I've found some scratches/marks which run across the 'grain' on our
brushed stainless steel hob.

Is there a simple way to remove them that won't leave it looking worse?

TIA

--
Frank
(Beware of spam trap - remove the negative)

F wrote:
I've found some scratches/marks which run across the 'grain' on our
brushed stainless steel hob.

Is there a simple way to remove them that won't leave it looking worse?

TIA

Not really.

On 02/06/2006 13:15 The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Not really.

Two words I didn't really want to hear!

Ho, hum.

--
Frank
(Beware of spam trap - remove the negative)

On Fri, 02 Jun 2006 13:09:45 +0100, F wrote:

I've found some scratches/marks which run across the 'grain' on our
brushed stainless steel hob.

Is there a simple way to remove them that won't leave it looking worse?

Garryflex / Roebuck abrasive blocks in a couple of different grades.
Won't take long, so long as you can match the overall shininess of the
main hob (otherwise you have to do the lot!).

Practice round the back first and see how you manage for matching the
finish.

As always, start coarse and work fine - don't change grade until you
really are done and ready, otherwise you just get the same scratches
with a beautifully polish on them.

If they're deep, then you might have trouble getting them out.
Burnishing first, then buffing over won't remove them, but it will make
them much less obvious.

As it's a kitchen, remember to passive the clean steel after finishing
it, otherwise you'll get staining. Use a solution of citric acid
(homebrew shop) and Google.

On 02/06/2006 19:01 Andy Dingley wrote:

[snip useful advice - thanks]

As it's a kitchen, remember to passive the clean steel after
finishing it, otherwise you'll get staining. Use a solution of citric
acid (homebrew shop) and Google.

A Google for 'passive stainless steel citric acid kitchen' produced lots
of industrial references: 'Passivation should only be performed by
trained, experienced technicians familiar with the potential hazards
associated with the science. Safety practices must be fully understood
when handling passivation chemicals. Special boots, gloves, aprons and
other safety equipment must be used'. Can just imagine it in the kitchen!

Any chance of an appropriate URL?

--
Frank
(Beware of spam trap - remove the negative)

On Fri, 02 Jun 2006 19:34:41 +0100, F wrote:

A Google for 'passive stainless steel citric acid kitchen' produced lots
of industrial references:

Sorry, typo on my part - should have been "passivate".

You can do it with citric acid, or with hydrofluoric acid. Don't use
hydrofluoric, it's ****ing toxic in ways you can't even imagine. Nitric
acid might be used, be is too likely to discolour it with iron salts,
unless you're in a careful production environment. Citric acid is easy
though, and safe.

For small stuff, throw it in a pan of warm citric acid and simmer it for
half an hour. For sheetmetal, wipe it over with a spongeful of warmed,
10% (by weight) citric acid solution, as hot as you can handle in rubber
gloves. Leave it for half an hour, then rinse. If you can warm the
metalwork up first (hot air gun?) then it's likely to give a better
result, but you only need it "uncomfortably hand hot", not glowing.

Degrease _throughly_ beforehand, by giving it a good "kitchen
scrubbing", doing your refinishing and polishing, then wiping it down
carefully with isopropanol or acetone on kitchen paper towels (standard
workshop solvents, shouldn't be too hard to find).

The theory
http://www.delstar.com/passivating.htm
http://www.mmsonline.com/articles/100304.html

Practice is probably best described on www.finishing.com

Citrisurf is supposed to be the dead easy improved version.
http://www.stellarsolutions.net/wave.htm