Calling all Polishing Nutcases! Like Me!

[kenster]

Howdy!

While writting a PM I got carried away with pictures of polishing I have done and I thought why not start a thread.

I get to go first!

Sorry my pictures are so LOUSY!

But here are a few samples of my spit shine work to get things rolling.

What do you have to show off?

Ken

Cmacclel took some better pics of this McGizmo Ti 27L when I loaned it to him for a while. They are posted in a thread somewhere but I can`t remember which thread????

This is a close up of the Ti 27L head. Sorry about the dust specks.

A "COOL" Bare Aluminum RPM version of a LionCub.

The Ti bezel needs some more polishing work.

#102 Fenix Ti Lop with a spit shine reflecting my computer screen.

A Ti Aleph 1 Pineapple light I sold for $10 shipped at Christmas.

Some Tranquility Base made Titanium I felt could use a little sanding and buffing.

A Ti McLux III-T reflecting an ounce of Gold.

TNC Proto Ti bezel.

A Tranquility Base made Ti bezel on an Icarus built Chrome Aleph 3 Tri-Lux. Hmmm..... The Ti bezel kind of looks like the Chrome? Hehe!

Brass LionCub and a Bare Aluminum LionHart.

The tail Logo of my unpolished Ti Chameleon reflected in the tail of the polished Bare Aluminum LionHart.

Tranquility Base Ti head. McGizmo Ti bezel, battery tube and tailcap. I had Morelite trim down the tailcap for me.

A Morelite Ti head, McGizmo Ti bezel & tailcap and Tranquility Base Ti 123 battery tube. I put a thinner lens in it after this picture and the bezel screws up tighter to the head for a cleaner look.

I`ll stop here with one last photo.

I played with the lighting and camera settings to see what the Ti 27L might look like Gold Plated. If you look close you can see that it would be "SMOKING HOT"!

Hehe!

 

[Erasmus]

Awesome!!! Very nice pictures!

 

[aikiman44]

Beautiful!
What do you use to polish them?

 

[bray]

id be scared to touch them being that shiny! every touch equals five minutes of cleaning!

 

[parnass]

Nice bling.

 

[UncleFester]

Ok, ya gotta teach me how to polish things like that! I've got a project that needs a hight polish (no it isn't a flashlight, but it is a reflector.)

 

[will]

something I did for another member - maglite 2D

 

[luxlunatic]

I to am a polish junky, not at your level yet Kenster but I am working on it.
Here goes!

My TiPi with TB 27L head.

Now my XR27 on a PD body.

And last for now, a bare MaxliteII. Aluminum is a lot easier to get buffed up.

Still learning and refining my system all the time.
My polishing fettish goes back many years for me. In my mid teens(20 years ago) when paintballing was in its infancy, I scored what at the time was a really nice gun, a Schraider, pump action-constant air setup. I was syked. But after some use, some of the black paint began to chip off revealing the brass that the gun was made out of. So I decided to remove the paint and polish it up. My buddies thought I was nuts. But when it was done, I was in love with that gun all over again! And it looked beautiful, so my buddies called me the man with the golden gun, and let me tell you, that gun was feared, maybe more so than the kid carrying it! Yea, I still have that gun around somewhere.
Enjoy the pics.

 

[TOOCOOL]

Luxlunatic I liked that last pic so much I used as my desktop if thats ok with you

 

[luxlunatic]

Luxlunatic I liked that last pic so much I used as my desktop if thats ok with you

One of my shots as a desktop! Be my guest, and thanks for the compliment. The reflections in that shot came out looking pretty cool, sorry about the dust!

 

[Alin10123]

Wow! Those pictures and lights are incredible!!!

 

[ICUDoc]

Wow great polishing jobs.
Wow. Again.

 

[cy]

nice pic's!!!

long time ago... when I worked at a production plating shop. a major portion of what I did was polishing.

we used huge polishing machines driven by high HP motors that looked similar to pic

 

[LuxLuthor]

Really beautiful polishing jobs. I can't imagine how much time that must take, but it's probably a bit like polishing your knob....always an enjoyable moment when it's done.

 

[JediNight]

Really beautiful polishing jobs. I can't imagine how much time that must take, but it's probably a bit like polishing your knob....always an enjoyable moment when it's done.

:lolsign:

 

[JediNight]

Seriously though, I'd be terrified to take any type of sand paper to my Ti.

Is there any polish that anyone would recommend? I'd feel more comfortable
working with a dremel polishing wheel.

JN

 

[will]

I have polished a number of aluminum lights. These started out anodized.
1. remove the anodize finish -
2. Most of the lights I have still have some tool marks left from the machining process.
3. wet or dry sandpaper 400 grit - then 600, then 1000, then 1200.
4. then to the buffing wheels - tripoli followed by white, followed by jewelers rough.

this will get you up to a mirror finish.

The aluminum has to have some finish applied - nickel, chrome etc.

after that any metal polish will keep the shine. I use a silver polish on the nickel - use very soft cloth to remove the polish.

Polishing will not remove any machining marks, It will remove any surface oxidation. Any polishing will remove and sharp edges and give a smoother feel to the light.

 

[PhantomPhoton]

All those lights look so lonely!
They need to be brought outdoors and banged once, dropped, dunked, packed and sat upon. Them lights need some character and a story to go with it!
Then bring 'em home and shine them up real nice, turn em sideways and sh... oh wait wrong quote...

Can you tell I'm a bit jealous?
Ti has such an appeal to it. Nice collection. That love and attention to detail really shows in some of those pics.

 

[cmacclel]

Here you go

 

[nekomane]

oo: Liquid metal.. Beautiful!