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[a/s] Hand Polish experiments and conclusions...



Hi All.... For what it's worth....
 
I bought a couple of packages of "Scotch Brite" Surface Conditioning Pads and am using them on the heavy corroded areas.... The light gray #7448 (Ultra Fine) cuts the corrosion but leaves fine scratches.... The white #7445 takes the scratches off to a semi mirror (buff) shine and uniform surface....(Source J&L Industrial Supply)
 
Scott Rags in a Box seem to work about as well as anything and I have been using them to apply and rub out the polish....(finish up with terry towel... )
 
Sams Wholesale Club is a source of Terry towels.  (And Scott Rags in a Box)
 
The Lava Heavy Duty towels in the red plastic can, removes the black from your hands about as well as anything and does not seem hard on the skin....(Also from Sams)
 
Conclusions...
 
If the polish can says don't let the polish dry... it means just that....
 
When the can says use a clean rag to finish buff, it does not mean a clean spot on the polish rag... use another rag...and finish with a clean rag....
 
Trying to polish away the corrosion is a great waste of time... Using something to get the corrosion off and then taking a couple of less aggressive steps to get to where you start to polish is much less time consuming....
 
Don't start the job unless you have some Tylenol or other pain killer on hand to get to sleep the first or second night....Of course if you polish all the time... no problem...
 
Some of the worst corrosion seemed to be where a dent (like a hailstone ding) was located and I suspect that the dent contributed to the problem... ( I guess this means keep your dings coated and clean  )
 
Partial polish looks worse to me than the unpolished... I think you have to be committed to finish the whole job and have a lot of time that you can devote to the project....Not necessarily all at once, but some each day that weather and other duties permit....I think the better part of a month would be a fair estimate on time required....
 
I'm about 25% done and really like the results....
 
Good Luck
 
Jim Clark