The current thread on restoration got me thinking about restoration of alloy parts. I enjoy salvaging scratched up seat posts, oxidized brake calipers, stems , hubs etc. For the most part I leave anodized parts alone. For non anodized parts I wet sand with grits up to 2500 and buff with Tripoli compound and white rouge. What I'm wondering is there any equivalency scale to correlate the various abrasive media. Is Tripoli finer than 2500 grit paper, where do the steel wool grades "0", "00" etc fit in.
It would be helpful to know the equivalency in order to know when to stop the tedious sanding and move on to the easier to apply buffing compounds. Does such a correlation scale exist? For those of you who also polish parts what have you learned? What do you use for a mirror finish? For a satin finish? Opinions welcome.
Norm Lafleur
Ashfield, Massachusetts
USA