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Polishing Aluminum Rubrail??

SCT

Well-known member
After pricing aluminum rub rail for my V-191 project, I'm thinking about trying to polish my old pieces. Anyone had any look on refurbishing their old pieces?

My trim is off the boat, and I'm thinking about screwing to a 2x4 and trying some light compound w- a buffer and then aluminum polish.

Any suggestions?
 
I have had great results polishing aluminum with a product called Hot Rims made by Meguiars. Should be readily available at your local auto store like Autozone
 
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I wonder what the current favorite is of the Appearance Group for doing leading edges? I could ask tomorrow at work.
 
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I polished the rub rail on my MX-15 project last year. It turned out to be a more difficult task than i planned. My rail was old and had many battle scars that required sanding. I used some 1200 grit. It takes a while with a grit that fine, but you are not adding a lot of substantial scratches that require more polishing. I tried two different products that produced about the same result. The first product was a kit that came with 3 bars of compound and a polishing wheel. I ran the polishing wheel with a Dewalt rotary tool. It was a very slow process and was brutal on the polishing wheel. I also tried some 3M micro finishing compound and a buffer. Just as you would buffing a paint job. I seemed to work just as well and was a little faster. Neither process gave me the mirror finish I was looking for. When going back on with your rail, I would recommend filling the holes in your rivets to keep the water out. I would also consider using a few screws with something on the back side to screw into, or a few small bolts with washers on the backside. Especially if this is not the first time the rub rail has been removed.
 
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Thanks for the suggestions.

The rub rail was originally riveted and screwed but I’m contemplating just thru bolting it since I do not own a rivet gun.
 
Thanks for the suggestions.

The rub rail was originally riveted and screwed but I’m contemplating just thru bolting it since I do not own a rivet gun.
I used SS flat head machine screws with SS nyloc nuts to hold my rub rail in place during the resto.
 
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