"Dan_Musicant" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:57:09 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:
:
:"Dan_Musicant" wrote in message
.. .
: On Tue, 30 Oct 2007 22:03:19 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
: wrote:
:
:snip
:
: :There is a way to strip almost all of the old compound off a wheel but
I
: :don't discuss it in public, for the same reason I don't discuss
lighting
: :charcoal fires with gasoline. d8-) It's a good way to put an eye out
if
: you
: :aren't good at it.
:
: Guess you use a dangerously volatile solvent. I figure I'll stick with
: your method below, store in plastic bags.
:
:No and yes. The method involves using a knife or a sharp chisel on the
:spinning wheel. It's widely used by buffers in the plating business.
Don't
:do it. That sucker can flip and come right back at you. I have a big
framing
:chisel (called a "slick") that my great-grandfather used for
timber-framing
:houses. It has a two-handed handle and it's almost 3 inches wide. Unless
you
:have one of those, you're asking for trouble.
:
:I don't know the MAAS polish that a couple of people here have
recommended.
:If it works as well as some have said here in the past, I'd give it a
try.
:It sounds like it might be chemical because the hard part about polishing
:really bad stainless is getting through the oxide layers. Chromium oxide
is
:harder than a witch's heart, and it can get pretty tough on old pots and
ans. If they've been overheated, you also pick up some nasty iron oxides
to
:go with it. Polishing old, beat, overheated stainless can be difficult,
at
:least until you get down to clean metal. I've found that the Dico
stainless
olish is relatively good at getting through that stuff without
scratching
:the steel, among the mechanical methods.
:
:The only chemical I know of that eats it right off is hydrofluoric acid,
:which is what welders use to clean stainless welds. Don't even think
about
:it unless your health insurance is very good. g
I called Harbor Freight and they only have a kit with one bar, who knows
what it is.
I recalled an old quite large hardware store that I figured for
something. When I called a few days ago, asked if they have Dico, I was
told "no," and I took it for an answer. So, I call back today and ask
what they DO have (I figured they HAVE to have something!). A guy says
he doesn't know (read I'm too lazy to find out). I was persistent and he
finds out... He says they have a package of 4 tubes for different types
of metal. I ask him how much, he says $7.49, I ask what brand, he says
"Dico!" Bingo. One of the tubes is for stainless and from what he
described I figure it for 2-3 liquid ounces per tube. I guess I'll truck
on over there today and pick it up. I suppose it's cheaper than getting
something shipped.
Jeez, I hate it when some lazy s.o.b. does that to save himself 30 seconds
and a few steps, in the process costing you maybe hours, dollars, and miles
driven. The retail business has gone to hell except for a few businesses
that know the value of treating customers right.
Aging fart's rant off Anyway, those tubes are filled with hard, wax-base
polishing agents, not liquid. I have two different size tubes of Dico
polishes, one set maybe 1" diameter that I bought 40 years ago, and a few
newer ones that I bought at various times over the last 10 years, which are
around 2" diameter. Their red rouge, which probably is in the package as
well, is the best I've ever used.
The way they're used is that you push the open end of the tube up against
your buffing wheel while it's spinning. You don't cut the carboard tube
back; let the wheel cut right into the cardboard. If you find that
aesthetically displeasing you can cut the cardboard back as you go, but
watch out, the wax melts quickly from the heat of friction and you can lose
a lot of your buffing compound.
I find the Dico stainless polish to be very good on all types of steel, as
long as it's pretty smooth to begin with. Although it's relatively
aggressive, it's too fine to polish through rust pits. I use the emery
compound for that first, then go to the stainless polish.
I hope it works as you expect. Good luck with it.
Oh, BTW: if you need a little bit in a liquid form, for hand polishing with
the rouge, for example, it dissolves easily with a wide variety of solvents.
Lighter fluid or paint thinner are as good as anything. If you have a heat
gun or a hair dryer you don't care about, I'll tell you how I use the
stainless polish for honing blades (everything from my German straight razor
to plane irons and quality pocket knives) after sharpening them on a hard
Arkansas stone. I can shave with my antique Casteel plane irons, but I don't
recommend doing it as a regular thing. d8-)
--
Ed Huntress