Did I ruin my steering wheel?

[I<3flippyheadlights]

Well I decided to see if I could polish my Nardi steering wheel. Its a Nardi Classic in the brushed aluminum and I want it shiny instead. I have never polished anything in my life and I'm wondering if I'm doing this correctly. Started on the back first and going from there. Any advice would be awesome.


Front of the wheel
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7319/8734274270_43525a950b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/79355344@N03/8734274270/)
WP_000217 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/79355344@N03/8734274270/) by I&lt;3flippyheadlights (http://www.flickr.com/people/79355344@N03/), on Flickr

Back of the wheel
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7299/8734274216_e0bcc301ce_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/79355344@N03/8734274216/)
WP_000218 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/79355344@N03/8734274216/) by I&lt;3flippyheadlights (http://www.flickr.com/people/79355344@N03/), on Flickr

Am I on the right track? Btw, this was a while ago and I don't remember what sand paper I used. I'll need a refresher.

[Andy]

To my knowledge sand paper can be used along with a metal polish.

[wannafbody]

I'd skip the sandpaper, I think it's a lot of work to remove the sanding marks. I've seen nice results from using the 2 step polishes from Wenol.

[I<3flippyheadlights]

Will a two step polisher be able to take off the brushed aluminum? That's why I thought you use sand paper and polish.

[Agent☣Orange]

Maybe use a headlight restoration kit that uses your drill along with spraying a little water, i.e. wet sanding.

[DK Wolf]

the brushed look is dope man. Keep it

[RetroModern]

you need to use a relatively rough sandpaper like 600 grit to get 90% of the marks off the metal. Then you need to go progressively finer and finer until the surface beads water. After that, you need a polishing compound to bring out the shine and luster. Afterwards, brush on clear lacquer to seal it in. i would normally say clear anodize it but that would kill the leather.

[I<3flippyheadlights]

Hmmm.


Dk, all the other stuff in my car is polished. I figure it would need to match. Or I could just paint it.

For sand paper, what should I use?

Edit: just saw RM's post. Thanks. I believe that is what I did. Is it turning out well?

[smac]

Depending on what type of Nardi it is it may have an anodized finish, I know my old one did so I had to use a fairly coarse sand paper to get that off first, then basically did what RM described above until I got a finish I was happy with.

[Phatmiata]

Your wheel is already somewhat smooth, try using 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, then polish with a Mothers Power Cone, or Polish Ball.

http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/images/media/product_variations/872/blowups/ued2fnkz.jpg

It's really a pain to keep the shine up though, I would seal it like Ken suggested.

Would be nice if Nardi would make a polished version again, I would buy one right now.

[I<3flippyheadlights]

What should I cover the leather with while shining it? I don't want to ruin it even more.

[Demon I Am]

green or blue painter's tape