I just got a new Canton intercooler tank. The tig weld penetration marks are quite obvious on all welds. Anyone know if there is a way to remove them or buff them over. It looks like crap and Im not putting this thing on looking like this.:shrug:
Weld Marks
- Thread starter Sharkster
- Start date
Have any pics?
Not what I thought it was going to be. I'll ask a good friend of mine tomorrow about it. He's a very good welder and knows his stuff. He makes the "New Era OTR intakes" by hand for the G8 and 2010 Camaro SS.
:beer:
I'm pretty sure you can wet sand/polish aluminum though. That might be something worth looking into. If all else fails, powder coating is always a good solution.
:beer:
I'm pretty sure you can wet sand/polish aluminum though. That might be something worth looking into. If all else fails, powder coating is always a good solution.
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I just talked to my buddy (stopped by the shop). He said you could sand it down and polish it. Should work out fine if you do that. He also said to watch out for the welds when you sand though. He said take a 800 grit sand paper and go from there.
Tig welder by profession. Thats a quality aluminum TIG weld. Sand the ripple down if you dont like the look, i think perfect puddles of TIG welding shows a quality product. Anybody can slab a weld together and sand it smooth.
I work for canton and i have had a few people call me about polishing and etc.
We do not offer polishing on the tanks but i can give you a step by step if you would like.
This is a STEP BY STEP on how to polish an aluminum tank.
I used our tank #80-232S tank as an example.
This is the true DIY way to polish aluminum to get that great finish you are looking for.
Materials you will need.
1000 grit sand paper (depending on how rough the finish is)
1200 grit sand paper
1500 grit sand paper
ANY GOOD METAL POLISH.
First step
Gather your materials and the part to be polished.
Next use the lowest grit (i used 1200 because our finish is already very clean)
And sand WITH the grain in ONE direction. DO NOT go in circles or up,down,left, right. Go back and forth WITH the grain of the aluminum.
(Pictures with and without flash to show the grain.)
Next Sand the part down with 1500 grit (if you have to use the 1000 this step will be your 1200 grit and step 3 would be your 1500 grit)
Remember to follow the grain
Now here is a comparison of what the sanded side will look like comared to the factory finish after 1500 grit.
Last step is polishing.
Sorry for the bad quality pictures. This is with a basic hand polish. Light coat of polish.
I taped off one side so that you could see the difference.
We do not offer polishing on the tanks but i can give you a step by step if you would like.
This is a STEP BY STEP on how to polish an aluminum tank.
I used our tank #80-232S tank as an example.
This is the true DIY way to polish aluminum to get that great finish you are looking for.
Materials you will need.
1000 grit sand paper (depending on how rough the finish is)
1200 grit sand paper
1500 grit sand paper
ANY GOOD METAL POLISH.
First step
Gather your materials and the part to be polished.
Next use the lowest grit (i used 1200 because our finish is already very clean)
And sand WITH the grain in ONE direction. DO NOT go in circles or up,down,left, right. Go back and forth WITH the grain of the aluminum.
(Pictures with and without flash to show the grain.)
Next Sand the part down with 1500 grit (if you have to use the 1000 this step will be your 1200 grit and step 3 would be your 1500 grit)
Remember to follow the grain
Now here is a comparison of what the sanded side will look like comared to the factory finish after 1500 grit.
Last step is polishing.
Sorry for the bad quality pictures. This is with a basic hand polish. Light coat of polish.
I taped off one side so that you could see the difference.
Thanks for the post. By all means absolutely these are A+ top notch tig welds and I would give one of my nuts to be able to tig this good. Id give the other nut just to be able to get my mig welds to look this good.
The polishing I was going to do just as you have described however its the penetration marks Im talking about. If you look at my tank it looks like a road map with this white/grey heat penetration marks along the edges of the welds. Im trying to get those to buff out.
I havent had much time to get on this in the last week or two but Im planning on it maybe this weekend.
The polishing I was going to do just as you have described however its the penetration marks Im talking about. If you look at my tank it looks like a road map with this white/grey heat penetration marks along the edges of the welds. Im trying to get those to buff out.
I havent had much time to get on this in the last week or two but Im planning on it maybe this weekend.
yea you can hand sand it get some 3m sand paper and wet sand it. The end results will be how ever shinny you want from brushed to mirror (if mirrior the KEY is staring low and working up in small increments 200,300,400,600,800,900,1000,1500,2000, hand polish with metal polish/or metal buffer) and BAM very shinny. Just like doing a catback polish.
I would not recommend anyone strating with a 200 grit on any of these tanks. Way too aggressive and you should only go that low if you have a very deep scratch. 600 - 800 is where you should start. The finish above on the tank polished by nimishish20 did not go deep enough and about what you could expect starting with a 1200 grit. Also, the other mistake I see on that tank is not sanding the metal with the grain. You have to go with the grain of the metal to get best results on something fabricated out of sheet metal. Cast / Billett is a different story, no grain, and not made from sheets.
Once I got through 2000 grit wet sandsing I went to a high speed buffer with jewlers rouge and a final polishing with Mothers Billett. It will turn into an absolute mirror.
I did that by hand in about 25 minutes. If you take your time and finish with a very high grit (1500,2000,3000) you will get a mirror finish. If you have a buffer with a micro fiber pad or an orbital you will be a very happy person. Those penetration marks will go away by being sanded out with 600-800 grit paper.
Your best bet for a show car finish would be these steps.
600 wet
800 wet
1000 wet
1200 wet
1500 wet
3000 wet
Use the paste of mothers aluminum polish. Put some on your finger and smear it on the tank (i used this method on some very BAD wheels for my girlfriend's car and the wheels like 100 times better than new)
Buff until you get the desired finish.
Hand polish after the buff to clean out hazing and etc.
Micro polish cloth the whole tank and admire its shiny beauty.
Your best bet for a show car finish would be these steps.
600 wet
800 wet
1000 wet
1200 wet
1500 wet
3000 wet
Use the paste of mothers aluminum polish. Put some on your finger and smear it on the tank (i used this method on some very BAD wheels for my girlfriend's car and the wheels like 100 times better than new)
Buff until you get the desired finish.
Hand polish after the buff to clean out hazing and etc.
Micro polish cloth the whole tank and admire its shiny beauty.
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