Posts: 3,798
Threads: 184
Joined: Jun 2012
Location: Farmington Hills, Michigan
I use the maroon 7447 pads for that sort of thing. They hold up well to the acid etch (unlike steel wool).
Ed: Aluminum can be challenging to paint. It definitely needs to be roughed up to give the paint something to bite into, but it also needs to be scrupulously clean. That's what the metal prep does. I normally apply primer/filler to the bare metal, sanding between coats until the scratches are filled, then paint.
Tom
Posts: 32
Threads: 2
Joined: Jul 2012
Location: Oak Harbor, WA
Todd-
Cut your scotch-brite pad to fit a palm sander, conserve your elbow grease for important things like your favorite beverage afterwards.
Ed-
The best results I've had with aluminum came from using Aluma-Prep, followed by Alodine coating before priming. If you don't need industrial quantities (expensive!), West Systems makes a small kit with both treatments in the kit. Use the prep first and rinse immediately; the water should run off in sheets. Follow with the orange alodine using a clean paper towel and rinse. Give it an hour to dry and harden, and prime. The alodine is orange so you can see where you missed with the prep.
Regards,
Bob
bobm4360, proud to be a member of MetalworkingFun since Jul 2012.