Polishing for Aerospace Finishes
Mirka rotary, orbital and cordless polishers, Polarshine compounds from coarse cut to finishing wax, and the foam, wool and felt pads that go with them. Pick the polisher, then match the compound and pad to the finish you need.
Engine Inlet Cowl Polishing: 36 Hours Down to an Estimated 8
A long grit progression plus oil and paste became a shorter Mirka sequence: sand 240 through 4000, polish with a yellow wool pad, finish with Polarshine 10. The customer saves time and labor with a better finished appearance.
- 36 hrsOriginal process
- 8 hrsEstimated Mirka process
- 78%Less estimated time
Mirka Rotary, Orbital and Cordless Polishers
The electric POLAROS RP 600X 6" rotary polisher for professional use, pneumatic two-handed orbital polishers with a 12 mm orbit, a 3" angled polisher and palm buffer for small areas, and the ARP-B300 cordless rotary kit with two batteries and a charger.
Polarshine, From Coarse Cut to Finishing Wax
Start with the grit you sanded to and the surface you are polishing. The table runs from the coarsest, fastest cutting compound down to the finishing wax, in Mirka's own words. Sizes and starting prices are the current catalog.
| Compound | Cut | What it is for | Sizes | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Polarshine 45 | Coarse, fast cutting | Removes sanding scratches from P600 and finer. Hard surfaces and coatings; one-step on white and light gel coat, follow with Polarshine 10 on dark colors. | 250 mL, 1 L, 2.8 L, 17 L | from $32.18 | View |
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Polarshine 35 | Coarse | Demanding industrial and marine work: gel coats, high gloss lacquers, composites. Minimizes sanding steps; emulsifying properties reduce drying out or overheating. | 250 mL, 1 L, 5 L, 17 L | from $29.22 | View |
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Polarshine 20 | Medium-coarse | Scratch removal on fresh and soft clear coats. Excellent cut, very high gloss. Use Polarshine 5 as the last step on dark colors. | 1 L | from $96.62 | View |
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Polarshine 15 | Cutting | Polishes scratches out rather than covering them. Fresh and established paintwork, machine application. Store 41 to 95 F, keep from freezing. | 1 L | from $50.06 | View |
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Polarshine 12 | One-step | Water-based, silicone-free. Removes scratches from P2000 or finer with a balance of haze and hologram versus speed of cut. | 1 L, 5 L | from $68.94 | View |
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Polarshine 12 Black | One-step, dark surfaces | Removes P2000-and-finer scratches on industrial paints, hologram-free deep gloss. For dark surfaces and composites: gel coat, high gloss lacquers, exposed carbon fiber. | 1 L | from $74.50 | View |
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Polarshine 10 | Medium-coarse, single compound system | All paint systems and scratch resistant clear coats. Keeps surface temperature low and removes marks permanently. Machine or hand. | 250 mL, 1 L, 5 L | from $34.78 | View |
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Polarshine 8 | One-step, OEM | With Polarstar SR finessing discs, a well-balanced aggressivity and very high gloss in 2K and 1K clear coats and topcoats. | 1 L | from $91.06 | View |
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Polarshine 5 | Medium-fine | Removes holograms and sanding marks after P2500 and finer. Silicone free, machine or hand. | 1 L | from $108.10 | View |
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Polarshine 3 Antistatic Wax | Ultra-fine, finishing | Protects a high gloss finish, buffs and seals, removes holograms. Contains carnauba wax; machine or hand. | 1 L | from $52.64 | View |
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Polarshine E3 Glass | Glass | Polishes out scratches on most glass surfaces. Silicone-free. Use with the white felt pad. | 1 L | from $69.52 | View |
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PRO Iridium 1250 | One-step with Iridium SR | Removes spot-sanding scratches from Mirka Iridium SR and leaves a glossy finish in a single step with Mirka PRO pads. | 1 L | from $63.76 | View |
Foam, Wool and Felt Pads, Matched to the Compound
Waffle foam by color: yellow for medium cut, orange for soft clear coats, black for hologram removal, burgundy for hard coatings. Twisted wool and lambswool for the coarser compounds, white felt for glass. Each card lists the Polarshine grades Mirka pairs it with.
Backup Pads for Each Polisher
Grip backup pads sized to the POLAROS and the 3" pneumatic polishers, plus a 7.875" pad for buffing. The 3" pads ship as the standard pad on the MROP-312TH, MRAP-30 and MR-30.
Polishing a Part You Need to Get Right?
Tell us the alloy, the starting surface and the finish you need. We will lay out the grit sequence, pad and compound, and build the stocking plan behind it.
Contact Our Specialists Sanding Lineup Aerospace Surface Prep