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Filling porousity in aluminum. #1718386
12/31/14 09:00 AM
12/31/14 09:00 AM
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MI, Lapeer
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maximus Offline OP
super stock
maximus  Offline OP
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MI, Lapeer
I have some perfect condition vintage Super Trick wheels that I would like to polish, the problem is they have some spots of porousity from the casting process. Does anybody have any idea of a filler that can be used to hide these holes when polished? Something that would shine up would be nice. They are less than 1/32" in diameter, but look like black spots when the rim is polished.

Re: Filling porousity in aluminum. [Re: maximus] #1718387
12/31/14 11:53 AM
12/31/14 11:53 AM
Joined: Oct 2005
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Ontario, Canada
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Stanton Offline
Don't question me!
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?? I thought Super Tricks were the original "Spun" wheel, not cast ??

Other than having them filled with a tig weld I think you'll be out of luck finding a filler that will polish up and be unnoticeable. "Devcon F" is an aluminum epoxy filler.

Re: Filling porousity in aluminum. [Re: Stanton] #1718388
12/31/14 09:38 PM
12/31/14 09:38 PM
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Posts: 957
MI, Lapeer
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maximus Offline OP
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They are spun aluminum, but these are from the 1960's when I guess they used a lower grade aluminum to have porousity in the surface finish after they were turned. These looked they came out of the box this way. Polishing them makes the black holes show up a little more.

Re: Filling porousity in aluminum. [Re: maximus] #1718389
12/31/14 09:44 PM
12/31/14 09:44 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 104,346
Garden Grove, CA
OzHemi Offline
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Garden Grove, CA
I have had hundreds and hundreds of aluminum wheels polished...by a professional polishing shop. Out of all those I have had a few done that I have welded up either small holes, or what not in. You can usually seem to see a faint outline of where the welding was done even after polishing. Even though they are pin holes now, once you grind them out with a die grinder and tig weld in..it'll be slightly larger of course.

I've had a bunch of valve covers polished too that were 60's or 70's era cast aluminum ones with the poor casting and porosity issues as well..never bothered trying to fill the areas and just left them as is since it was sort of just how they were. (and wasn't worth the cost to try and fix them all)

The same goes for porous areas in some old 5 slot wheels (Ansen, US Mag, etc, etc) just have left them as is as well. Did weld up holes that had been drilled for slicks before in Centerlines and some Welds and as mentioned those slightly showed through in some cases at least.

I use an excellent polisher and he can usually get out most pitting/porous areas on older stuff but the little that does hang around I have always just left. (don't leave any buffing compound behind though and won't have the black spots that way)

Re: Filling porousity in aluminum. [Re: OzHemi] #1718390
12/31/14 11:00 PM
12/31/14 11:00 PM
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 9,826
MI, usa
dvw Online content
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MI, usa
Just leave them they'll look great going down the track. My 200S are the same way. The back pair went to 80 grit they were so pitted.
Doug

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