Hand polishing stainless steel

Chickenstrip

All these flavours and you choose to be salty
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Does anyone have experience with hand polishing stainless steel?

I need to polish up a mod by hand. The curves don't allow for machine polishing and I don't own a Dremel. My drill has also grown legs so I'd prefer to do this by hand.

Do you have any recommendations on what polish to use. What grit sandpaper - and where to find it? Or if you don't recommend sandpaper do you know what would be a better fit?

Or even if you know where I can send something to be polished for a reasonable price.

Thanks for help in advance!
 
Crocus paper or cloth for finishing and a few gallons of elbow grease would probably be for your final polish. Don't know who you can get the elbow grease from.
There may be better suggestions to come.
Good luck.
 
Crocus paper or cloth for finishing and a few gallons of elbow grease would probably be for your final polish. Don't know who you can get the elbow grease from.
There may be better suggestions to come.
Good luck.

Thanks stew.
 
Start with 600-800 gritt water paper and work your way up to about 4000grit. Stopping here would be OK. Using water and soap like sunlight dishwasher,go at it. Wipe occasionally and continue with same or lighter grit till your happy with the finish.
If the article has reasonably deep scratches start wit 320 -400 gritt and work your way up to 4k. And then use am Inox cream and finally a car polish.
Good luck!
 
Get a straight rod (six inch or so nail with head cut off) Hold in drilling machine. Wrap a strip of masking tape around the working end of the rod in same direction as rotation of drilling machine. Cut your crocus paper in strips the same width as masking tape.
Lift end of masking tape and insert Crocus paper.
Wind the strip on to the rod.
Hold device onto wrapped Crocus paper so it doesn't unravel. Set drilling machine on slow speed and start it.
Manoeuvre device or Crocus paper to polish all areas.
You can stop every now and again to tear of the worn out end of the Crocus paper.
 
Get a straight rod (six inch or so nail with head cut off) Hold in drilling machine. Wrap a strip of masking tape around the working end of the rod in same direction as rotation of drilling machine. Cut your crocus paper in strips the same width as masking tape.
Lift end of masking tape and insert Crocus paper.
Wind the strip on to the rod.
Hold device onto wrapped Crocus paper so it doesn't unravel. Set drilling machine on slow speed and start it.
Manoeuvre device or Crocus paper to polish all areas.
You can stop every now and again to tear of the worn out end of the Crocus paper.


Sadly I don't have any power tools to assist with the job.

@Resistance where can I find high grit sandpaper? I'd like to go up to around 7k as that should give a mirror finish. But where would I find such paper?
 
@Chickenstrip before you try any power tools or dremels etc... do yourself a favour and get some Mothers Mag and Aluminium Polish and a soft rag and give it a go. I started with a Dremel and Power tools and getting a perfect shine without marks is really difficult. Elbow grease with a rag and Mothers does wonders.

Here is the before and after just using a rag and Mothers!
Stratum OG Before 3.jpg Stratum OG After 1.jpg
 
Sadly I don't have any power tools to assist with the job.

@Resistance where can I find high grit sandpaper? I'd like to go up to around 7k as that should give a mirror finish. But where would I find such paper?
Remember if you rub two of the same grade water paper together brand new you will fine them down even more.
 
@Chickenstrip before you try any power tools or dremels etc... do yourself a favour and get some Mothers Mag and Aluminium Polish and a soft rag and give it a go. I started with a Dremel and Power tools and getting a perfect shine without marks is really difficult. Elbow grease with a rag and Mothers does wonders.

Here is the before and after just using a rag and Mothers!
View attachment 202084 View attachment 202083

This looks like the way to go! Its very minor abrasion on the stainless section of the mod so those results are beyond expectations. Where can I pick this gem up? In cape town were somewhat limited to builders warehouse. At least, I am... I don't know many hardware stores.
 
Not sure where it can be found in SA... I order from Amazon... but if you can't find it any metal polish should do...
 
Sadly I don't have any power tools to assist with the job.

@Resistance where can I find high grit sandpaper? I'd like to go up to around 7k as that should give a mirror finish. But where would I find such paper?

Certain Brights hardwares. Any car paint supplier, Midas, AutoZone etc but a car paint supplier will have most of what your looking for in one place.
You'll get higher than 7k there as well and they will have a range of buffing creams too.
 
Certain Brights hardwares. Any car paint supplier, Midas, AutoZone etc but a car paint supplier will have most of what your looking for in one place.
You'll get higher than 7k there as well and they will have a range of buffing creams too.

Great! I'll try a rag and polish first and I'll only resort to sandpaper if I don't come right. Definitely going to post some before and after pics.
 
Not sure where it can be found in SA... I order from Amazon... but if you can't find it any metal polish should do...
Do you think silvo (Brasso for silver) May do the trick?

And also, the mod has a little atty rash, do you think the silvo might polish off the serial number that sits on the 510 area?
 
Do you think silvo (Brasso for silver) May do the trick?

And also, the mod has a little atty rash, do you think the silvo might polish off the serial number that sits on the 510 area?

It should work to a degree and worth trying but the special stainless steel polish you can get at a hardware store should work better...

It depends on how deep the engraving of the serial number is... the Dvarw's engraving is very shallow and they will eventually rub away (I have polished mine twice and I can still ready the text no problem).
 
It should work to a degree and worth trying but the special stainless steel polish you can get at a hardware store should work better...

It depends on how deep the engraving of the serial number is... the Dvarw's engraving is very shallow and they will eventually rub away (I have polished mine twice and I can still ready the text no problem).

I will search around for stainless steel polish then. I'd rather do it right the first time :)
 
I have always used Autosol metal polish for stainless steel. It's been around for almost 100 years (the company) and is sold all over the world. You can find it at car spares shops like Midas or Autozone.

upload_2020-7-23_0-30-32.jpeg
 
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