 |
| Custom grinding, polishing, and buffing |
 |
|
| Automotive and household polishing. Motorcycles a specialty. |
|
| Mail order, or convenient Central PA drop-off locations (limited local pickup and delivery available) |
|
| Aluminum, brass, stainless, plastic |
|
| A Word About Grinding, Polishing, and Buffing: |
| Grinding: Grinding is necessary to remove deep scratches, gouges, knicks, and the uneven surface of a rough casting. Grinding is accomplished using rough abrasives beginning with 80-grit and proceeding to 400-grit or finer. Polishing: Polishing is the process of removing all scratches left by the grinding process. High-speed buffers and relatively coarse compounds are used. Buffing: Buffing is also performed with high-speed equipment, but using progressively finer compounds. During the final buff, the surface material actually flows over itself, reducing microscopic high spots and filling in low areas to completely eliminate scratches Porous Metals: Many aluminum and brass items, especially motorcycle parts, contain tiny bubbles within and throughout the metal. These "pores" are a result of less-than-perfect manufacturing methods. No amount of grinding or polishing will remove these holes, which show up as pitting or a "grain" in the surface of the part, especially aluminum. As the metal's surface is ground away, new pores are exposed. Therefore, if your item shows signs of this condition, it will be visible after polishing and buffing. Your aluminum or brass part will still be amazingly bright and reflective, but very close examination will reveal these tiny defects. Please be aware that there is nothing we can do to hide this "pitting". You can see an excellent example here. |
|
| My goal is to finish each piece to the best possble brilliance. No work will leave my shop until I am satisfied with it, and you will never pay full price for a polishing job which you find unacceptable. |
|
| In most cases I use a full 9-step process to achieve the best possible finish. Although time-consuming, I've found it necessary. Shortcuts don't work when perfection is the goal. All my work is done by hand with stationary and handheld wheels and grinders. I do not use any automatic polishing machinery nor do I claim to achieve a "concours"-grade finish, since the softness of most grades of aluminum preclude the attainment of a true optical quality surface (unlike harder materials like chrome and stainless steel). |
| Mike's Polishing |
| 717-362-9428 www.mikespolishing.com Halifax, PA |
| How much will it cost? |
| See the "Pricing" page. These figures assume that I will take your part from whatever condition it is in now to as near perfection as possible for the item. This means that if you send me a beat-up old piece of junk... er, I mean a rare, valuable part, and you want it made better than new, it will cost a lot more than if you had sent me a brand-new part only needing polishing and buffing to make it near-perfect. Or, if you want to make that old beat-up part not perfect but presentable, that will save me some time (and you some money). Another factor is the complexity of the part. A small water pump could cost as much or more than a wheel, because more time is required to get into all the nooks and crannies. By the way, please remember to take your items apart as completely as possible. You don't want buffing compound in your bearings, believe me. Also, the cleaner you can get it the better. Again, save me time and you save yourself money. A number of people choose to do the rough stuff beforehand, and have me polish and buff their work. This is fine, and you can save a bunch of money; but please know what you are doing. If I have to go back over it to eliminate your scratches, your bill will usually be adjusted upwards accordingly. But if you can live with the results, that's fine. In most cases, the scratches you leave will only be noticeable under very strong direct light, and frankly some swirl marks don't bother me on my own stuff. But I wanted you to be aware that this polishing deal isn't as simple as it might seem. |
| What about coatings? |
| I do not offer clear coating of metal parts, because I don't believe in it. The best seem to last only a few years, then you are faced with ugly splotches and re-doing the entire piece. You are welcome to use them on your polished pieces, but I do not recommend it. With proper care your pieces will stay shiny. |
| Aluminum Care |
| I've been asked (by non-customers), "Why do my aluminum parts oxidize? It's a pain to polish them every two weeks!". The answer in most cases is that most of the time, this is not "oxidation"; it's just that your aluminum parts simply have not been sufficiently polished. Tiny scratches hold dirt; with enough of these scratches present, the entire surface will look dull. I finally polished my own bike's lower fork legs this spring, have ridden all season in rain, dust and dirt, and with a simple wipe of a cloth they always look like chrome again. And, if I get a ding or a stone chip, unlike with clearcoat or chrome I can polish it out and be on my way. Obtain a few microfiber polishing cloths, available at polishing supply houses or possibly local auto boutiques. Use these with Flitz (my preference because it has no abrasives), Mother's, or Simichrome polish every month or as needed. Please note that it doesn't take much to scratch aluminum - don't add to the problem by using nylon scrub brushes or household rags on your polished parts when you wash. |
|
| "Mike, I received the valve covers in the mail today. They came out better than expected considering the pores...I'm very pleased with the work you performed and will pass your name on to others in my area." ...Hiram S., Missouri |
|
| "Mike did a really good job for an extremely fair price. He's a good guy to deal with." ...Brian H., PA |
| "Mike, I just got (the hand controls) yesterday. They look great!! Especially the hand levers, they shine as well as they did when they were chrome....Great job, great price, great service. I'll send anything I need polished to you again!!" ........Scott K., SC |
|
| "The Shovelhead parts I sent you were from VERY rough castings. I didn't know what to expect. Wow! You exceeded my expectations. You obviously are detail-oriented. Great work. I will definitely use your service again when the need arises. I will be recommending you to everyone I know."...Kevin C., NY |
|
| "Mike, Got the wheels last night, they are works of art. I am completely satisfied with mine - I'm sure Freddie will be too!" ...Jason H., NJ |
|
| How long will it take? |
| I work alone, and all pieces are worked on in the order received. Most parts like wheels, manifolds, etc. take me anywhere from three to four weeks to complete. Remember: the sooner you get it here, the sooner I can start your work! |
| Safety Considerations |
| For safety items like wheels, motorcycle frames, brake discs, etc., sometimes there are defects which I will not remove because it would reduce the thickness of the metal too much. If, for instance, a wheel rim surface has factory-induced orangepeel or ripples .001 or .002" deep, that means I need to remove that amount of material to get the surface perfectly flat. In my opinion this is not a good idea, therefore I often leave these defects in place, but I do overpolish them to the same brilliance as the rest of the item. |
| "Mike, Just wanted to say it is a pleasure doing business with you, from the beginning to end. Your contact, updates, concerns, commitment, professionalism and most of all the quality of your workmanship are all 'first class'. The Weber manifold was not an easy piece to do, by any means, but you turned out an exceptional finish! Many thanks." ...Bill M., Derry, NH |
|
 |
| "I have had Harley parts both chromed and polished. Chrome is very expensive and hard to get good work today. Mike's work is cheaper and outstanding. I know my customers will be happy when they get work back from Mike!" ...Doc Doc's Hawg Clinic 9521 N US Hwy. 287 Sunset, TX 76270 (940) 845- HAWG |
|