Concerns about polishing one piece axles

[thewalrus]

My daughter's pinewood derby kit has a couple one piece axles - a front and back- instead of the more normal four axles that I grew up with (and it seems everyone else on these boards tends to have). So there isn't the normal burr to remove, etc. Looking at the two axles they looks pretty good out of the kit - better than I remember the 4 typical axles I grew up with. My question is are you always better off polishing? I bought all the stuff I needed (multiple grades of wetdry sandpapaer and polish) - but the axles look pretty smooth. I guess I'm worried I could mess up something that doesn't need to be fixed. My other/related concern is these are one piece axles as I mentioned, each holding two wheels. So after I polish one side I have to turn it around and put it in the chuck while I polish the other - so I worry about adding imperfections in that process.

Related - can I polish using a drill to hold the axle? My father loaned me I guess what would be called a small lathe. It can hold the more typical axle in the chuck but these axles are a bit thicker than the typical axles and don't fit. Any advice there?

I bought the DD4H oil, wheel polishing kit, etc. and need to get started on this quickly so any help is appreciated.

 

[pony express]

I think the lathe might be deep enough to hold the middle of the axle allowing you to polish both ends without damage to the ends. I bet that's why your father suggested it.
If it looks smooth alraedy you can start at 1500 to even 3000 start and finish with with John's polish. If you 're afraid it looks great now I'd start with John's polish. The end products is what's important. Polishing is still advised on all axles no matter how good they look.

 

[Chief]

Look at the axle under magnification. That will give you a better indication of what step you should start with.

 

[thewalrus]

If it looks smooth alraedy you can start at 1500 to even 3000 start and finish with with John's polish. If you 're afraid it looks great now I'd start with John's polish. The end products is what's important. Polishing is still advised on all axles no matter how good they look.

Thanks. I appreciate the response and I will polish. If you happen know what the best substitute is to the blue can John suggests in the DVD can you PM me? Seems that is a critical part of the polishing/oil process, but since that part has changed I'm a little lost there.

 

[thewalrus]

Look at the axle under magnification. That will give you a better indication of what step you should start with.

Thanks. I looked at it under magnification last night and thought it looked good. Someone more experienced than me may disagree with that, but I didn't notice any issues.

 

[ngyoung]

I have read people have cut the axle in two. You could wrap the ends in a cloth to protect it from the chuck also. For axles without crimps I don't think it hurts to start at 800-1k grit. Even starting at 400 for just a few seconds won't be an issue. The downside of over polishing is reducing the diameter. As smooth as it is now, you will see the difference once you're done polishing.

 

[Kinser Racing]

Dupont Chain saver is the exact formula as the blue can.