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EFV-8 Club Forum / 1940 Ford Discussion / Stainless body belt trim

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Discussion Topic: Stainless body belt trim

avrotom

01-25-2013 @ 3:05 PM

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Posts: 71
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I need some wisdom on the correct process for trim polishing, I'm sure someone out there has done it and found the best way. Regards, Tom

supereal

01-25-2013 @ 7:33 PM

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If you have genuine stainless steel trim, not the repro kind, you can restore the pieces to like new. First, ding out any dents, then file the area smooth. Using a series of polishing wheels and appropriate compounds, polish the entire piece to your satisfaction. We use a drill press to operate the wheels because it allows the piece to be manipulated along its entire length. It takes some practice to apply sufficient force to allow the compound to work. Always use heavy gloves, as the edges of the trim can be sharp. Go slow to avoid having the wheel catch the piece and bend it out of shape. We use wheels and compounds sold by the Eastwood company. Start with short pieces until you develop a feel for the process. You will be surprised and pleased if you take the time to learn how.

TomO

01-26-2013 @ 8:23 AM

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When polishing my stainless, I found that using various grade of sandpaper, starting with 100 and going up to 1,000, to remove scratches before polishing save hours at the polishing wheel.

Be careful where you place the trim on the wheel. I turned my quarter panel trim into a pretzel by getting above the center line of the wheel, just as I was getting out the last dimple. 2 days later I restarted the polishing after straightening it. I never did get the dimple out.

Keep the pressure on the wheel light, let the compound do the work. Wear leather gloves as the pieces get very hot. Cloth gloves can catch on the wheel.

Tom

avrotom

01-30-2013 @ 11:43 AM

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Thanks guys, it is original and no dents. I will set up and start with the small ones first. Eastwood has a polishing seminar on their website this Friday. Might help.
Tom

kubes40

01-31-2013 @ 6:07 PM

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I think you'll get the hang of it rather easily.
Eastwood does sell a decent "beginners kit" that should serve your purpose quite well.
You really will make your life easier (IE: it's worth the cost) to purchase a buffing motor. They are designed to run at a much higher RPM than most bench grinders and have a longer shaft to better enable you to polish.
If you don't have any repairs to make,you're already more than "half way home". Polishing is the easy part.
I prefer not to use gloves as I like to have a good feel for the temperature of the stainless.
The seminar will teach you (and you will subsequently learn on your own) there is a fine line between getting the stainless warm / hot but not too hot.
If you heat to a blue temperature, it is a bear to remove (the blue).
You can guess how I learned that

You will also be taught to be very careful so as not to cross contaminate the buffing wheels. Clean your part thoroughly of the previous grit before going to a finer grit compound.
I usually do all the pieces with the roughest compound, clean the parts very well, then move on to the medium compound...

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