Making the kirby shine!

Yeah, that pitting is going to require some abrasives�and a fair amount of elbow grease. Fortunately the aluminum is thick enough that you can do it without causing any damage. I had the same issue with my G5 that I got about a year ago. I started with a mild scouring powder called Barkeeper's Friend that both removed oxidation and smoothed out some of the lesser scratches. I then followed that up with Mother's and a coat of carnauba-based car wax to seal the metal. The results aren't exactly mirror-like but it's got a pleasant satiny sheen that's good enough for me. At least it doesn't look like it's made out of lead anymore and it only took a couple of hours, including tear-down and reassembly.

That lovely mirror finish requires a bit more work. Start with a medium grit (180 or so) wet/dry sandpaper of the type used for automotive body work and sand the metal in one direction until it doesn't get any brighter. Then move up to a finer paper (220 or so) and repeat the process, sanding in a directin perpendicular to what you did with the previous paper. Keep doing this with increasingly fine grades of sandpaper until you work up to about 1600 or 2000 and then hit it with Mother's using #000 or #0000 steel wool and then again with a soft cloth for the final polish. Be sure to protect your hard work by sealing it with a good paste wax.

I'm thinking of going back over my G5 with #000 steel wool and Mothers to give it a little extra sparkle. Keep going with yours and let's see that puppy shine!


Forum Topics & Rules Manuals & Literature	New users Click-here to sign-up

Post# 342872 2/5/2016 at 00:03 (2,996 days old) by Icee (Indiana)
Checkrate/Likes 1 I recently posted pictures of my new Kirby tradition, and as you can see from those pictures, it needs some lovin'. Thanks to the user "CharlesKirby66", he suggest a polish to use for it, and here's some early results! I think the metal itself has some sort of issue, those dark spots have a texture to them, like it's damage in the metal. But, it really does shine now :). It is starting to look much better, the light reflecting off it is beautiful :).again, sorry for the poor lighting, it's the best I can do for right now View Full Size

Post# 342883 , Reply# 1 2/5/2016 at 11:21 (2,995 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)
Checkrate/Likes *That's great progress!* Yeah, that pitting is going to require some abrasives�and a fair amount of elbow grease. Fortunately the aluminum is thick enough that you can do it without causing any damage. I had the same issue with my G5 that I got about a year ago. I started with a mild scouring powder called Barkeeper's Friend that both removed oxidation and smoothed out some of the lesser scratches. I then followed that up with Mother's and a coat of carnauba-based car wax to seal the metal. The results aren't exactly mirror-like but it's got a pleasant satiny sheen that's good enough for me. At least it doesn't look like it's made out of lead anymore and it only took a couple of hours, including tear-down and reassembly. That lovely mirror finish requires a bit more work. Start with a medium grit (180 or so) wet/dry sandpaper of the type used for automotive body work and sand the metal in one direction until it doesn't get any brighter. Then move up to a finer paper (220 or so) and repeat the process, sanding in a directin perpendicular to what you did with the previous paper. Keep doing this with increasingly fine grades of sandpaper until you work up to about 1600 or 2000 and then hit it with Mother's using #000 or #0000 steel wool and then again with a soft cloth for the final polish. Be sure to protect your hard work by sealing it with a good paste wax. I'm thinking of going back over my G5 with #000 steel wool and Mothers to give it a little extra sparkle. Keep going with yours and let's see that puppy shine!

Post# 342888 , Reply# 2 2/5/2016 at 13:28 (2,995 days old) by electrolux137 (Los Angeles)
Checkrate/Likes ~ ~ Or use an electric buffing wheel, to get results like this guy did (who's a member of Vacuumland btw). CLICK HERE TO GO TO electrolux137's LINK on eBay

Post# 342889 , Reply# 3 2/5/2016 at 13:37 (2,995 days old) by bnsd60m9200 (Akron OH)
Checkrate/Likes if you use a wheel all youll be doing is polishing a turd. that pitting MUST be sanded out. there is no cutting/ polishing rouge on the planet that can cut aluminum corrosion that bad. human's process is almost exactly how i do my metal finishing. its messy and slow, but get the crap out. id suggest using a palm sander with the low grits (110,220), or youll never get that pitting out.

Post# 342897 , Reply# 4 2/5/2016 at 14:22 (2,995 days old) by Icee (Indiana)
Checkrate/Likes Thank you all for the suggestions, it's probably going to be a while until I'll be able to do all of that, but I definitly want to do it.

Post# 342898 , Reply# 5 2/5/2016 at 14:22 (2,995 days old) by Icee (Indiana)
Checkrate/Likes Thank you all for the suggestions, it's probably going to be a while until I'll be able to do all of that, but I definitly want to do it.

Post# 343024 , Reply# 6 2/6/2016 at 15:44 (2,994 days old) by CharlesKirby66 (Manteca, CA)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *Icee* Great job with the Mothers! I agree with all the above. At least now, you know what kind of oxidation you are working with. The best bet is to wet sand it, then polish it on a bench sander, then finish with Mothers. That will get you that "showroom" shine. Check out this excellent video on YouTube with info how to do it. I follow this guy's sanding recommendations, and the polishing recommendations of Charles Richard on here (electrolux137). Again, you've done a great preliminary job! Now you know EXACTLY what kind of sanding and polishing job lay before you. CLICK HERE TO GO TO CharlesKirby66's LINK

Post# 343073 , Reply# 7 2/7/2016 at 10:53 (2,993 days old) by Icee (Indiana)
Checkrate/Likes 2 *Charleskirby66* Thanks for the compliments man! I'm glad you approve, I've never worked with polish before! I'm pretty nervous to do any serious sanding, and I still won't be able to it for a while, but I would like to do the kirby justice :). It's a nice sweeper that's been truckin' it for decades and I'd like to give it the treatment it deserves!

Post# 343097 , Reply# 8 2/7/2016 at 13:57 (2,993 days old) by CharlesKirby66 (Manteca, CA)
Checkrate/Likes *Icee* For sure!!! I have found there's nothing quite as lovely as a sight of a freshly buffed Kirby. For me, it really takes the collecting aspect to the next level. It's almost like getting to see these beauties roll fresh off the production line. I know the sanding process can seem daunting, and trust me it is a ton of lengthy, hard work, but the end result does appear worth it. I would recommend watching the video a few times until the process seems relatively straightforward. Of course, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to me. Happy Kirbying!!!