Chrome Polish

[powerboatr]

Originally Posted by powerboatr

flitz
been using it for over 30 years
it will dissolve dead bugs off glass, chrome, stainless steel, alum, plastic headlamp bezels
there is a company in ny that sell it online
used it on my wheels
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f120/i-th...on-119826.html
so you be the judge...my rv don't sit in a showroom, but thanks for the compliment

weenol was good but it actually removes hydrogen from brass and alum.

actually i left out mothers polish
works very well, but flitz is my preference when its at hand
hardest thing is having good buffs to get the wheels shiny

[shimmy]

Originally Posted by clyon51

I use to use Simi-Chrome polish on all my Limey motorcycle engines (60's), which were aluminum and made them look like chrome. I used it on chrome too, just lightly as it was abrasive. They still make it....

Simichrome Polish 50 Gram/1.76 oz:Amazon:Everything Else

I've had great luck with SimiChrome also.

[EscapeStream]

Allow me to add my $.02 worth:

I am a plater by trade, and have been doing chrome plating for over 30 years.

When you are trying to restore the shine to any chrome plated surface do not use anything overly abrasive, or acidic. I'm not sure about the chemical make-up of naval jelly, but the steel wool that's in it is a big no-no. Chrome is a very hard metal. But the problem is that on a chrome plated surface the thickness of the chrome is about 5-10 millionths of an inch. That's not much.
If you have used something like this, and notice a slight yellow tint to the plating afterward....well, that's because you have gone through the chrome and down to the nickel plating.

Chrome plating gets its brightness from the nickel base plating. The purpose of the chrome is just to protect the nickel.

Simichrome polish is about as good as anything that I've ever used. But if you want to know what we use here in our shop; there are 2 or 3 things.

First, we use Windex. If that doesn't work then we use Comet or Ajax with water and a soft brush, or a toothbrush. This will remove any slight amount of rust that may be present. Afterward, we use an auto wax to help protect the original plating. Anything more aggressive than this will destroy the plating anyway.

BTW, you can also use a cotton buff with some jeweler's rouge. But this too will remove the chrome if you're not careful.

Hope this helps.

[Midniteoyl]

Thanks for the info..

[Foxhaven]

Simicrome is what I remember from the motorcycle shop...

[Senior Chief]

I like Simichrome, but we also used Mother's. In the antiques biz, its the cat's whiskers for polishing silver without damage and residue, as well as brass, nickel, bakelite, etc.

And if you're using a lot, Mothers is MUCH cheaper.