polish stainless steel

[1979mc]

I'd like to get my top bed molding polished on my 87 El Camino over the winter. Does anyone know who does this type of thing? I've researched it and it is a bit more difficult to do than I thought.
Thanks

Its actually very easy. you can get everything you need from the hardware store. heres a list that should help.
1. 6in. bench grinder/polisher get a decent one or it will bog down when used
2. 6in. polishing wheels
3. rouge for stainless. i found the blue for initial cut then white for shine
4. powder lye(drain cleaner)
5. a big plastic tub
6. 6in. pvc with cap long enough to fit the longest piece of trim and have it submerged in water.

If you have the anodized aluminum trim clean of any paint overspray or silicone to get down to the surface. then place it in the tub or pvc and fill with water. take back out of the water and add 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of powdered lye to the water. mix around and then put the trim back in the water/lye mixture. make sure it is in a ventilated area. keep a eye on the trim. I keep most pieces in the water for about 30 minutes mabye a little longer. the trim will bubble and do back flips in the water if the lye is working correctly. after you take out of the water rinse the trim off(it will have a black film on it.) Dry the trim and now your ready to polish. You will see that alot of the scratches and little nicks will just disappear after the lye bath.

If you have Stainless Steel trim or older aluminum trim that is not anodized you can skip the lye step and start polishing.

I don't have a pic of the right polishing wheel but i'll post one. the wheel i have on there is too soft and takes forever to polish. oh i almost forgot..............make sure you where a mask the dust and fuzz from the wheel will mess up your nose for days..

 

[bustedknuckles]

Ive worked in a machine shop for years and the only stainless that i have come across that has any magnetic properties is 303 and it just barely holds a magnet. 303 doesnt shine like other stainless i have seen either, its more like a cold rolled steel (low carbon) its just a cheaper grade stainless mixture. [/list][/url][/i]

 

[supercrackerbox]

At the facility I work in, our spec sheets list 409 SS for most of what we make. Whether it actually is or not, I don't actually know, but it is all highly magnetic.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I will weigh in with the ghetto fab way of doing this if you have lots of time and not lots of money. This is basically the same thing a pro shop will do, but you can do it with LOTS of elbow grease. First, get some 600 grit wet or dry sand paper and sand the trim until all the deep scratches are gone. Next, repeat with 1,000 grit, then 2,000. Finally, get a cotton buffing wheel for your drill from Harbor Freight and some Mother's Mag Wheel polish. Put the polish on the trim piece and polish with the drill. The results are very good if you do it right. I just did my lock cylinders today and they came out beautiful. I have been meaning to do a tutorial on this and put it in my build thread. I took pics today, and will upload them when I have time if anyone wants to see what I did.

BTW, didn't know that about the oven cleaner! I will have to try it on a junk piece of trim and see how well it comes out.

 

[1979mc]

I will weigh in with the ghetto fab way of doing this if you have lots of time and not lots of money. This is basically the same thing a pro shop will do, but you can do it with LOTS of elbow grease. First, get some 600 grit wet or dry sand paper and sand the trim until all the deep scratches are gone. Next, repeat with 1,000 grit, then 2,000. Finally, get a cotton buffing wheel for your drill from Harbor Freight and some Mother's Mag Wheel polish. Put the polish on the trim piece and polish with the drill. The results are very good if you do it right. I just did my lock cylinders today and they came out beautiful. I have been meaning to do a tutorial on this and put it in my build thread. I took pics today, and will upload them when I have time if anyone wants to see what I did.

BTW, didn't know that about the oven cleaner! I will have to try it on a junk piece of trim and see how well it comes out.

i tried your way on anodized trim and it takes forever. if you go back up to my post and read it. its pretty much the same thing as yours with no sanding. the lye eats the anodized layer off removing any scratches along with it. your way will work good with older stainless and aluminum trim that is not anodized because if you dont sand every last bit of the anodized off it will not polish out right.BTW, i tried the oven cleaner. it sucks and takes forever. oven cleaner has the same chemical as lye. try my way and i promise you will never do it your way again, unless you like countless hours of unnessessary sanding.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Well, I wasn't saying you should do that with anodized trim! I was posting that in reference to the original question which was about stainless steel. Sanding down anodized trim in an act in either futility, self loathing or excruciating boredom! I tried it on a small piece and decided not to do it. All I do with the anodized stuff is clean it up a bit with 2,000 grit and call it a day. I don't try to go through the anodizing as it protects the metal from oxidation that my laziness won't permit me to polish off on a regular basis.

 

[1979mc]

Well, I wasn't saying you should do that with anodized trim! I was posting that in reference to the original question which was about stainless steel. Sanding down anodized trim in an act in either futility, self loathing or excruciating boredom! I tried it on a small piece and decided not to do it. All I do with the anodized stuff is clean it up a bit with 2,000 grit and call it a day. I don't try to go through the anodizing as it protects the metal from oxidation that my laziness won't permit me to polish off on a regular basis.

YEAH THAT THE ONLY BAD PART ABOUT IT. BUT ONCE YOU DO IT THE FIRST TIME IT POLISHES PRETTY NICE WITH A BUFFER.