# Polishing a stem?



## foggypeake (Sep 11, 2005)

So I finally bought a Litespeed stem to complement my 1998 Classic. Can anyone provide some specific guidance to polish the stem to match my bright polished finish on my Classic? What materials and polishes would be needed? Any other advice?

Thank you for your input.


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## pcxmbfj (Nov 11, 2002)

*Polishing stem*

You could give Litespeed a call or email and ask about their factory method. The brush finish is pretty easy. Polishing is as much art as science so google is a good tool also. Look at "polish" "polish titanium" and other iterations. I have an ongoing project with a DuraAce crank that has me investing in polishing wheels, various polishings compounds, wet sanding paper, and Dremel wheels.
Patience seems to be the primary requirement.


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## cyclust (Sep 8, 2004)

Several years ago I polished up a Cinelli ti stem. I simply clamped it in an old fork, then clamped the fork in a vise and went at it with scotchbrite, then wetsanded it with up to 1200 grit paper, then polishing compounds, all the way down to a rouge jewelry compound. I bet I had 5 or 7 hours of work in it, but when I was done, I could have shaved in that finish!


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## cpcritter (Sep 24, 2008)

*Polishing Ti*

This past summer I polished a new Erickson seat post to match my Ultimate frame. I used an electric drill with a buffing wheel and polishing compounds. What nice about doing small parts like the stem or seat post you can take your time and not feel over whelmed. Keep in mind, Ti is very hard so it will take time. Just start with the brute force of the buffing wheel and once you have a decent shine do the remainder by hand. Be careful not to let the drill slip into the peice as it will gouge the part and damage it beyond polishing repair.


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