Harbor Freight sells a buffer/grinder that is a knock off of a Baldor buffer ( around $60.00). I bought one and took off the grinder wheel and guard and put on another buffer pad (different grit)...

It's a good investment. Just make sure you get, or build, a stout base that will allow you to gyrate around when buffing stuff.

Get some good sticks (black, brown are what I use mostly) and get a good pair of heavy leather gloves, like welding gloves...but not so long a cuff. Your stuff will get real hot polishing it out.

Never mix sticks and pads (I mark my pads by writing the color stick on the side with a Magic Marker).

Grind your stuff as smooth as you can, and then sand it with ever finer grits....

Do most of your prep work fith a fine sandpaper ( 600 to 1000 grit) before you go at it with the buffer...

Make a bolt holder for bolt ends.

ALWAYS wear your safety glasses... You will get good at shooting stuff all over the shop.

Last step after it is shiny the way you want it is to put a pad on that is a wax only pad... And then wax and polish it out..

Then I would polish it by hand using DWG (Dry WashnGuard).
I know there is catalyzed 2 part polishing stuff (Zoop's), but DWG leaves a nice surface that doesn't dull out or tarnish up. I like it for all my stuff.

Here's a pic of a little aluminum line clamp I made for running my tail light wires inside a polished stainless steel tube. You can see the raw stock to finished part here... Not hard to do at all...

Hope it helps... Get buffing!
Jeff

QUOTE]Originally posted by BlownGoat
Gonna be polishing my motor plates to tryin get them to a mirror finish,any suggestions as to what the best compond to use for this would be?

and is it possible to do by hand or should i invest in a buffer?

BG [/QUOTE]