Hey Larry, you luck duck! You can have all my snow! I really could use some better weather so I could continue my bike work!
Morganfrmn, I won't pretend to be an expert on polishing. This is my first attempt and I can tell that I still have a lot to learn. Honestly, things look much better in the photos than they do in person.
As for the "tool" that I'm using I'm just using my 3/4HP bench grinder. I removed the grinding wheels and placed some 6" cotton pads on it. From what I can tell is this should be equivalent to a 3/4HP buffer, but it doesn't have the longer shafts that give you more space between the wheel and the motor. It really hasn't been much of a problem though.
So, my polishing technique has been this so far. Start by ensuring all the clear coat has been removed! It just makes a real mess if you don't. For the timing covers I had to really sand a huge amount first to get the corrosion off before I began buffing. That took forever. The carb parts were not so bad so I just buffed those.
I began using the black stick as it's the most aggressive. I learned not to put the stick on the wheel for very long - just about a second only. Just enough to get some on the wheel. Any more and you're just throwing it away! Then, buff, buff, buff. After I get it shiney with the black I moved on to the Red stick to try and take out the small scratches. Then, finished off with white.
I realized I'll not get the Sunnbob finish with my quick shine buffing. But they look 100 times better than when I started. Plus, I already planned on buffing again in the fall so it didn't have to be perfect this time. Just "Good Enough" for the moment. My main goal is to get the bike rebuilt. I'm not trying to take shortcuts though, just trying to keep certain things in perspective as to how much of a priority they are.
One final note. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO POLISH INSIDE YOUR HOUSE! You will regret it! Buffing really is an increadably dirty job! You will end up looking like you just came out of a coal mine or a fire! The clothes you wear had better be disposable. You DONT want to put them in your clothes washer. I did and it left a horrible gookie film that was a real pain to clean up. And be sure to wear safety goggles! You will get polishing dust in your eyes and that's not fun! Oh, and be sure to wear some rubber gloves or else you'll have black hands for a week.
Do you know what it's like to fall in the mud and get kicked, in the head, by an iron boot? Of course you don't--no one does--that never happens. - Capt. Rex Kramer
'78 Honda GL1000 GoldWing
'86 Honda CMX450C Rebel