Polishing Wheels

Specifically 0000 steel wool.
If it's really bad start out with 000 grade then finish with 0000 and aluminum polish.
It's a real pain in the a** to polish them.

IF I had the will to disassemble the hub and the spare cash I'd powder coat instead.
 
Thanks gents I’ll give the steel wool and polish paste a try. I like the brushed aluminum look so I’ll pas on the powder coating even though I know it is more easy to maintain.
 
I'd heard that you shouldn't use steel wool as it would embed in the aluminum and result in some rusting, but based on the number of cap'ns using that method here I guess I'll give it a try. I've been using one of those green pot scrubber type pads.

I've tried several of the wonder wheel polish compounds out there, including most lately the purple stuff, and I've concluded it's more about elbow grease than any magic formula.

If powder coating I've heard that you have to pull the wheel bearings to avoid damaging them from heat.
 
I ended up using the same green pads and it actually needed to bite the metal a bit more to remove all the defects that i have. It did dull the finish of the wheel and therefore I want to slick the finish up a bit more to prevent an early relapse of the grime build up.

I expect that the steel wool might embed a bit but with the following polishing steps I have in mind that it will be gone and not be an issue. I hope.