polishing stainless steal?

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Any suggestion for polishing stainless steal? new place I'm moving into has huge stainless counters that are swirl city I think I'll have to replace them if I can't polish them out.... I've never polished stainless before lol
thanks

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If I were you, I would find a DeLorean Forum and see what they use? Not sure you can remove swirls that easily in SS. I have seen companies make SS in elevators more presentable perhaps call a local elevator company and see if they can help you out.
 
This is the stuff:
Kitchen Cleaners | Kitchen Cleaning Products | Bar Keepers Friend

available at most grocery stores in the cleaners aisle

edit: I don't know how it will do for swirls but it's cheap enough to try and is an excellent cleaner for stainless. Try a paddle brush with green scotch brite pads with this cleaner, or just try by hand with a green scotch brite pad on a sanding block. It's goning to take some elbow grease no matter what.

(also just remembered an episode of wheeler dealers where they restored a Delorean and hired a pro to do the stainless. Might be some tips in that episode if you can find a video of it online).
 
Years ago Kevin Brown did a post over on MOL about polishing stainless steel trim on a 57 Chevy Belair. Most people would have removed the trim and used buffing wheels on a bench type buffer with some buffing compound . Kevin used M105 and it turned out great. You would have thought he sent the trim out and had it plated. Just might try this since most have M105 in our arsenal.
http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forum...eel-WOW!&highlight=kevin+brown+stainless+trim.

Who would of thought that M105 and a da could produce this type of results ?

Made a correction. I originally posted Chevy Nomad. It was actually a 57 Belair. Sorry.
 
Paul, do you suppose that technique would work with stainless steel that has a linear scratch pattern of texture to start with? Since Jsmooth is talking about SS in a kitchen application, many times the SS used there has a linear scratch pattern rather than glossy (can't tell for sure from the photo in the OP).
 
For me polishing scratches or marring in any metal with the exception of aluminum, is not and easy task and requires specialized buffers, pads, wheels and polishes. Something that I would leave up to the pro's ( I know the OP is not looking to do this)

That said I do think that you can make it look better with some work on it, but I wouldn't get my expectations up on getting a new looking finish.
 
Not sure what this process would do to the counters that the OP has in mind but heck before reading the post by Kevin, I would have thought the only way to get the results he did was a Baldor type buffer and sisal wheel and buffing compound. Sometimes one has to think outside the box. If it can be done or at least improved upon then great. If not then lesson learned. Just my opinion I guess.
 
LS6 said:
Paul, do you suppose that technique would work with stainless steel that has a linear scratch pattern of texture to start with? Since Jsmooth is talking about SS in a kitchen application, many times the SS used there has a linear scratch pattern rather than glossy (can't tell for sure from the photo in the OP).
Click to expand...

I would say polishing with a da and compound would only produce a polished or mirror finish on any SS. For the brushed look afterwards another step would be required. IMO.
 
LS6 said:
This is the stuff:
Kitchen Cleaners | Kitchen Cleaning Products | Bar Keepers Friend

available at most grocery stores in the cleaners aisle

edit: I don't know how it will do for swirls but it's cheap enough to try and is an excellent cleaner for stainless. Try a paddle brush with green scotch brite pads with this cleaner, or just try by hand with a green scotch brite pad on a sanding block. It's goning to take some elbow grease no matter what.

(also just remembered an episode of wheeler dealers where they restored a Delorean and hired a pro to do the stainless. Might be some tips in that episode if you can find a video of it online).
Click to expand...

Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't recall cars in the 50's using stainless steel for trim. Where I do think the work that Kevin did was impressive that wasn't stainless steel.

As I remember that was thin plated chrome or aluminum, those accent strips where dinged pretty easy, of which SS doesn't ding all that easy.

Anyone else?
 
I had a '56 Chevrolet, worked on many cars of those years as a kid at my Dad's shop, and all those strips looked like they were chromed. If you watched any of the reality shows that do restorations, all those parts get taken to the Chrome Shop to get re-chromed all the time.
If this car you are speaking of (the '57 Chev in the megs forum post) did indeed have stainless steel trim, it had to be added on, Im thinking..
Dan F
 
Stokdgs said:
I had a '56 Chevrolet, worked on many cars of those years as a kid at my Dad's shop, and all those strips looked like they were chromed. If you watched any of the reality shows that do restorations, all those parts get taken to the Chrome Shop to get re-chromed all the time.
If this car you are speaking of (the '57 Chev in the megs forum post) did indeed have stainless steel trim, it had to be added on, Im thinking..
Dan F
Click to expand...

Dan,

Thanks, I was pretty sure that the trim was chrome and not SS. Again that's not saying it couldn't be replaced with SS, but that seems unlikely to me.

yes I was speaking of the Megs link provide above
 
Beemerboy said:
Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't recall cars in the 50's using stainless steel for trim. Where I do think the work that Kevin did was impressive that wasn't stainless steel.

As I remember that was thin plated chrome or aluminum, those accent strips where dinged pretty easy, of which SS doesn't ding all that easy.

Anyone else?
Click to expand...

Please check a few automotive restoration sites and you will find all of GM's line-up had stainless steel trim. This included windshield trim. There are quite a few shops specializing in the restoring of trim and will tell you if you plate the trim it would not be judged as original. It can be polished to look like chrome but it is not.

Here is a company that specializes in restoring 55-57 Chev stainless steel trim classicstainlessshop.com A googgle search of stainless steel trim restoration will show a bunch of shops offering this service.
 
Paul S said:
Please check a few automotive restoration sites and you will find all of GM's line-up had stainless steel trim. This included windshield trim. There are quite a few shops specializing in the restoring of trim and will tell you if you plate the trim it would not be judged as original. It can be polished to look like chrome but it is not.

Here is a company that specializes in restoring 55-57 Chev stainless steel trim classicstainlessshop.com A googgle search of stainless steel trim restoration will show a bunch of shops offering this service.
Click to expand...


Thanks and as I said the OEM parts where not SS so an after market as this one might have been was.

I was willing to be corrected and again thanks:D
 
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Mothers PowerMetal Scratch Removing Polish is made to eliminate imperfections on polished aluminum and stainless steel surfaces. Beyond just cleaning metals, Mothers PowerMetal Scratch Removing Polish actually removes scratches to restore a smooth, uniform appearance.

Mothers PowerMetal Scratch Removing Polish is made to work best with the Mother PowerBall Mini MD.

what about this?
 
Beemerboy said:
Thanks and as I said the OEM parts where not SS so an after market as this one might have been was.

I was willing to be corrected and again thanks:D
Click to expand...


On my 72 Buick GS, I have stainless trim along with aluminum trim and of course chrome. Most all GM brands back in the day used stainless. Usually the higher end models, meaning Olds, Buick and Caddy had/used more stainless than the entry level brands which used aluminum or adonized(sp?) trim. It was just the way it was done.
 
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