Polishing a prop

[keith slack]

How do the shops that specialize in props polish a matt finish prop to a high shine?<br />In my area they charge about 250.00 to do it. I've got A Bravo 3 so it's not cheap and really aside from towing, it's under water so I don't need to.<br />But if it's all about elbow grease, well... winters here and I've got till spring.<br /><br />Any info / instructions would be appreciated

 

[CCrew]

Re: Polishing a prop

Rouge and a buffing wheel...<br /><br />You can buy various grits of buffing compound and various types of polishing wheels. There's actually a real art to it. I've tried on several occasions to do parts for my various show cars myself, but to be honest, when you start you'll realize that it's actually pretty fair pricing. I came to the conclusion that I could hire an illegal alien at about $1.00 an hour and still prolly only break even on what I was getting charged. <br /><br />It's a nasty, dirty job too. You'll think grinding fiberglass is childs play when you're done! <br /><br />-Roger

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Polishing a prop

I have a full suspension Cannondale mountain bike that was painted with Imron. I wanted to shave some weight so I stripped the paint. The Imron was really thick, I actually shaved a half pound of weight by stripping it. Of course, the bike looked like heck, so I decided to polish it (it is aluminum). I used several grades of steel wool to get most of it polished, then used metal polish and a lot of elbow grease to get the final shine. It looks good, but it was a lot of suffering. I have not polished my prop, but I did polish the prop on my small Wizard outboard I have in my home office, it turned out pretty decent.

 

[snapperbait]

Re: Polishing a prop

Halifax... If your interested in obtaining the tools and compounds to do the job, The Eastwood Company has everything you'll need... <br /> http://www.eastwoodco.com/default.asp

 

[keith slack]

Re: Polishing a prop

Thanks for the replies, I think I'll look at the gear involved, attempt a small spot and assess the situation from there.