Polishing SS with a dremel?

[Russell]

My stanchion bases have a lot of surface discoloring, but they are a terrible pain to polish without missing all sorts of spots or resorting to using q-tips. I was wondering about using my dremel with the soft polishing wheel and the same regular metal polish I use to hand polish. Would this be too aggresive or do some harm?

[Oswego John]

Hi Russell,

I bet that it would be okay to use the Dremel. I think that I would keep the tool on lower RPM and keep the area wet. Move the buffing wheel around. Excess heat seems to discolor SS. There will be some problem with flyoff of the polish.

Really hot SS turns shades of blue. I goofed up and got the blade of my SS pocket knife a little too hot one day and to this day it is a mottled shade of weak coffee. It still kept its edge though.

So I say go for it. As they always say, experiment in a less conspicuous spot. I, for one, would like to know how it works out.

Good luck,
O J

[Jerry Hammernik]

Have you tried one of those Mother's Powerballs? They are sold in automotive stores for polishing chrome wheels, etc. They really work well and allow you to get into those hard to reach areas. You just chuck it into a cordless drill and apply your favorite metal polish.

I'm very pleased with the one I bought. Your mileage may vary.

[S/V Necessity]

Russell,
I used to regularly polish brass and copper that way, and probably even stainless now and then. I would even use some rouge that was a little more aggressive than the paste made for hand polishing. The paste that most companies provide for hand polishing isn't really that aggressive at all, at least not with my wussy little Dremel it wasn't

[Mark Yashinsky]

Given the "heft" of the stanchion bases, unless you used a course compound, at high speed, with a lot of pressure, in one spot, and forgot what you were doing, there should be no issue with polishing the bases. Might be what happened w/ OJ. What about the stanchions themselves.
You need to get an assortment of compounds (stainless, then white rouge, then, maybe, jewelers rouge) depending how bad the discoloration is. You also need a bunch of bobs or minibobs for the dremel. USE A DIFFERENT BOB FOR EACH COMPOUND!! The Powerballs are probably too large for what you are doing.
You might want to use tape around the bases and someway to mask the area, as you will get some compound spray from the bob, as well as being careful not to let the spinning bob touch gel coat. Dont forget safety glasses.
Might also think about protecting the SS from future spotting, once you get it to that high shine. Dont forget sunglasses after you are done.

[Glen C]

I get a fair amount of crevice corrosion (rust) around the bolt heads that attach the bases. To clean the rust stains, I wet one of the bases and make a paste with Barkeepers Friend covering it completely...I let this stand a few minutes then I take an old electric toothbrush and polish them with one hand whilst sipping on a refreshing beverage with the other. I find that the brush works better for me than a polishing wheel as it gets deeper into the crevices. They generally come out looking brand new...if I catch them just as the rust stains are starting to appear, it is quick work.

For cleaning stainless steel and removing rust stains (especially from fiberglass), Barkeepers Friend is my friend.

[Tom in Cambria]

One thing you might try before going the buffing route is oxalic acid. Put it in a spray bottle and spray a little on and let it soak for a couple minutes then use an old toothbrush to brush it. Repeat if necessary. Rinse with clean water when finished.