[projconv]

Anyone know a good place to get stainless polished?

[Tim john]

Tar Heel Parts out of Pa. Look them up on the web. EXCELLENT service and top quality components to do this yourself. I buy all my polishing supplies through them. They also offer polshing service, again excellent quality work.

Tim john---

[Cammer-6]

I like doing stainless as once you get the hang of it,its very rewarding to do.
if you do small pieces,be careful,as the bench type buffers will grab it out of your hand and launch it clear across the garage(ask me how I know).

[67 455 Bird ragtop]

Originally Posted by Cammer-6

I like doing stainless as once you get the hang of it,its very rewarding to do.
if you do small pieces,be careful,as the bench type buffers will grab it out of your hand and launch it clear across the garage(ask me how I know).

ummm how do you know ???

[FASTASSBIRD]

Originally Posted by 67 455 Bird ragtop

ummm how do you know ???

I second that................

[My442]

I third it.

Polishing with a high speed wheel is downright dangerous.

You will:

1. Damage a part to no return

2. Injure yourself

3. All of the above

A job best left to the professionals.

[PMD1969]

Do it yourself. I have had great success with sandpaper, paper towels and Blue Magic Cream.

Just clean the part with Dawn and wipe dry. Sand down any places that have scratches. The deep places I started with 600 and worked my way up to 2000. After that use at least two applications of Blue magic and LOTS of elbow grease yields great results.

The best is that the cream is not an abrasive and will leave some patina behind but a very nice finish.

[My442]

You can get GOOD results.

You will never get the finish to be as good as a pro does it.

[rohrt]

I bought a eastwood buffing kit and was able to use a old 1/3 hp sump pump motor to do mine.

No real skill needed. It would take some work to mess things up, at least it would with my 1/3 hp motor.

Deep scratches require sanding first before buffing.
Holding in one spot to long will heat up quickly
make sure you have a good grip on what you work on.

[Tim john]

Do not let your thin stainless steel parts heat up to change colors (blue) for that is almost to a point of no return. The thin stainless heats up real fast so be aware and keep moving along. If you decide to use a bench type buffer masking tape the piece on both ends to a long board, buff the center section, re-tape and then buff this area, using the long board as a gripping source. Keep in mind that with any buffing pad, wheel, felt bob, etc...you have a "cutting" direction and you have a " buffing" direction, you will find out real quick which direction cut's and which one buff's (for the shine will appear much quicker), the cutitng direction will yield a cloudy finish. Use a Black Ebony compound for Stainlees steel then a jewlers white paste for final buff. I have done this a 1,000 + times with mirror like results.

Tim john---

[GregL]

Is there anyone out here on the West Coast that offers this service?

[Firebob]

There are places out here that polish. My buddy had all his trim on his Firebird done. Not cheap because it's all labor. I was looking for somebody to do some alum polishing for me some time back and one guy suggested going to the nearest truck stop and looking out back for the guy with no teeth in a camper or motor home. He said be prepared to stay until it's done cause you definitely don't want to leave without your parts.

[Cammer-6]

perhaps Ive scared a few away from trying a DIY.

Let me first say that Ive polished thousands of lineal ft of stainless,everything from side moldings, 67 GTO rocker moldings,tons of windshield molding.
Its only when I got in a hurry and didnt use my holding fixture that a mishap happened.
I have a stand that I made out of 4 inch pipe,and a truck wheel and tire,that can be rolled outside to polish.
Also make sure you wear a respirator and have no loose clothing.
I use masking tape and tape up my sleeves on an old flannel shirt that is my buffing apparel.

[projconv]

OK i am more looking for company's that polish,been using d&t polishing they do an excellent job of removing dents and polishing they charge 15.00 a foot,i was looking for comparison work,i don't think i want to try and do it myself, some things are better left to a professional.

[Tim john]

McNichols Anodizing out of Detroit, Michigan also does an excellent job of polishing stainless trim. I have used them on several ocassions for aluminum anodizing and have seen their polishing work, first rate for sure. Give them a call for your needs. Mike is the owners name.

Tim john---

[Kurt S]

GM chrome plated all their stainless trim. That's the first (clear) layer that you go thru when buffing a part.
It adds the bluish tint and keeps it from oxidizing.