How to polish pinewood derby axles

How to polish pinewood derby axles begins with FIRST YOU HAVE TO WET SAND YOUR AXLES!!!!! Follow that link to learn more.  You have to wet sand.  Dry sandpaper will just not do the job properly.   After you have wet sanded your axles, get that mirror polish with this compound.   Pinewood Derby Axle Diamond Polishing Compound will bring that mirror finish to wet sanded axles.  Use a drill and provided clean t-shirts strips to bring those axles to a mirror finish. More than enough to do a dozen axles. 1 gram of 2 micron heavy concentration diamond polish. We use it on our axles!

White t-shirt Strips are provided. Also, anti-rust strip to make sure that your axles don’t rust while in storage. No need to go and tear up that old t-shirt. We provided 2× strips for all your needs.

For the highest possible shine, finish with a Pinewood Derby Axle Diamond Polishing Compound.  Our proprietary blend of heavy concentration diamond paste ensures that you will have the best possible shine and not a bunch of wax with nothing in it.  Be aware of knock-offs on auction sites.  You will be getting a bunch of wax and no polishing concentrates.  You get what you pay for.

How to polish pinewood derby axles

How to use the paste. Always were safety glasses!

1. Use a drill attached to a solid surface. No Dremels!  The RPM is too high and will burn your polishing compound. I do not like drill press because the approach is incorrect and you run the chance of injuring yourself. Also, drill press usually has more HP than a hand drill and it can hurt you if you run into any problems.
2. Chuck an axle into the tool. You want to have the all the sanded portion of the axle exposed plus a little bit of the factory plating to ensure complete polish surface.
3. Apply a small dab of polish to the provided cotton strips.
4. Polish the axle for about 15 seconds or so. Pay special attention to the underside of the axle head and the about 1⁄2″ of the shaft underneath the head of the axle. Compound will cause a darkish/blackish residue on the cotton strip. This is normal.
5. Use a clean part of the strip to buff off the residue until there it no longer discolors the strip
6. Clean the axles with rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol and then dry. We suggest to seal the metal to ensure that there will be no rusting at a later date. Remember you have removed the plating, no you have a raw polished steel axle. Use the provided anti-rust paper to help eliminate rust if you do not have a sealant.