I just had to buff some aluminum trim plates I made, and I'd forgotten that it wasn't as easy as it sounds. I had a medium stiff felt wheel with some gray buffing compound recommended for aluminum. I tried to do a careful job of sanding out all the major scratches beforehand, finishing up with emery cloth. I managed to get a relatively nice shine, but only after a good bit of time at the wheel. The biggest problem was fusing little streaks of buffing compound onto the metal. Some places would just end up with a thin gray haze of compound, and it would come off OK. The fused compound had to be scrubbed off with a paper towel, and this left streaks of micro-scratches that had to be buffed out again.
I don't know if I'm using the wrong wheel, the wrong buffing compound or lousy technique (all three?). Maybe I'm letting the metal get too hot, or I have too much compound on the wheel. I have other compounds and some soft wheels (muslin?). I bought all this stuff eons ago, but haven't used it enough to remember what all I've got & why.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Doug White