maintaining aluminum

[jb]

the outside of my teardrop is bare aluminium. what is a easy way tot maintain it and keep it shiny

at the moment i am polishing it with a special aluminium polish. but this leaves a black glow. when i'm ready with the polish i am thinking of wetsanding it with 2500. that is the only way i am able to get rid of the black glow.

someone also told me that you must not pololish in rounds on aluminium but with the fiber of the aluminium.

all ideas are welcome

[48Rob]

JB,

You can use mineral spirits, or a diluted vinegar/water solution to clean the black off the aluminum.
Painting it is the easiest way to maintain it...

On a couple trailers that were just mill finish aluminum, I found that Westleys Bleche White tire cleaner did a good job of keeping the aluminum clean.

If you are trying to maintain a polished surface, you can use wax to extend the shine a little, but in reality, the aluminum oxidizes very fast and to keep it looking very shiny you'll need to re-polish each year (Just the final smallest grit).


Rob