I want to make my Dorcy shiny. How?

I have a Dorcy AAA in Metallic Red here. The color is nice, but i want it to be shiny so i can share something with a CNC-123. How do i go about making it shiny?

What i think i should do:
1. Remove rubber grip protectors.
2. Go over it with 220-grit and 400-grit sandpaper.
3. Apply Metal Polish (which?)

Above all, i want this to be cheap like the Dorcy. I already have the sandpaper.

If you want to retain the color don't do anything. The anodizing thickness on the aluminum case is very thin and it is a part of the "skin" and would take very little abrasion to remove it. If you want it shiny bare metal 800 then 1000 grit wet or dry (wet) silicon carbide paper followed by simichrome or an item called flitz (paste compounds),Tape off the lens so you don't create a flood lite

I don't want to retain the color. I also went and bought an ugly silver one so i can sand away knowing that the red color isn't going to be visible. I also got some Turtlewax Rubbing Compound.

So the recommended steps are to sand with 400-, 800- and 1000-grit sandpaper and then with Rubbing compound? Should i get Mother's Mag Polish for the finishing touch?

Has anyone removed the rubber grips? Is the tube smooth underneath or is it a different texture?

I haven't tried to remove the rubber sleeves yet. I have read of people using jewlers rouge to polish aluminum reflectors.I suspect any metal polishing paste product will give you the high shine quality your looking for.That and a lot of elbow grease. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

I think these lights look a lot cooler without the rubber sleeves. They aren't glued on and you can peel them right off. There are rings etched on the barrel that provide a small amount of grip like shallow knurling.

I would skip the 400 altogether. The anodizing should come off easy enough with 600 or 800 (and some elbow grease) and you won't have to work out the scratches from the 400.

Jon

Jeweller's rouge with a microfibre towel (like the sort you use to clean eyeglasses with) and plenty of elbow grease will give you a nice healthy shine. Try to find a jeweller's rouge with a wax sealing compound in if you dont want to have to polish it up every other day.

How does Jeweller's rouge grit compare to Rubbing Compound? To Mother's?

I ask because Jeweller's rouge is likely to be more expensive.

In polishing compounds I think you get what you pay for. The finer the polish the more expensive it is . But it will last you for a long time for future projects

Well i'm at work and thought to try polishing up the torchy. I didn't have sandpaper with me, but i did have an old rag and the rubbing compound.

I did the rubbing, to no effect whatsoever. I'll be looking for the sandpaper before i try it again. This looks kinda tough. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Pray it isn't hard anodizing like Surefire and ARC apply or you will be going through a bunch of sandpaper.

Easiest way to remove anodize is to use Lye/Caustic soda. Strip everything off from the bits you want to clean, then place in Lye and water solution (NOTE: wear rubber gloves and protective goggles, as this is really nasty stuff). Wait a while, depending on the strength of the solution, and you'll start to see the metal parts bubbling. Take them out and wipe down witha clean cloth every so often and put them back in the solution. Be sure not to leave it in for too long, or the lye will start pitting the actual metal.
Once all the anodize is off, rinse it under a tap, and then get to work with the metal polish. I just did this to an E2e, i think the SureFire's knurling and HA3 would have gone through the sandpaper.