Bead blasting the valve cover...

[Power-stricken]

I am all for the clean and simple look in the engine bay. Most of the parts I have are all a satin metal color. I was wondering what type of a finish bead blasting the cover would give. Can I get fine enough beads so that it polishes the metal?

Any ideas?

[twenty5Psi]

dremel my friend..polishing wheel and a dremel..

[95'Eclipse]

Glass beading will give you a brushed aluminum look which will be dull. You can clear coat it to give it some shine and make it easier to clean however it will not look like smooth polished metal.
In order to get a polished look you will need a wire wheel and some scotchbrite. You can use a dremel, a wire wheel on a bench grinder will be much faster. Its tough to get a nice evenly polished look, but it can be done. You would be better off glass beading and powder coating it.
Hope this helps.

[Power-stricken]

Seems like a daunting task with a dremel tool. All those little edges and corners could be hard to polish evenly. I'm thinking I'll cover the red letters with tape, bead blast it, and clear coat.

Thanks for the advice

[Defiant]

For a satiny finish, glass-bead blast it, then blast it again with crushed walnut shells. Then polish up the lettering with a Dremel or the like.