How to polish anodized aluminum?

I'm looking to polish my luggage rack and I think the rails are anodized aluminum. I've tried hand polishing with aluminum polish and it really doesn't do much. Do I need to remove the anodize before it can be polished, if so how?

If want to polish it you will have to remove the anodizing. Now there are two ways to look at it. One is now that you have removed the anodizing the aluminum will require alot of up keep (i.e. polishing reguarly) to maintain the bright shine you want, since there is no protection on it. Second is to find a reputable anodizing shop that does bright dip, pay to have them done, and get another few decades out them looking good. Also to add to the first there are some polished aluminum sealers that would still need to applied reguarly to minimize the effects of oxidation.

If you want a correct and lasting finish, take it to one of the trim restoration guys on this site, or to a shop that does anodizing near you.

I'm not familiar with the luggage racks but I'd be making sure they are aluminum before doing anything ... magnet ??? Could they be stainless ? What they are will determine how you need to finish them.

They're definetely aluminum, stainless would polish right up. I'd like to get them re-anodized but I'm figuring it would really be costly since the rails are 7' long each. Anyone have an idea of cost? Is there a way to safely strip them at home so I can just polish them. It's going on a driver therefore I'm trying to keep costs down wherever possible.

In the past, I have used cheapy oven cleaner (made with Lye) to remove anodizing....

Might be an option

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but I'm figuring it would really be costly since the rails are 7' long each

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Most shops have a minimum charge anyway, around here it's $100.. So its not likely to cost much more whether they're 1' or 7'. Furthermore, what's the harn in asking?!?