Polishing 6061 T6 aluminum sheet metal

A. Have you tried Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish [on eBay or Amazon] ? I've had fairly good results with this.. of course, you must start off with a relatively scratch free surface to begin with. Another option you may want to consider is electropolishing, or a bright dip, both of which should probably be followed up with a very thin anodized coating.

A. We have had the same issue regarding 6061 aluminum and scratches. We also found that orbital buffing equipment was the only way to produce a finish that allowed us to buff the part to a mirror finish. Is the final result you are looking for is a buff (mirror polish) finish?

If so, we have found that red sisal wheels roughing the part before buffing on standard cotton wheels is a better and more cost effective solution. That is with our equipment (an in-line buffing "shack"). Not knowing your equipment capability I cannot offer a further solution.

Let me know.

"You'll do just fine on your very first try."^^{"Practice makes perfect."}

Although I'm no polishing expert, I know that book knowledge isn't likely to get you all the way. You should get some scrap material and practice rather than starting on an item where a mistake can't be afforded. Letter 800 is about polishing aluminum, and discusses in good length the things that can go wrong including what causes such haze. Good luck.

Regards,