Scratch Removal

[Guest docter fox]

I'd say there will be some at newark but that would be the end of the week I think they may have put a card in the pack last time so I'll check the garage tomorrow for the number as i think they do mail order if you can't find some locally

 

Jaffer, any other clues or are you keeping us in suspense?

[Guest Jaffer]

.... Doc, there is no big secret! We run a small plastic injection moulding company and have our own toolroom. So my work involves production engineering, mechanical engineering and toolmaking.

 

Paul, the stuff we use on tool steel was too aggressive for the stainless when I tried it last night, scratched more than Autosol. I have a polishing kit from Frost at home which proved more successful and that has the 'standard' grey, green and blue compounds. To be effective these really need to be used used on various mops etc. I would have thought a liquid polish or compound may be easier to use by hand... I have never used it, but G3 compound is quite fine I think [not sure how suitable it would be tho' ! ]

 

I doubt its something I would bother with, polishing, especially large areas by hand, is a pain-in-the-@rse! [Nan may help you tho'! ]

 

Let us know how you get on!

 

Jaff

[Big Jim]

Jim, you prove yourself wrong in your own sentence  "it's ok on a small area" - that means it will polish - "it's difficult to get it looking the same" - that's probably because it was polished a different way at manufacturer, the obvious answer is to polish the whole bonnet instead of just a small piece 

salty, you're talking "theory" again!

 

First of all, the shine on the RH stainless has not been polished on, it was rolled on during manufacture at the steel mill, this type of cosmetic stainless has as much ferrous (that's ordinary iron stuff) in it as stainless, and thus you can get the mirror finish. (try a magnet, proper stainless isn't magnetic)

Now to keep that mirror finish, it's treated with a protective coating, so there is the clear film on it.

(Get an off-cut and put some heat to it, you'll see the film go brown and burn up)

so, before you can repolish the affected area, you have to remove the film coating first, to try and do it on an area like a panel or bonnet, would make it look like a ploughed field.

The stainless that you're on about for polishing up, is better quality stainless, without any coating, and is the type normally used for hygenic work surfaces, yes, this would polish up.

If the bonnet is too bad to live with, then it's either buy a new one, or spray it. then you're into surface preparation, and once more this bloody film comes into play again.

Personally, I would shoot the wife & Granny, and buy a new bonnet with the money from the will /insurance.

[Guest Handlebars]

Before I moved up here to Blackpool, I worked for 16 years in a mould polishing firm. Autosol is great if you use a buffing wheel. Something finer would be better suited for polishing by hand. Mirror finishing a roof mould for a Transit hi-cube. Tedious doesn't come close.

[Guest Jaffer]

Personally, I would shoot the wife & Granny, and buy a new bonnet with the money from the will /insurance.

 

 

This was an option we hadn't even considered Jim... would work tho'!

[Guest salty_monk]

What about removing the film with heat before attacking it with the polisher? (Just going on from Jim's comment about being able to see it burn above).

 

Would that work?

 

Of course shotgun on the Granny would work too

[Guest Mike G]

You might think this is bonkers, but if you have a baby in the family the chances are there is a bottle of Johnson's baby oil around. I was put onto this by a kitchen fitter, who recommended that we use it on our newly fitted s/s S oven, sink etc. Worked a treat! So tried it on my Exmo, and it polished up with no effort, leaving none of the usual smears and streaks that polishes do.

 

Can't guarantee that it will solve your problem, but it certainly wont do any harm to try and might camouflage the problem.

 

Cheers

Mike G

[Guest vacinc]

polish it with car polish, ( any apart from T-cut ) it will take the bad look of it, and fill in the scratches, yes i does work

[Snapperpaul]

Reading the the thread to this point and then looking at the splits and abrasions in the plastic coating on the scuttle top and the sides of the car, i am in fear of what i might find.

 

Bought the car part started, it had been laying around since 1997.

 

With the transparent coating on the stainless, is the only option to use the windowleen and if more needed try the car polish?

 

Is the ultimate answer ( expensive that it will be ) a paint job and if so how do you prepare the stainless if it has that protective plastic coating