lshlsh2

I have a 71 supreme conv. I am going to try and polish the stainless trim. I know it will take a long time. Are there any good books or tips out there?

The trim is in good shape maybe a few dings but straight. The car is a driver so it doesn't have to be perfect.

Thanks Larry

Bluevista

You can make stainless look like new, not that hard once you get the hang of it. I never did any major amount before and did all the trim for my Vista, just takes practice and patience. By the time I was finished I got pretty good, then I had to go back and do the first pieces I did again because they didn't look too good anymore. Where heavy gloves and eye protection, hold on tight, learn the wheel and where to apply pressure and how or you'll end up making pretzels when the pieces get caught and twist around the shaft, missiles if they get loose. Make sure there is nothing around, like the car, to be damaged just in case.
I use a dual shaft buffing motor on an iron pedestal for the cutting and polishing. The pedestal is nice becuse you need lots of room for long pieces and a bench mount doesn't allow enough.
I get my buffs and compounds from Caswell Plating. They know there stuff and have a free buffing guide you can download and a forum for any questions or comments.
Here's their buffing guide and you can also dowload the full guide from their site, good guys and they have great customer service.

http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/buffman.htm


Here's the old article I used for guidance the first time I tried repairing and polishing stainless trim, surprised it was online. I have the tattered issue of Street Rodder it was in originally that I reference.


SAVE THAT STAINLESS!

SAVE THAT STAINLESS!

WITH SOME HOME-MADE TOOLS AND A LITTLE PATIENCE YOU CAN REPAIR THIS PRECIOUS METAL

BY FRANK ODDO – STREET RODDER/MAY 1976

Thanks to an English metallurgist by the name of Brearley, who in 1916 patented a cutlery steel containing 0.70% carbon and 16% chromium, the automotive world gained a metal that for all practical purposes is forever.

It’s true. Stainless steel alloys resist attack from atmospheric corrosion, organic solutions, hot or cold acids and scaling at elevated temperatures. That’s why so many pieces of exterior body trim were stamped from the external metal back in the days when automobile manufacturing was a craft and not a copout. Alas ,the classics are a thing of the past, and now that costs are prohibitive, painted plastics have taken the place of the beautiful rustless alloys.

Unfortunately thought, even stainless will accumulate a lot of dimples and dents during 30 to 50 years of exposure to road hazards. But hold on, here’s some good news. Stainless automotive trim can be worked cold like mild steel…even with the simplest of hand tools as Phil King demonstrated for us a few weeks back.

So don’t so spending big bucks for a new pair of headlights rims or side trim. At least not until you’ve tried your hand at repairing those items you already have.



1. Picking and dinging hammers are useful for bumping out small dents and imperfections. But maybe you won’t be doing very much – so make your own out of a broken screwdriver blade and a pair of Vise Grips. Both a blunt and a sharp point is desirable. Any smooth chunk of metal, aluminum or harder, will serve as a general purpose dolly.
2. The trick to this kind of metal work is to always know where your high and low spots are. And for that you will need a “guide coat.” Just spray a little primer inside and out.
3. …and lightly sand it off with 320 wet – or –dry paper.
4. Once the exact parameters of the dents are located you can proceed to “pick” them out. Work from the inside out.
5. Use the blunt end until you bring the dents down to several smaller ones, then pick in the specific spots. Hit the dent right on the high spot with no more force than the weight of the tool affords.
6. Don’t spend too much time on a dent without shooting another guide coat. It makes it easier to see what you are getting accomplished. Thin stainless “works” easily, but it is more prone to cracking if you pound it too much. (And it doesn’t take heat well.)
7. Sears, and most hardware stores, carry inexpensive buffing wheels and polishing compounds. White rouge works nicely on stainless steel and brings it to a bright luster. Do not apply too much rouge to wheel…
8. …nor too much pressure on the piece. If you do, when the wheel gets hot, the rouge will stick to it and make a gummy mess.
9. But hey, with a little patience (which is easy when you enjoy what you are doing ), you can often bring back a piece of stainless trim you might have thought was a lost cause.

lshlsh2

Wow thanks

I learned about the gummy mess the hard way already hence the post.

Larry

My442

You can do it, but:

It can be dangerous to you and your parts.

A must is heavy leather gloves and a face shield.

If the wheel catches your part, it will hurt the part and could injure you.

Ask me how I know.........