polishing bolts

[ATCcountryboy]

I am restoring my big red 250 and I was wondering how I make the bolts look clean and new?

[jb2wheels]

Well, my methods aren't correct (no zinc plating) but...

I used to hit them with a wire brush or wire wheel in the drill then paint with Duplicolor engine/hi-temp clear paint.

Now, I hit them with glass beads in my blast cabinet and then paint them.

Maybe someday I'll look into the zinc plating. A tumbler might be neat to use, too.

[another owner]

You could just go on ebay and buy a Nut/Bolt/Dowel set for i think 60ish bucks.

[jeswinehart]

The nut + bolt kits I have bought on ebay suck, cheap material, half of what you need NO matter how they advertise them, just plain suck IMO.
I have made several tumbler type devices for various projects from raffle trike ticket drawing at TrikeFest meets to nuts + bolts and washer tumbler, rotational mold type of tumbler to my latest addition for mixing resins and secondary finnish on one of my products that some times needs additional material added and spun again for a couple of hours.
http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthread.php/123478-Has-anyone-ever-used-a-thumbler-to-polish-small-aluminum-parts?highlight=parts+tumbler
Yes, a tumbler is perfect for those small parts that are just way too time consuming and hard to hang onto to for wheel and/or sand blast
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d4AFaPsZws

[fire1]

you might check in your area for someone thats does zinc plating.Its not very costly they normally charge by the pound.Also eastwood co sell a do it yourself zinc plating kit that looks like it would be okay for small jobs.