Polishing stainless steel?

36tudordeluxe

36tudordeluxe

Well-known member
I have a vintage car clock that has minor pitting in the SS bezel, can pitting be removed by polishing or will the pits always be visible? Can SS be chromed?
 
start with 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper, use soapy water and sand down to remove pits, then use finer sand paper until the last light sanding is with 2000 to 3000 thousand grit and then polish to a shine
 
There should be something in the archives on this. Be sure to order the correct buffing compounds from a vendor that specializes in buffing compounds, don't go with the one type does all from the local hardware store.

Charlie Stephens
 
Charlie Stephens said:
There should be something in the archives on this. Be sure to order the correct buffing compounds from a vendor that specializes in buffing compounds, don't go with the one type does all from the local hardware store.

Charlie Stephens
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Charlie, got all the pads and compounds from EASTWOOD, never tried to polish anything with pits in it before.
 
If you have pits in the bezel, then you do not have stainless steel. Your bezel like most is chromed steel stamping. Stainless steel can be chrome plated. I had a 1964 Lincoln that had chromed stainless steel.
 
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V12Bill said:
If you have pits in the bezel, then you do not have stainless steel. Your bezel like most is chromed steel stamping. Stainless steel can be chrome plated. I had a 1964 Lincoln that had chromed stainless steel.
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What Bill said, your part has to be chrome plated steel if it has pits.
 
What I do know is that I can't pick up the bezel with a magnet. I was able to remove the pits with sanding, can you remove pits from chrome by sanding?
 
Does brass react to a magnet like SS because I still have no reaction to the magnet but after sanding and in daylight I do see a yellow tinge to the bezel now?
 

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Pits are holes and the only way to get rid of them is to lower the surrounding surface until even with the hole (same is true for scratches). Sanding and buffing both remove material to lower the surrounding surface, but if the hole is too deep eventually there is no material left to remove.

So, the answer depends on how deep the pits are.
 
36tudordeluxe said:
Does brass react to a magnet like SS because I still have no reaction to the magnet but after sanding and in daylight I do see a yellow tinge to the bezel now?
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If you sanded until you hit brass, I think you're not working with stainless steel. Stainless isn't used to plate things.

You may be working with chrome or nickel plate.

Oh, and neither brass nor stainless are magnetic.
 
Under the "more ways than one to skin a cat" files
Following up (but Less work and grits of paper required) than alanthewoodieman's post, Depending on the surface of the stainless steel, I start with 80g then 180g then 320g on my DA sander grey rouge on the first buff and white rouge on the finish buff and comes out just fine. Starting at 400g and working up to 2000 to 3000 seems like a lot of work and a lot of paper. I use no water or soap on the sandpaper and it comes out just fine!!! On SS bolts, I either file the cast marks off the head or turn them in my lathe. If I turn them and DA the heads while spinning in the lathe you almost don't have to polish them.
 
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