Adding the bling factor is one of my goals on the Kitfox.



I’ve been buffing the aluminum hinges, control columns, and other items just to give it some shine.



I decided to tackle the Grove landing gear. The gear came from the factory with a dull aluminum finish that looks like someone sanded it with a DA sander and 120 grit. Little tiny circle scratches the size of BB’s cover the surface.


The spring gear is a bit like wrestling a truck bumper so holding it up to a buffing wheel was not in the cards for me. I clamped it down to a padded saw horse with a wood workers double screw clamp to prevent scratches and pulled out the Makita. The Makita is a large variable speed angled sander grinder that can swing a 12 inch diameter buffing wheel. It’s powerful and can make short workof most buffing projects.



After an hour of prep sanding with 600 grit and another hour hanging on to the Makita I had a somewhat shiny but not perfect landing gear along with black smudges on my cheeks and nose. My hands were black and so were my clothes and the shop apron.


A close inspection of the gear reveals the surface still has those little tiny circles from the factory. The scratches are not deep but the landing gear is extremely hard. At this point I’m looking at a starting the process over with the wet sanding or throwing in the towel and letting the pros do it.


This may be a case where a trip to the plating shop may be in order. I think I’ll let some gorilla that does this every day tackle the job and I’ll just write a check.


John Pitkin