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These three Aluminum polishing products were tested(Photo: Tom Bachur)
In Part I of this series, Product test: Comparing three aluminum polishing products, I introduced three products that I planned to test to determine which worked best. The three test products are:
To perform this test, I elected to use each of the three products to polish one third of the highly oxidized rear wheel from my 1987 Honda Magna. I removed the wheel and “divided” the wheel into thirds using duct tape. I then polished each of these sections with one of the products, following the directions on the product. The Knob Polish was supplied to me by Vance Lane of the "Time Rider" website. Vance provided me additional instructions to achieve the best results with Knob Polish. According to Vance, Knob Polish provides incredible results when used with a buffing wheel, which is what I did.
My testing revealed that Knob Polish outperformed the other two products in removing oxidation and providing an initial shine. Mother’s was not as good at removing oxidation, but it did provide a nice shine. Master Formula did not clean oxidation very well, nor did it provide much of a shine to oxidized aluminum.
In the photoshow below, I show each of the three sections after they were polished by their respective product. Once I achieved these results, I wanted to see if I could achieve even better results, so I experimented using the products in conjunction with each other. This testing revealed that Knob Polish, followed by Mother’s provided exceptional results. The Knob Polish removed the oxidation and brought the aluminum to a good initial shine. Following the Knob Polish with Mother’s left the aluminum with an excellent overall appearance and a nice bright shine. Once I achieved these results, I polished the entire wheel using this method and ended up with fantastic results!
Knob Polish can be purchased from the Time Rider website and sells for $9.95
Mother's Aluminum Polish can be purchased at most auto parts stores, or from the Mother's Online Store for $5.69 for a 5 ounce jar.
Master Formula polish and sealer can be purchased individually at most motorcycle shows, or from the Master's Formula Online Store for $19.99 for a 12 ounce bottle.
Click here to read Part I of this series.
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Comments
I will pass this info on to my husband so he can get the best results when cleaning my motorcycle.
Proof is in the pudding! We love this Shtuff and the fact that it's non toxic and green friendly as are all the Time Rider Products. Probably one of the best kept secrets in the industry.
Capt. Phillips
Owner & Founder
Beast Custom Cycles LLC
Tom, thanks for taking the time to do a through review. We really appreciate you including our product in the test. The biggest difference between our Knob polish and the others is it is not specifically an "aluminum polish". It's a multipurpose polish that works on everything else on the bike, like chrome, plastic covers, helmets, paint, brass, stainless, silver & gold. Thanks again for the write up & keep the stories coming, I think you provide a great service to the motorcycling community. I always enjoy your articles they're always informative & well written.
I tried Patty's approach. I passed this information on to the little lady. She said, sounds good let me know how it comes out. Where did I go wrong?
Enjoyed the articles and will try some of the Knob polish. Let us know if it becomes available in stores
Wow, impressive demonstration. I always thought Mother's was, well the mother, of aluminium polish...guess not. Thanks for the info
Tom,
Useful experiment and result was stunning for knob polish. I am just curious if after the knob polishing, do we need to to apply a sealer to it to make it last longer for at least a year or so? If yes, what sealer to use?
Hi Bren,
Part of the "Master Formula" system is a sealer that goes on after the polish. In my testing, I found that the sealer seemed to dull the shine left by the polish. Based on this, I don't seal the aluminum.
I've found that a periodic "once-over" with the Mother's does wonders to maintain that newly polished shine!
Hope this helps!
Tom
Tom, would you have the MSDS information for Knob Polish? I ask because it was originally an aircraft polish, and since I work in commercial aviation, it may be suitable for some operations in the shop.
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