Polishing a bike frame can make it look very shiny if you take the time to thoroughly polish it. When you are polishing it, your goal should be to remove any nicks, scratches or other imperfections as any of these will make it look dull.
Instructions
1. Wash the frame of your bike with a soft towel, liquid dish washing detergent and a water hose to remove dirt. Let the frame dry completely.
2. Put a big piece of cardboard on the ground to protect the frame from being scratched by the concrete. You need to polish the bike frame in a shady area. Put the bike on the cardboard. Secure it using the kickstand and wheel chocks or blocks.
3. Tape off any areas that aren't going to be polished using masking tape. If the area is large, such as a tire, use plastic bags to cover the area.
4. Take off any unwanted paint from the frame using paint thinner. Pour paint thinner onto a towel and wipe the frame. You should work from top to bottom when you do this. Rinse the frame off and allow it to dry.
5. Sand the frame using an orbital sander and wet 320-grit sandpaper. The sandpaper and the frame must stay wet the entire time you are sanding. This process is called graduated wet sanding. Turn the frame as you work so you can sand all of the frame. Continue to wet sand the frame using 400-grit sandpaper, then 600-grit sandpaper, followed by 800-grit sandpaper, 1200-grit sandpaper and finish up with 2000-grit sandpaper. As the grit number gets higher, the size of scratches it causes will get smaller. By the time you finish with the 2000-grit sandpaper, the frame will resemble glass or chrome.
6. Buff the frame using a flannel cloth. This will shine the frame even more and this will remove finger prints and smudges.
7. Remove the masking tape and plastic bags. Dispose of them properly.
