I got some old valve covers and an air cleaner that need some attention. Anyone got a formula for some good home brewed or store bought polish? Thanks,
I don't have any particular polish as a favorite, however I do like to use 0000 steel wool as an applicator. good luck, Mike.
Try a product called No.7 Chrome & Metal Polish it used to be made by Dupount but now dist. by Cyclo Industries pretty good stuff not as good as the orginal formula but better than most out there . my .02
I use the polish I bought from our very own "polisher" and liked it a lot. He has one formulation for heat that works well. Steve's an alliance vendor, also offers a HAMB discount, an online "how to" booklet, and great service! http://www.englishcustompolishing.com/
I like the old DuPont Heavy Duty Chrome Polish (looks and works amazingly like the bottle and polish that TurtleWax sells now). It'll take light rust off and not scratch the chrome. I think Semi Chrome is great fot aluminum, but seems to dull chrome a little.
I sometimes use the Mothers Mag Wheel Cleaner/Polish in the small jar. Not the best for everything, but it will do some pretty good cleaning. May take several applications.....acts kind of like brasso, you get a rag full of black each time, but the item keeps getting more shiny. Have found that you can take a dull grey metal item, and with enough applications of Mothers, that thing will look just like chrome. For example, I did the hood latch, those metal clamps attached to the firewall where lines and wires come thru, and the piece that holds the coil...the loop around it. The spark plug wire loom below the coil is covered by chrome tape. Link to view.
Back in the 60's and 70's we used Lacquer thinner and rubbing compound on a soft rag .The thinner helped the compound to cut the heavy grime. Then finish with a clean cloth.
Polisher would tell you something like; anything harsher than distilled water will remove some of the very thin chrome layer (mere microns) and don't use anything called "polish" because they are all "liquid sandpaper" and speed up the destruction of your chrome.
The stuff in the tub that is bright blue. May be called Blue Magic as mentioned above. Stinks to high heaven but brought back the shine on the 50s vintage headlights on the '32. I really like to polish chrome, send them over! : )
All that stuff is crap. Polisher's is the real deal. In his booklet, he explains that you need polish that's targeted to whatever material you intend to polish. What works best on aluminum won't work best on chrome, and vice-versa. Or stainless, or brass, or copper, nickle, or whatever. Some of the more agressive polishes contain ammonia and anhydrous solvents that are not good for your shiney stuff over the long haul. Buy your polish from http://www.englishcustompolishing.com/ like Ken said.
If the condition is such that you are tempted to use 0000 steel wool, don't. A better choice would be bronze wool, available at boat supply houses.
NEVR DUL AVAILABLE AT GROCERY STORES AND SOME AUTOPART STORES. Learned about it in the AIr Force, military issue.
MEGUIARS MAG AND ALUMINUM POLISH GREAT ON CHROME AND ALL METALS!!!! I work for Meguiars, haha. It really is great stuff though.