Renovating aluminium letterbox

Before throwing it away I'd have a go* with a sander and some fine wet and dry. If it is possible toi save it use progressively finer paper.

There used to be some stuff that motorbike enthusiasts used to polish the aluminimun on the bike engines. I'm sure it must still be available. Perhaps some fine wet and dry paper used for car body paint repairs and then some and then aluminium polish followed by a suitable varnish.

You will be trying to remove aluminim oxide, which is a common material for grinding wheels. Silicon carbide abrasives will work best (assuming you don't want to pay for diamond), which means using wet and dry paper. I would start with something around 240 grit and work my way up to 600 grit. If you want a bright finish, it will need to be polished, which will best be done on a proper polishing mop. The best way to protect it, whether you go for matt or polished, is to get a plating firm to clear anodize it (which gives it a really thick coat of aluminium oxide). They may be able to do the polishing as well. If not, they probably will know a polisher.

Colin Bignell

Was that Autosolve?, you will be able to get it at any motor or hardware shop. Baz

"Solvol Autosol" to be pedantic and in response to the "?"

If you sand in a straight line, not random orbit or anything, and use well oiled sandpaper, what you get is called linishing, a nice aluminium finish. Use very fine abrasive. If you want a shiny polished semi-mirror finish youll need to go in steps upto 1000 grit. But its best avoided on ali because the inevitable corrosion shows more this way.

Should be very quick, if youre not after mirror results.

Regards, NT