Cleaning Stainless Steel trim

What works for bringing the luster back to stainless steel trim pieces. I'm hoping to be able to do it by hand. btw the 00000 steel wool isn't doing it. thx matt

flitz!!!! great stuff made in germany..

Chrome/stainless polish followed by a coat of wax can work well. If that is not enough, it may need polished with more aggressive polishing compound which generally comes in initial (course), intermediate and finish grades... and is best done with a powered wheel...

It all depends on the condition you start with. scratched, dented and dings, or just hazy.

for a "hand job" (no pun intended) I like Autosol and a terry cloth http://www.eastwood.com/autosol-metal-polish.html Prepare to work your fingers off/sore. It works great for trim that is dull.

If it is lightly scratched, start with 1000 grit sand paper, then 1500, then 2000, then polish.

Agree with last post. Depends on the condition of the trim in question.

If it just needs general polishing, I like Simichrome Polish. If it is scratched, sandpaper then polish. Ideally, you get access to a powered cloth wheel. I have used a pneumatic 90-degree die-grinder with a 2-inch cloth wheel and that Simichrome Polish and the trim came out looking like New.

Stained or badly scratched needs progressive sanding first to correct.

Thanks for the replys. It just has 40 years worth of getting weathered. It's the trim piece that holds the roof rail on a Duster. Just needs to shine better. thx matt

There's spray SS cleaner out there if you don't need anything aggressive...

I've used it for years...

Will this bring back the factory shine?

Stainless it pretty tough.. My 67 Coronet vert has some pretty large pieces surrounding the Windshield frame.... Took ALOT of sanding and buffing (On a large buffer) with different wheels and a specific stainless compound... I wouldn't be too afraid if you get a little aggressive with it.....

If you want a mirror finish, sanding and buffing is the way. I go 600 grit on stuff that's scratched. Then to black rouge on a cutting wheel, then red rouge on a soft wheel. The key is to get it hot. it's very forgiving until you slip and hit the buffer mandrel or let it get away from you... only problem is, once you do one piece, the window trim will look like crap and you'll end up doing every piece on the car!

Bee, have you ever dealt with getting it too hot? It will start to discolor and turn blue. Then you have to polish that off. This has happened to me, especially on small, thinner pieces. I avoid that by keeping the piece moving and never lingering on the same spot too long.
Perfect observation about the work escalating.

Yea...been there....doing that! Although my pieces need a lot of work.

Flitz or autosol will do the trick it's also excellent for polishing out instrument bezel lenses
and other plastic parts. If it's scratched up pretty bad it will need sanding out and buffed