Ferrari Mailing List: Cleaning aluminum

[Rick Lindsay (rolindsay]

Hello Friends,

Merry Christmas and all the other salutations of the season!

I write to you this Christmas Eve to talk about Ferraris.  Specifically, I want 
to ask about cleaning aluminum.  I have always used cloth, steel wool or 
ScotchBrite lubricated with WD40 or lacquer thinner and I like the results.  
However, the finish does not look 'new'.  I'd like to know a technique to get 
that really clean white-aluminum finish of freshly cast aluminum.  I've tried 
media blasting but the shop I visited used steel balls not glass, plastic or 
shells.  The result was a dull gray finish that I didn't like.  I ended up 
painting the part with 'Cast Coat Aluminum' engine paint - a sad, second-class 
solution, if attractive.

So today I ask; How does one get that 'new part' aluminum finish?

best regards,

rick