Recommend a polish for Stainless Steel
- Thread starter cptzippy
- Start date
Accumulator
Well-known member
captzippy- Heh heh, I think mine might be ever worse than yours, has been since I bought the car new.
A member here hotrod66paul directed me to a video that Kevin Brown has posted over at Meguiar's OnLine about using M105 for this. I haven't checked it out yet, but I bet it's worth finding.
A member here hotrod66paul directed me to a video that Kevin Brown has posted over at Meguiar's OnLine about using M105 for this. I haven't checked it out yet, but I bet it's worth finding.
togwt
The Old Grey Whistle Test
Custom blended polish to suit every metal polishing application. Metal polish for aluminium, silver, brass, chrome, stainless steel, copper or bronze - English Custom Polishing (ECP)
Stainless steel
• Aluminium Oxide - for chrome and stainless and is used to remove bluing from exhaust pipes, as well as general polishing.
• Stainless Steel (coarse) - 400 grit finish to a reasonable mirror finish, for weathered or oxidized aluminium
• Stainless Steel (fine) - an excellent second cut for producing a finer finish on stainless steel
• Showman’s Blend stainless and aluminium finish polish
Stainless steel
• Aluminium Oxide - for chrome and stainless and is used to remove bluing from exhaust pipes, as well as general polishing.
• Stainless Steel (coarse) - 400 grit finish to a reasonable mirror finish, for weathered or oxidized aluminium
• Stainless Steel (fine) - an excellent second cut for producing a finer finish on stainless steel
• Showman’s Blend stainless and aluminium finish polish
Ron Ketcham
Active member
I do a ton of restoration of 50, 60 and 70's car trim.
Most are stainless.
Only one that I can recommend unless you take the trim off and have a dedicated dual wheel buffer with the correct wheels and such.
It is Mother's, they have two versions and offer a special foam ball wheel with the more agressive one in a kit.
Check out their website to look at both.
It will not do quite a good as if you could remove the trim and have the correct professional buffer set up, but will do as good as you could ever expect.
Grumpy
Most are stainless.
Only one that I can recommend unless you take the trim off and have a dedicated dual wheel buffer with the correct wheels and such.
It is Mother's, they have two versions and offer a special foam ball wheel with the more agressive one in a kit.
Check out their website to look at both.
It will not do quite a good as if you could remove the trim and have the correct professional buffer set up, but will do as good as you could ever expect.
Grumpy
Accumulator
Well-known member
MDRX8- The Flitz is good stuff, but it won't make a dent in that kind of marring on the Jag windscreen surround.
Ron Ketcham- If the trim on my Jag ever ends up coming off the car, it'll be on its way to you.
Ron Ketcham- If the trim on my Jag ever ends up coming off the car, it'll be on its way to you.
Ron Ketcham
Active member
You got it!
Did the rear window trim for a 57 Chevy 2 door station wagon this morning.
Two and half hours for that sucker.
Some idiot former owner, did not remove it before they started doing a DA sanding with 80 grit to get the car ready for a cheap repaint.
The trim peice is not available from reproduction companies, so it had to be saved.
Lot of sanding, three different grit, then on to the big wheels, and a final with Mother's.
Just like new, thankfully there were no dents in it.
Dents are not always able to be totally removed from stainless trims without some special tools I don't have.
I use the English Polishing's special wheels and their stick rouges, but their Show polish, while good, I have found the Mother's to be quicker and produce the same finish.
Grumpy
Did the rear window trim for a 57 Chevy 2 door station wagon this morning.
Two and half hours for that sucker.
Some idiot former owner, did not remove it before they started doing a DA sanding with 80 grit to get the car ready for a cheap repaint.
The trim peice is not available from reproduction companies, so it had to be saved.
Lot of sanding, three different grit, then on to the big wheels, and a final with Mother's.
Just like new, thankfully there were no dents in it.
Dents are not always able to be totally removed from stainless trims without some special tools I don't have.
I use the English Polishing's special wheels and their stick rouges, but their Show polish, while good, I have found the Mother's to be quicker and produce the same finish.
Grumpy
Accumulator
Well-known member
Ron Ketcham- I only have the "basic assortment" of by-hand polishes from English. Gotta say I'm kinda underwhelmed by 'em.
Ya know...2 1/2 hrs doesn't sound like all *that* long for a tricky piece of trim, at least to this guy who probably wastes a lot of time figuring out how to do stuff :think:
Ya know...2 1/2 hrs doesn't sound like all *that* long for a tricky piece of trim, at least to this guy who probably wastes a lot of time figuring out how to do stuff :think:
Ron Ketcham
Active member
You really need the long shaft buffer, mounted on a good stand with their wheels to get things right.
Plus, know which way to hold the part against the wheel or it goes flying across the room or worse, flies up and hits you in the head.
I look at it like I do buffing paint with a rotary to remove some defects vs using a DA.
If you got the time and patience, the work can be done, like with their hand polishes.
However, "getter done!" and do it right, so I do it with the tools that are meant to do the job, whatever it is.
Grumpy
Plus, know which way to hold the part against the wheel or it goes flying across the room or worse, flies up and hits you in the head.
I look at it like I do buffing paint with a rotary to remove some defects vs using a DA.
If you got the time and patience, the work can be done, like with their hand polishes.
However, "getter done!" and do it right, so I do it with the tools that are meant to do the job, whatever it is.
Grumpy
Accumulator
Well-known member
Ron Ketcham- Yeah, my dad had 4-sided wheeled setup with...oh what where they 
...maybe Baldor?...buffers and grinders mounted on it. Really nice for stuff like that, another piece of equipment that I wish I'd kept hold of.
...maybe Baldor?...buffers and grinders mounted on it. Really nice for stuff like that, another piece of equipment that I wish I'd kept hold of.Ron Ketcham
Active member
That's the one, they have a kit that has the yellow power ball included.
If things work out, you may wish to get the mag/aluminum polish as well for a final step.
Grumpy
If things work out, you may wish to get the mag/aluminum polish as well for a final step.
Grumpy
Ron Ketcham
Active member
Accumulator said:Ron Ketcham- Yeah, my dad had 4-sided wheeled setup with...oh what where they
Baldor was the make of the motor, a great, possible the best electric motor made.
Grumpy
forrest@mothers
Serious no BS kinda guy
cptzippy said:
That's the polish, but you need the aggressive foamed tool to go with it:
Mothers® PowerBall Mini MD®
Accumulator
Well-known member
Ron Ketcham said:
Yeah, that would've been it. Baldor motors and home-brewed everything else. The whole contraption was cobbled together by some old-timer (probably in the mid-40s) that my dad knew as a four-station, all-in-one polishing/grinding setup. I was an idiot to let that go :wall
Ron Ketcham
Active member
You are going after scratches in a very, very hard surface.
Your DA pads are not agressive enough.
Without seeing your subject stainless, would almost bet that some sanding is going to be required first if any scraches are visable.
That's where the more agressive foam used in that particular foam power ball comes into play.
After you sand with 220, then 600 to 1000 and a final of 2000, (sounds pretty agressive doesn't it) you can start the "polishing" process.
And, that my friend is not a quick process either, even with the power ball.
Grumpy
Your DA pads are not agressive enough.
Without seeing your subject stainless, would almost bet that some sanding is going to be required first if any scraches are visable.
That's where the more agressive foam used in that particular foam power ball comes into play.
After you sand with 220, then 600 to 1000 and a final of 2000, (sounds pretty agressive doesn't it) you can start the "polishing" process.
And, that my friend is not a quick process either, even with the power ball.
Grumpy