How do I get the fine scratches out of stainless?

[Taco03]

I`m new to the forum and find it informative and interesting. I enjoy detailing my own vehicles and have done a few others for friends and neighbors. I do have a PC and a regular buffer.

I have tubular running boards on my `03 Toyota Tacoma. I tried to get them cleaned and shiny by using regular chrome polish but found that was the wrong thing to do. Living in New England we get a lot of sand and salt on the roads so I won`t be polishing of the stainless any time too soon but will accept any suggestions to the proper method and products to shine it up.

Thanks in advance.
Greg > Taco03

[Bill D]

I recently worked on a similar project on my `89 Cadillac. The lower door interior door frames have nice polished stainless steel strips. I unscrewed the strips, cleaned the surrounding areas with a steamer and some all purpose cleaner and then polished the strips with a cotton polishing wheel mounted to a drill using a stick of jeweler`s rogue.( both availalbe from a good hardware store). The strips shined better instantly. I believe I could`ve used a slightly more aggressive rogue to try to remove the scratches in the steel strips but I left well enough alone. The strips gleam nicely and I followed up by using the Klasse twins on them. I remounted them and wow, what a nice touch! They were in very good shape to begin with too.

Maybe give the cotton wheel on the drill with rogue trick a shot.

Hope this helps.

[mtmaher1]

If you have a regular buffer with a 5/8 arbor i assume? -- Then you should be able to buy polishing wheels at any chrome shop or truck stop along with the jewlers rouge already mentioned. It works better than the drill method and isn`t any more expensive if you already own a rotarty.

[Taco03]

Thanks to Bill D. and mtmaher1 for the tips. I have the jewelers rogue already and also have a polisher with the 5/8 shaft. It sounds like a pretty easy task but with the usual elbow grease. Right now we`re waiting on a big blizzard here in Mass. so I won`t be working on the running boards any time too soon.

I hope to post pictures of my truck that is almost totally covered by road salt. I crindge every time I look at it. I had a good base of wax on it so it will hopefully clean up well in the spring.

Again thanks!! :bigups

[NYV6Coupe]

If you`ve got an old-school auto parts store near by, see if you can find metal wadding. It comes in a metal can smaller than a #16 can & it always worked very well on bumpers & other chrome so perhaps it`d do the trick on SS parts.