Polishing Chrome

[grifff]

Was wondering if anyone had some good tips on polishing minor scratches on chrome parts. I have some Meguairs machine glaze polish and a foam polishing pad for fine polishing. Pad and glaze are for fine polishing for clear coat. Was thinking about trying it out on chrome. If anyone has some good tips i would like to hear emm thxs.

Griff

[morticiaann]

polishing chrome

I used to polish with Mequairs and a pad. I have much better luck with a buffing wheel. These are $5.99 at Sears and will last a really long time. I used the red colored one to polish clear laquer with success.

[mixelpix]

clear coat? buffing wheels? clear lacquer? what should I polish with what? and how?

I've got a '79 xs 400f and 1100sf (full touring package - I even almost have the cycle sound unit back together - whip cord and all) and I am not sure where to begin with the bodywork. I've just been washing off road grime with some soap and water up until now - simple green for the tougher stuff.

The 1100 is a recent acquisition and I've taken the 400 apart so many times I haven't been thinking about making it look good too. fwiw, i never polish or wax my p.o.s. truck so all this is new to me. What can I say? I'm a bachelor...

Mostly I would love to know a good way of cleaning my engine block w/o taking it apart, tools and techniques. Once it's clean, how to polish it and with what, what to wax it with and how to keep it shiny. Some of the engine covers have been replaced with what look like midnight special parts - they are black. All I know is to dry them off if they get wet, but not how to care for them preventatively.

I just moved into a new place and am getting DSL this weekend so I'll be reading up in the archives, but if anyone has some simple guidelines and suggestions I'll buy you a beer the next time you're in NoCal.

Thanks!

Patrick "It's been a long time since high school shop class" Kennedy

[morticiaann]

polishing

Buffer Put your buffing wheels on one of these. Start shining the parts, one by one. You'll get the hang of it.

[mixelpix]

that looks just about perfect. I know where I'm heading on my lunch break today...

thanks!

-pdk

[thumperjsa]

What are the negatives of using something more abrasive?

I tried using a dremel tool and buffing pads along with red polish. My forks and front wheel is so cruddy, that it makes no impact. I found some pads at for the dremel with are like round scrubby pads. I tested it on the lower forks and wheel (only outer part, not black part) and it gets all of the crud off. Then I took some blue metal polish and it shined it up real nice.

Some questions:

Is it wrong to do it this way?

I am looking at a problem down the road?

Do I need to apply anything on the forks or the wheel afterwards like clear coat?

If so, any recommendations of where to get the stuff?