What to use to get brushed aluminum on hull?

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Skipjack

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I need to find a better way to get a brushed aluminum look other than hand sanding with sothcbrite pads. my 15ft jon boat will take forever by hand and need some power tool suggestions. I want it all the same straight grain so I was thinking a belt sander with a scotchbrite belt??
 
Skipjack said:
I need to find a better way to get a brushed aluminum look other than hand sanding with sothcbrite pads. my 15ft jon boat will take forever by hand and need some power tool suggestions. I want it all the same straight grain so I was thinking a belt sander with a scotchbrite belt??
You can use a DA sander with a real fine pad.
 
I hand sanded using scotchbrite and vinegar. The vinegar really helps clean the aluminum and it came up fairly quickly. I have to tell you though, I put a few hours into scrubbing up and brightening the bottom of my boat. After the first season it dulled quite a bit. Aluminum oxidizes quickly and sanding, cleaning etc will remove the protective oxidized layer so unless you polish it or clear coat it, it will return to oxidized fairly quickly.


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wire cup . you will have a heck of a time keeping it looking halfway good though.i second polishing the hell out of it.brushed will look good for all of an hour.
 
The hull is scratched all over so i'm wanting to make it look uniform and consistent. A da sander or similar makes swirl marks and I want a brushed look. Ive done it before but by hand with a scotchbrite keeping the lines straight all the way from front to back. I'm selling the boat so I want it looking good and the buyer can decide if they want to keep it clean or not.
 
Crazyboat said:
wire brush in the end of an electric drill.
Do not do this The steel in the wire brush will contaminate your aluminum

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I have a mandrel style grinder with a scotch brite type pad you can get them in 6 to 8" wide wheels. that is your best bet besides the belt sander

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These work great. The 4" orange in a drill works best... doesn't dig in so it's easy to control and doesn't wear you out.... dances right around rivets....

https://www.amazon.com/Dico-541-778-4-Nyalox-4-Inch-Orange/dp/B00004YYD8/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1520607187&sr=1-1&keywords=nyalox+4%22+orange

That's 60 years of corrosion and it came right off...

IMG_0718.JPG
 

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