OK, I don't have a grinder or jeweler's rouge, but I had the aluminum an knew where to get some rouge. I got up early and headed to The Chrome Shop in Bridgeport. Once there I realised my plan of using my drill instead of a grinder wasn't going to work. The cloth wheel had a much larger hole than my drill would chuck and they didn't have an adapter . I noticed they had some foam polishing balls and liquid rouge that might work. One small problem is nothing had a price tag. Good thing I asked before he charged me. The polishing ball was $40 and the polish was $25!
Holy $hit!
Time for Plan B. I'll head to AutoZone and buy something there. They have a drill attachment for polishing car wheels that looks like it might work and I bought a bottle of Mother's Metal polish to use.
Total time spent: 1 hour
Total money spent: $30
I get home, lay out the metal on a set of sawhorses and start polishing. One hour later I am no closer to getting a mirror finish than when I started. The buffer and polish are too soft to cut into the metal deep enough.
Plan C: Go to Lowes. I'll buy a high speed air grinder and cloth wheel there.
Fail! No cloth wheels and their air tools were sky high.
Plan D: WallyWorld. I found an air powered sander with 10,000 RPM for $29. More than enough speed to get the finish I'm looking for, but no cloth wheels. I bought the sander.
Next, I head to Tractor Supply in search of a cloth wheel. None to be found. Back to Bridgeport and PraxAir, A to Z, and Bridgeport Automotive. Fail, fail, fail. I finally pull back in at The Chrome Shop and buy the same cloth wheel and 2 sticks of jeweler's rouge I was looking at 3 hours earlier.
Total time spent: 4 1/2 hours
Money spent: $60
I get home with my new high speed air sander and discover that the cloth wheel will not mount up properly. The center hole is too big. I go to Wiley Hardware in Chico in search of an adapter. Luckily, they had one and the additional bolts it would take.
Get back home, plug in the air compressor and get to work. I soon learn I can polish for 10 seconds before I have to wait 1 minute for the air pressure to build back up. It's clear it will take a week at this pace so I decide to use my drill instead. It's got much slower RPM's, but it can sorta work.
Back again to Wiley Hardware in search of a different bolt that will fit my drill chuck.
Total time spent: 6 hours
Money spent: $70
I finally start to show some progress but the drill is just too slow to get the finish I need for a mirror. It looks more like vision at 4am after a night of binge drinking Kentucky Deluxe.
Project: Fail.
I didn't achieved the results I was looking for, but I haven't completely given up. Brother Inlaw has plenty of high speed electric grinders at his shop and he has a pontoon boat he wants polished. I now have the rouge and cloth wheel it will take to do that.
I smell alliance... Outwit, outplay, outlast.
2 comments:
I guess it's all in how you perceive the problem/opportunity.
I, possessing two or three cloth wheels for drill use, a couple of random orbit polishers(with lambswool bonnets), and all of the attendant polishing rouge/media/compound/liquids, would've probably still opted to go someplace and just buy a mirror.
But in so doing, I wouldn't have gotten a story for my blog...just think of all the adventure you had!
I am reading this post... giggling at the first hour and pocket change... well I am lmao when we get to the 4 hour and cash... but now that we are a all day, breaking out the check book, you almost got sympathy.... but as you did I came to my senses and realized.... the only difference between men and boys is the cost of there toys!! Oh yeah and moma would not drive the boys to town 3 times in one day to get toys!!!!! hahaha When all else fails go see a man with faster toys... oops I mean tools!! hahaha
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