Stainless repair and polishing

[henny496]

Hello
In the June issue of Corvette Fever, page 71, is an article by Rich and Barb Lagasse on restoring stainless moldings.
It is an informative article that is worth checking out
take care
Tom

 

[studiog]

I was amazed how well 44 year old stainless will polish up. I followed the technique of John McGraw and the results were amazing. It looks almost brand new. I will have to get a copy of the magazine. Look forward to it. Thanks for sharing that.

 

[67HEAVEN]

Congratulations Rich and Barb. Well done as always.

 

[richscorvettes]

Tom, thanks for the post. We hope the article will help those folks contemplating doing their own restoration and polishing. As usual there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to having the right tools, the process itself and doing it safely. We’ve outlined what has worked well for us but, with practice and experience, everyone usually develops their own techniques which work well for them. In the best case you hope the parts just need a good polishing and buffing but we’ve run into those with dents, kinks and deep scratches (often from not being carefully removed) which take much more work. While some of these parts may be available as reproductions many, such as the 63 coupe window moldings, aren't and restoring them may be the only option.



This is one of those jobs where it’s best to be in the right frame of mind as it takes full concentration for your own safety, as well as avoiding damage to your parts, and it’s sure a dirty job. But, the end result can be satisfying and well worth your time.

Rich Lagasse

 

[cesully]

Folks,

Any way I could get a copy of that article here at this site or a link to it.
I'm very interested in this subject.

Thanks very much,

Sully

 

[67HEAVEN]

Folks,

Any way I could get a copy of that article here at this site or a link to it.
I'm very interested in this subject.

Thanks very much,

Sully

Sully,

Most stores selling automotive magazines will have Corvette Fever. Make sure to pick up the June issue.

 

[67HEAVEN]

Rich,

I took the time to read the article today. Congratulations on a very well-written and informative look at stainless polishing. You certainly covered all the bases.

Also, I'm impressed with the thought that went into your work area and with Barb's excellent photography.

Thanks for helping us all again.


P.S. Did anyone notice Sam Malone's red '67 BB coupe in the same June issue?

 

[richscorvettes]

Rich,

Also, I'm impressed with the thought that went into your work area and with Barb's excellent photography.

Thanks for helping us all again.


P.S. Did anyone notice Sam Malone's red '67 BB coupe in the same June issue?

It was a good excuse to get the extra equipment I wanted to set up the small metal shop better. Taking pictures of polished parts was more difficult than I had thought because of the reflection but I hope they show some of the detail.

Thanks again for your kind words.

Rich
p.s. I was suprised to see that the "Cheers" car now has a ZL1 engine in it - nice choice!

 

[Donny Brass]

I just had all the stainless trim around the windshield polished on the Vette, and I am impressed as can be with the results. The guy was reasonable on the turn times and really reasonable on the price. His name is Gordon Duda (248) 377-2572 and I highly recommend him.

 

[IH2LOSE]

Rich excellent article.

I just got to read it last night.
(I have been away from home more then I have been home over the last 3 months)

All I have to say on buffing is once you start you cant stop.Its addictive

 

[67HEAVEN]

Thanks to the tips and tricks in Rich's article, I completed the buffing/polishing of my window stainless in record time.

Z28Canuck will be disappointed to learn that both fronts and rears are already done.........today.......in one day. He was getting ready to help out.

Yes, they were in very good condition, but I really didn't think they would shine up this nice, this quickly.

Thanks for the info, Rich.



We'll re-install them this week. There's not much left on the to-do list.

 

[Viet Nam Vett]

Heh Rich, Congrats on the article......aaaahhh ...I haven't read it yet because a few years ago I cancelled all my subscriptions to all vette mag's. There were just to many tech articles to read. Plus... storing all those mags caused my wood floors to buckle and warp.

After a while the fumes from the soy bean oil ink that's used to print the mags started to effect my health. My cat fluffy started jumping in the refrigerator whem I opened the door for beer.
Fluffy would hide behind the mayonase jar and refuse to come out. After a while she started attacking the mail man as she thought she was a dog. A month after that she started to make sounds like she was barking.

I had no choice after a while but to hire out a Hazmat Company to remove the Corvette Mags from my reading area in the rear room. Fluffy is better now and seems to be acting more like a cat. ...Although she still likes to hang out every now and then behind the Mayo jar in the fridge.

