Ok first off, I realize that you can't *restore* chrome due to pitting, but you can clean and polish it to a point. With this in mind, what product have you guys found best for getting your chrome back as nice as possible? Neverdull? Is there maybe something that is a thick rouge or paste that you can use with a drill attachment that would be better and not kill your fingers or elbows? If so, what is recommended and also what drill attachment should I buy? Thanks! Alex
My experience has taught me if you use heavy rouge or wheels om chrome you will start taking the shine out of it. Very soft, like ooo steel wool will start to get rid of rust without scratching it. I use Mothers Chrome polish and am quite happy with it.
I am 100% anti-steel wool or aluminum foil for polishing chrome. Maybe if you had a bumper that was solid brown and you want to give it one last hurrah before a rechrome then I'd be OK with it but no matter how many "aught" the wool is, you're still rubbing steel against chrome and the chrome is softer so it will come off. I'm very fond of Wizards Turbo Cut buffing compound to clean rust off of chrome. It's softer than the chrome plating but seems to take rust off very well, I use a ton of it. I don't like it for buffing paint (it's intended use) as much but great for chrome and stainless. I've tried the drill and buffer method but for chrome you just have to find some old terrycloth rags and rub your fingers off. Seems like the older and more dried out the towel is, the better it does at polishing.
I have had great luck with Br***o, on chrome and stainless. Apply with a clean soft cloth, allow to dry, buff with a drill and soft pad, then final detail with a microfiber cloth. Jack
I use some stuff I got from a truck stop awhile back. Its called Black diamond, it shines chrome and stainless up really nice. Seems the more times you use it the better it works,even gets small amounts of rust off.
That's not what I remember about metals.... Most any polish stuff will work, and if you're not getting tired doing it you're doing it wrong.
The steel wool rubs through the chrome because decorative chrome plating is millionths of an inch thick, not becasue it is soft. Chromium is about a 9 on the Mohs scale IIRC. while cheap steel, such as the steel found in steel wool, is closer to 4.5. You can scratch diamond with copper wool if you go at it long enough. As far as restoring the shine, all you are really achieving is cleaning the rust or other oxides, or other foreign surface contaminants off the surface to reveal the chromium that never loses its shine until gone. Using a powered tool with abrasives on chromed parts may easily cut through to the underlying nickel, which can be buffed back up to a mirror, but will be a yellowish color. The nickel is the main substance of the plating job, and is much thicker than the chromium. The smart alec in me wanted to post a picture of a chrome plating tank.
Very fine bronze wool and Purple Metal Polish available at truck stops, also awsome on aluminum and stainless steel! Buff off with an old microfiber cloth.
This! i've been getting a lot of rust staining of off my 58's chrome parts with br***o. It cuts right through. It also works well on Anodized aluminum (i've been using it on my sporttone).
I used Flitz and 0000 steel wool to do the long neglected grille, headlights, and mirrors on my Austin sedan. Flitz is a great product!
I like Flitz and Wenol, but bang for the buck is Blue Magic. I just bought a giant tub for $6, and I'll be able to do about 50 bumpers with it. SUPER high ammonia content - gets the job done.
Quick-Glo is the best polish ever made for chrome. It is almost non existant these days. Easiest to find in an old bicycle shop.
Pretty much all the responses recommend things that work. I just use what I have at the time when I need to shine up old plating. I don't use steel wool or any other metal wool unless the plating is really bad anyways, because it will cause light scuffing. I haven't come close to trying everything out there either. I like to use non-abrasive hard surface cleaners, any cleaner designed for bathroom cleaning will be also designed to be safe on chrome. (the warnigs on the back will tell you) Then if there are some oxides left, a liquid polish with cotton rag. You want to remove the least amount of metal as possible here, wheras if you are polishing aluminum, stainless, or nickel, etc. you can actually use compounds and powered buffs to acheive the shine, because unlike chrome plating, the metal being polished has a thickness to work with.
I use really fine steel wool on the really bad stuff, a rag and some rubbing compund for the not so bad stuff.
This is the best product I have found that works well with very little effort. Shines up about anythin I have found that needed cleaning. Sometimes I use it with steel wool and it works even better. I picked it up at my local Ace Hardware.
As per recommendations here and reading online a ton of various sources, I ended up buying the original formula Quick-Glo. Thanks!
SOS pad The soap makes it slipery and doesnt allow the steel wool to scratch it all up and its usually super shiny when im done. then I use a metal chrome polish to really make it shine.
Thanks! See my signature for a HAMBer discount. By the way, we have a new bugging compound and polish system coming out VERY soon. Should be available for purchase in the next week or so! http://www.wizardsproducts.com/content/view/81/1/
I've been working with a product called "futurechrome" and it's nearly an exact match to real chrome. I'd give it about a 9.5/10 compared to the real deal. I picked it up from a friend of mine that owns a bodyshop cause I was wanting to restore the front bumper, kickplates, emblems and wheels on my 68 Mustang. The chrome was all pitted on it all so I sandblasted everything and started with 2 coats of the urethane basecoat supplied in the kit. Then once it dried it was like gl***, My body guy came over and we applied the chrome material (there's a few steps involved but not bad at all) and I damn near fell out of my chair when I saw how good this stuff looked. We let all the parts sit for a bit and then we clearcoated them with the 2K clear in the kit. Pic below. We used about $300 bucks in material and the job took us about a day to do. Food for thought.
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