For any newbies, who haven’t done a barrel paint removal/polish before…
Here is a visual guide.
Did it on my BBC.
The original silver paint was tarnished, and coming off…
The grey-ish primer is exposed underneath.
You need to get the paint and primer off.
Use wet/dry sandpaper under the tap, i used 600 to remove, and 1200 to finish.
Paint comes off easily, primer takes longer.
Perserverence is rewarded, at the polishing stage…
half and half.
Half original paint, half polished.
When sanding, use strokes in one direction only, ie lengthwise down the barrel, back and forwards. Try to avoid using circumferential strokes. If you must for hard areas, go over again backwards / forwards lengthwise.
This helps to hide scratches.
600 to remove, 1200 to get a smooth finish. it will not look pretty at this stage.
