I started on my lower form tubes which were in pretty poor shape.
They are coated in a clear laquer finish which needs to be removed. I use VHT Aircraft Strip will seems to get anything off. It sometimes needs 2 applications and it's not cheap.
After stripping I removed the really bad stuff with a brass Dremel wheel brush. Steel wheels would be too aggressive.
I also used 600 grit (wet and dry) on some areas and then finished it off with the green Scotchbrite.
To get the brushed aluminium effect, the Scotchbrite is only moved in the horizontal plain (with the forks standing up).
Here you can see the brushing effect.
I am thinking that this sort of finish is quite like the factory finish. I don't remember seeing any mirror finish on the factory machines.
The finished product is very susceptible to scratching and greasy finger marks so there is no option to leave this as bare metal. I will be using some 2K clear cote on them soon.
