Getting even older, and still not back in Cali. I stop by PB once in a great while to check in, and see you postings on a regular basis. Saw your bike pic, liked it's look, and wanted to say hello. Feeling too old to be on here anymore. :-)
I've been too old for this site since I turned 20 ten years ago. Now I'm practically a senior citizen compared to most PB users.
But now that you're kinda back I have to pick your brain about polishing aluminum!
Well I sanded and filed down as many of the scratches and dings on this frame as I could and then attempted to bring back the original shine of the frame with a rag and rubbing compound, but I wonder if there's a better way to get a brighter shine. Any tips? I don't have access to a polishing wheel, just a Dremel and my dirty mitts.
Rather than a lengthy explanation, I've included a few links for basic "how-to" info and a consumer product that works pretty well, though not on par with professional products, which is what I use. The first link discusses wheel types, compounds, technique, etc.
The 2nd and 3rd link are for "Mothers" products, which has been around for decades as a "consumer" aluminum polish, and now offers cones and balls to insert into electric drills. Their products are available at most auto parts stores (in the USA), or Amazon, EBay, etc.
Depending on the aluminum component's condition, and doing the polishing by hand, or with an electric drill, one can start by pre-sanding with wet-n-dry sandpaper, wetted with a soapy water solution, at the mid 300+ grit range, followed with finer 400 - 600 grit paper until able to use the "Mothers" polish as described in their info. If using small "commercial" wheels and cones with either higher RPM drills, buffers or pneumatics, commercial compounds are the best option, and can be obtained via buffing supply houses, Amazon or EBay.
Hope this helps, and YouTube is a great source for how-to's.
It could get a little cleaner, but not without spending more money to replace parts that work perfectly fine. Ideally I'd like to get a carbon fork on there, but the Answer Pro that it has right now is the same vintage as the frame.
Nice job, seraph!