Table of Contents
Bling
There’s one thing that really “sticks out” when you see a valued classic parked next to any modern car: chrome, polished stainless or aluminum accents. It’s everywhere: bumpers, grille, emblems, striping, wings, interior accents, you name it…
A modern car is increasingly focused on things like smart tech, mileage, eco-friendliness and driveline electrification. A car has become a “tool” to go from point A to B in the “smartest”, cheapest way.
This shows on the outside and interior: chrome and metal parts got replaced by plastics for cheaper mass production and mileage improving weight loss.
Back in the day car buyers had a completely different mindset.
If they were getting somewhere in life or wanted the neighbours to think so, they bought the newest, largest chrome barge with the largest engine they could or couldn’t afford.
One thing all these cars had in common was their “bling”.
It’s that “bling” that makes or breaks a classic.
Make sure your chrome, stainless steel and aluminum aren’t letting your ride down.
Did you know that polished aluminum is only slightly less reflective than polished silver and still can reflect 90% of light?
Second place in the brightness ranking of decorative metals that are used in the automotive industry is for polished chrome, third place goes to polished stainless steel.
Not sure which metal? Check: “How to tell the difference between chrome, stainless steel and aluminum“
What Makes an Object Shiny Instead of Dull or Matte?
Your eyes see a combination of colour (diffuse reflection) and reflection (specular reflection). Colour (diffuse reflection) is determined at an atomic level, which means that it is determined by the material.
Q: So why does for example a chrome plated steel bumper look like chrome when it is actually steel?
A: When you coat or spray an object with a metal or paint, your eyes actually see the coating’s properties, not the underlying object.
Obvious, right?
Things change when the coating is transparent:
When a coating is transparent (light passes through) it will show the colour of the underlying material, though the coating will determine the degree of shiny or matt appearance (specular reflection).
When the top layer is rough or dull, light will reflect in all directions, giving a weak or matte reflection to the eye.
You can compare it to bouncing balls bouncing off a cobblestone road:
They will jump in all directions.
If you could polish that cobblestone surface until it were perfectly flat, the bouncing balls would all rebound in the same direction.
The more flawless the surface, the more uniform and straight the rebound.
The same is true with light reflection on metal surfaces.
If you polish an object, you are actually “wet sanding” with ultrafine particles.
Polishing compounds are available in different grits (size of abrasive particles).
The rougher (bigger) the particles, the faster material is removed from the surface layer.
Depending on the roughness of the surface, you want to first use a coarse polish to “cut away” the roughest, most damaged or scratched top layer.
With a fine polish you can flatten out smaller imperfections for a mirror like shine.
With the right products and some elbow grease it’s an easy and very rewarding job!
How To Hand Polish Chrome, Polished Stainless Steel and Aluminum
If the metal you want to polish isn’t in a bad state and you don’t mind some manual labour, hand polishing is a good option. It also allows you to polish where no mechanical polisher can reach.
Heavy contaminated or oxidised metals are best polished with a polisher for faster, better results though.
For chrome and aluminum cleaning and polishing by hand we at CCM recommend Adam’s Metal Polish Combo.
Tried and trusted, works great every time!
You can use it for aluminum, chrome, stainless, uncoated metals & other auto part accessories.
Metal Polish #1 restores neglected metals (or cleans dirty chrome) – Metal Polish #2 achieves perfection.
Wear protective gloves. Besides the fact that it may be hard to remove all residue from your hands, it’s never a good idea to have direct skin contact with any chemical products.
- Make sure the metal surface is clean, with all sand and dirt washed off.
- Start by shaking Adam’s Metal Polish #1 vigorously and pour a liberal amount of Metal Polish #1 onto a microfiber saver applicator.
This double sided microfiber sponge applicator has a plastic barrier in the center so you need 50% less product to soak it while you can use the other, dry side to wipe off or buff. When the applicator turns black, put it aside and take a clean one. They can be hand washed with Microfiber Wash and reused when dry.
Rub onto the surface.
Rub the surface in circular motions until black residue appears.
- Remove the residue with an edgeless microfiber towel or with the dry backside of your saver applicator.
- Shake Metal Polish #2 and pour it onto a new microfiber saver applicator and polish it in circular motions like you did with Metal Polish #1.
Metal Polish #2 is a much finer finishing polish. It will enhance the gloss and appearance of your metal surface dramatically.
Remove the residue with an edgeless microfiber towel or with the dry backside of your saver applicator.
Great job! Go comb your hair in the reflection 😉
How To Polish Chrome, Polished Stainless Steel and Aluminum Using a Polisher
No time to polish by hand or you just don’t like to?
Is the oxidation or contamination too serious to polish by hand?
Take a look at CCM’s selection of “Top 4 Best Car Polishers and Waxers“.
They do the job in just a fraction of time with a professional result.
If they don’t make you shine, nothing will 😉
To polish chrome and aluminum with a polisher we at CCM recommend Adam’s Metal Polish Combo.
You can use it for aluminum, chrome, stainless, uncoated metals & other auto part accessories:
Metal Polish #1 restores neglected metals or cleans dirty chrome.
Metal Polish #2 achieves perfection.
Wear protective gloves. Besides the fact that it may be hard to remove all residue from your hands, it’s never a good idea to have direct skin contact with any chemical products.
- Make sure the metal surface is clean, with all sand and dirt washed off.
- If scratches or imperfections need correcting: Put three dots of Adam’s Metal Polish #1 on your polishing machine’s fresh medium to hard polishing pad and spread them out over the pad surface.
(For a high gloss polish when no corrections are needed, skip these steps and move on to step 5.)
- Polish only a small area at a time, overlapping the previous one by an inch or so. Apply light pressure at medium speed, making sure the buffing pad stays wet with Metal Polish #1.
You can gradually increase to the desired orbital speed, keeping a close eye on progress. Try to feel which speed you feel the most comfortable with and gives the best results.
CAUTION: Keep your polishing pad wet with polishing agent. Do not polish with a dry polishing pad!
- Frequently remove the polishing agent from the metal surface with a clean edgeless detailing towel to check progress until desired correction is achieved.
When the polishing pad turns black, remove the residue from the pad with a clean cloth or replace with a fresh one. The polishing pads are washable and reusable when they are dry.
- Next put three dots of Adam’s Metal Polish #2 on a fresh polishing pad and spread them out over the pad surface.
- Polish applying light pressure at low speed and in circular motions, making sure the polishing pad stays wet with Metal Polish #2.
- You can gradually increase to the desired orbital speed, keeping a close eye on progress. Try to feel which speed you feel the most comfortable with and gives the best results.
CAUTION: Do not polish with a dry polishing pad!
- Frequently remove the polishing agent with a clean edgeless detailing towel to check progress until desired finish is achieved.
TIP: Always use light coloured edgeless detailing towels because they are much easier to check for dirt and grit which can cause serious scratching if not detected in time.
Happy detailing!
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