> I have a neat old handlebar that has some scratches right next to the stem.
>
> Is there a way to get these out and not loose the high polish around them?
>
> I was thinking of using #0000 steel wool until it got smooth but I think the
> area around the scratch would come out dull and not a near mirror finish
> like the rest of the clamp area.
>
> Unfortunately I do not have a buffing wheel or anything and would like to do
> this by hand/ on the cheap.
I generally use wet-or-dry sandpaper for this. Depending upon how deep the scratches are, I typically start to wet sand with 320 grit, then progress to 600 and finally 1500. While I have a buffing wheel and jewelers rouge, a soft cloth with some rubbing compound will polish things up pretty well. If you're being really anal about it a final polishing with Happich Simichrome will really make the piece shine.
Remember that many aluminum parts are anodized. While the above process will take care of the scratches if the bars are anodized you'll end up with two distinct textures/colors.
jeverett@wwa.com (John V. Everett)