But I promise you that I will pick up a fresh issue of the mag and read your article as soon as I shoot over to Home Depot and pick up a new Paint Spray Mask.....

:L

 

[studiog]

Heh Rich, Congrats on the article......aaaahhh ...I haven't read it yet because a few years ago I cancelled all my subscriptions to all vette mag's. There were just to many tech articles to read. Plus... storing all those mags caused my wood floors to buckle and warp.

After a while the fumes from the soy bean oil ink that's used to print the mags started to effect my health. My cat fluffy started jumping in the refrigerator whem I opened the door for beer.
Fluffy would hide behind the mayonase jar and refuse to come out. After a while she started attacking the mail man as she thought she was a dog. A month after that she started to make sounds like she was barking.

I had no choice after a while but to hire out a Hazmat Company to remove the Corvette Mags from my reading area in the rear room. Fluffy is better now and seems to be acting more like a cat. ...Although she still likes to hang out every now and then behind the Mayo jar in the fridge.

But I promise you that I will pick up a fresh issue of the mag and read your article as soon as I shoot over to Home Depot and pick up a new Paint Spray Mask.....

:L

I must say that puts a smile on my face.
:cool

 

[IH2LOSE]

Thanks to the tips and tricks in Rich's article, I completed the buffing/polishing of my window stainless in record time.

Z28Canuck will be disappointed to learn that both fronts and rears are already done.........today.......in one day. He was getting ready to help out.

Yes, they were in very good condition, but I really didn't think they would shine up this nice, this quickly.

Thanks for the info, Rich.



We'll re-install them this week. There's not much left on the to-do list.

Bob what did you use to clean them up? I LOVE BUFFING or I should say the results of buffing. That deep dark luster, its aticting

 

[67HEAVEN]

Bob what did you use to clean them up? I LOVE BUFFING or I should say the results of buffing. That deep dark luster, its aticting

A couple of pieces had small shallow scratches. Those dang girls in the late '60s could never get enough.

I lightly used 2000 grit wet/dry to remove the scratches. Where any evidence remains, and there's very little, it's only about a maximum of 10% of what they were when I started. I chose not to dig too deep.

Next, I used the buffing wheel with white rouge. I followed up with some metal polish cream from a tube, and they're just beautiful.

 

[richscorvettes]

Bob,

Glad your moldings came out well. Will look forward to seeing you, along with the car, in person in Carlisle.

Mark,

I know what you mean about magazines piling up. I just keep slipping them under the bed until the bulge becomes to much and then have to send them for re-cycling.

Rich

 

[Viet Nam Vett]

Mark,

I know what you mean about magazines piling up. I just keep slipping them under the bed until the bulge becomes to much and then have to send them for re-cycling.

Rich

__________________

That's what I'm talking about..Info overload......

 

[67HEAVEN]

I should have mentioned a safety issue. Rich emphasizes safety several times in his article, BUT, here's an example of how important it can be.

Twice, while buffing the very small corner stainless (windshield) pieces, the wheel caught an end and bounced it off my face shield. I guarantee I would have lost an eye or received a huge gash. :eek The smaller pieces are very difficult to hold on to and buff at the same time. I think the small ones are the most dangerous.

Follow Rich's safety instructions to the letter.

 

[richscorvettes]

I should have mentioned a safety issue. Rich emphasizes safety several times in his article, BUT, here's an example of how important it can be.

Twice, while buffing the very small corner stainless (windshield) pieces, the wheel caught an end and bounced it off my face shield. I guarantee I would have lost an eye or received a huge gash. :eek The smaller pieces are very difficult to hold on to and buff at the same time. I think the small ones are the most dangerous.

Follow Rich's safety instructions to the letter.

Bob,

You are so right about having to be careful and using the right safety gear. Even with close attention you can still catch an edge and have the part taken out of your hands. That will sure scare the heck out of you! Besides the potential to injure yourself you can also ruin all the work you've put into restoring and polishing the part.

Frankly, I struggled some with including all the warnings while, at the same time, trying not to discourage folks from doing their own work. In the end I thought it was better to forewarn of the potential safety issues.

Rich