I've done a couple of Salsa Shaft seatposts. My neighbor has a sandblaster at this store and he strips them for $10 cash. That's the hardest part and I just can't do the chemical approach. I then use some 3M 1500 and 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper to smooth off the surface, by hand. Finished with a rag and Mothers and/or Blue Magic. BM shines a little better and lasts longer. I have found that that finishes can vary from brands of posts. The Salsa was very micro-dimpled(from the bead blasted anodising I suppose) and to attempt to make that smooth would risk removing too much if I used a heavier grit to do so. A mirror finish like a vintage Campy Super Record isn't going to happen, but they still look good enough for me. If I do a crankset I'd get some polishing ball for the curved recesses.
On a more simple note, DT shifters are easy, and vintage Specialized hubs are too, at least the middle portion is. I don't try to do the sides or spoke holes, on the bike at least. I could do them off but that's a bit much, I just want so shine while I ride, and that's the middle, visible portion. :) On Thursday, October 23, 2025 at 2:25:25 PM UTC-4 John Rinker wrote: > Hey Michael, > > Others have more experience to share about this, but here's what I did. > > I used a Dremel with a wire brush on the lowest speed to remove the > remaining Shimano coating. Then, briefly, I used a 1200-grit wet paper to > smooth things out. I also used a Dremel polishing pad with compound > briefly. Finally, I finished it off with Mother's aluminum polish for the > shine. > > It was a quick job, and I suppose if I wanted a mirror finish, I could > spend more time with the wet paper. > > I have another set of bar ends that I'll try some of this other fine > advice with and then compare the results. > > Cheers, John > > On Thursday, October 23, 2025 at 9:46:27 AM UTC-7 George Schick wrote: > >> Anyone here ever tried using Simichrome polish? And then finishing with a >> coating like Protectaclear to keep it from oxidizing? It's worked well for >> me. >> >> >> On Thursday, October 23, 2025 at 10:53:27 AM UTC-5 John Dewey wrote: >> >>> Here's a link to the best polishing materials I've ever used—and I'm a >>> serial polisher. Had to join Polishers Anonymous in an attempt to break me >>> of the habit. Didn't work. >>> >>> Jock >>> >>> >>> https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/supplies/sanding-and-polishing/sandpaper-and-finishing-papers/micro-mesh-touch-up-stick/?mtm_source=google&mtm_medium=cpc&mtm_campaign=%7c+GOO+%7c+SHOP+%7c+BR+%7c+BrandUS&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=412050672&gbraid=0AAAAADcBv9iMJbvbXtlaS6eqmXeBimHpQ&gclid=CjwKCAjwpOfHBhAxEiwAm1SwEjOB2QFQ6vd-XQDNBnUB1Ru4tuO-5vfUF5JDGoD8-yD8KplHHl-qixoCMBYQAvD_BwE >>> >>> On Mon, Oct 20, 2025 at 5:01 PM John Rinker <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> Here's a fun, rainy-day diversion. Recently, I had to repair a bar-end >>>> shifter and when I took off the mounts I began looking at the shiny silver >>>> under the worn coating. I decided to remove the stock coating on the >>>> Shimano mounts and ended up with some very shiny new mounts. >>>> >>>> [image: IMG_5765.jpg] >>>> Cheers, John >>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>> Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>> an email to [email protected]. >>>> To view this discussion visit >>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/b0b846b0-db71-46c5-8e4b-4b938122ac14n%40googlegroups.com >>>> >>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/b0b846b0-db71-46c5-8e4b-4b938122ac14n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>> . >>>> >>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/f3563159-3b14-42aa-b800-2a1528d760c2n%40googlegroups.com.
