Aluminum spinners look cool as they come but we can spiff them up a bunch for less money than you
might think.
Text, photos and video by Tom Hintz
Posted – 5-21-2018
Warning! – This article deals with spinning fabric wheels that can hurt you if not respected. Wearing jewelry, loose clothing, gloves or long, unrestrained hair can all get you in serious trouble. Read, understand and follow the manufacturers instructions or DON’T USE THE TOOL!
Also, you must be aware of the direction in which the wheels are turning so you can polish “off” an edge rather than into an edge. Watch the entire video to see more info on holding pieces being polished as best I know. However, people can figure all sorts of ways of hurting themselves and I can’t think of all of them. Common sense is always a great tool when trying to prevent injuries.
Remember. Shiny is nice, bleeding is not. Pay attention to the instructions and what you are doing.
I have always been disenchanted with my relatively dull aluminum spinners on my otherwise shinny RC planes. Bling failures like this on RC planes usually has a financial cause but getting the needed tools to convert an unremarkable aluminum spinner to its rightful gleam is relatively cheap. Since this is a tool that can be used over and over again I rate the cost-per-use at close to nothing so not buying one could end up costing me money, I think.
Aluminum is a wonderful material for model and full-scale aircraft because in modern alloys it is light but strong as compared to most other metals. When it comes to bling, aluminum is a great choice because of how easily it polishes. The ROK Metal Polishing Kit is labeled for use on harder metals such as steel but reduce the pressure used during the cleaning/polishing process and it works great on aluminum.
This Metal Polishing Kit (from ROK Tools via Amazon) comes with three types of compound, three fabric wheels and one arbor. The compounds are labeled 1, 2 and 5 for use in that sequence. I use a permanent marker to identify each wheel with the type of compound used to “load” it. Using different compounds on one fabric wheel is not a good idea and will slow the process of cleaning/polishing the metal.
Using the compounds in the correct order insures
getting the best finish.
The fabric wheels included all fit onto the steel arbor also included in the kit. The ROK Metal Polishing Kit is advertised for use on drills and grinders which covers a huge RPM range. All the procedures described here when using the ROK Cleaning and Polishing Kit were done on a large drill press with a variable speed control. I dialed in 1300 RPM on my drill press and that seemed to be plenty fast for our work here. Spinning cleaning/polishing fabric wheels too fast does not increase their effectiveness but can heat up the fabric wheel, compound and the metal itself which can decrease safety and slow the polishing process itself.
When loading the polishing compounds on the fabric wheels remember that less is always better than more. Trying to over-load the fabric with compound just wastes compound and your time as it will take a while for the excess compound to wear off the wheel (and the part being polished) before the wheel can perform as intended. Also, the color of the compound goes away as soon as we put aluminum to the wheels. They all will turn black to dark gray but that is the aluminum itself producing that color. When we “re-charge” the wheel with compound the dark color will not change. Another good reason to number the fabric wheels near their center and go lightly when “loading” the wheels with compound.
The compounds in the Metal Polishing Kit are numbered, 1 2 and 5. The first compound used is slightly coarser than the other compounds and is better for the initial cleaning of the metal. In that process, the #1 compound also begins the polishing process by reducing small scratches and blending other surface irregularities. I tend to use the #1 compound a little longer than most but with reduced pressure to let the abrasives do their work. This seems to cut down on the time needed to complete the following steps or maybe it just seems that way to me.
The second compound used is meant to remove the remnants of the #1 compound from the metal and to continue reducing small defects. While the #2 compound is being worked the shine often begins to come through. This is when I start watching for dull spots that might not have been polished as much or just needed more attention. The #2 compound usually can bring these spots into a shine like the rest of the piece with a little extra work.
The type of compound used to finish the process can vary between sets on the market. The Metal Polishing Kit used here has a final compound with very fine abrasive compound while others use a Carnauba wax to put the final sheen on the surface and to protect it. Carnauba wax is frequently used in woodworking to finish objects like bowls that are intended to come into contact with foods because it is non-toxic. Jellybeans are usually coated with Carnauba wax!
When I got to the #5, final compound, the shine on my spinner was really coming out. I enjoy polishing these parts so take my time and relax while I work the parts against the wheels. An easy touch and paying attention to not catch an edge of the spinner in the fabric wheel are mandatory. The end result is worth it to me.
After installing the spinner back on my QQ YAK 54 I wiped it down with a soft cloth to get my fingerprints off. Then I apply a bit of Eagle One Wax As-U-Dry on a soft cloth, spread that on the spinner and then buff it out. This does little to increase the shine, but it does protect that shine from the elements.
Using the ROK Cleaning and Polishing Kit is simple if you follow the instructions and refrain from entering a liberal phase when using the compounds. The shine it is capable of bringing out of most aluminum is remarkable and steps up the appearance of whatever model that part is on.
With a street price of just $27.99 (5-17-2018) the Metal Polishing Kit is a long-lasting value for any RC shop. The amount of compound and wear and tear on the fabric wheels is tiny so this outfit will continue shinning things up in your shop for along time. That makes this one of the best $28 you, and I have spent in a long time. Who says RC flying is stupid expensive?
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