put some wax on them as was suggested. Jerry
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ttotired
Posted 2017-10-16 4:45 AM (#550369 - in reply to #550157)
Subject: Re: how to restore new "shine" to aluminum door sill plates?



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Light acid like what they use to get dirt staining off paint, then hose off

Polishing will remove the anodise.

They never were highly polished

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