i took my chrome diamond plated tool box off because it was looking dull. is there a good product i can use that will get the shine back? and what is the best way to apply it? any suggestions would be appreiciated. thx.

 

I worked on mine yesterday, I went to NAPA and got some Aluminum cleaner....about $8.00 a bottle and sprayed it on, waited about 30 seconds and rinsed it off. It cleaned it real well but left it dull looking. I went back over it with a product called Nevrdull(Eagle 1 makes it.....a small silver can). When I buffed that off with a towel it looked just like new. It took about 30 minutes.

 

The never dull is the best way to get the shine, but on a larger box it will take awhile.

Another trick is if you have a random orbit buffer, use either mothers mag and AL polish, or I now prefer MAAS.

I found online 1.15# cans, and all you do is put some of the paste on the pads, rub it around a little bit and then turn it on and go to the races.

You will wreck a pad with the oxidation that you get out.

I cleaned my Dad's AL pontoon boat like this, took a long time but they looked like crome after words.

Buff off with a Buffer ( I find the 11" sears one is the best one to use ).

I would suggest staying away from a 7" DA type buffer unless you know how to use them, they can really eat stuff up, if you are not careful.

Friend of the family is a body man. He loves it when people buy these, and don't know what they are doing. He gets alot of front fender re clear cost business from it, from people thinking it is just turn it on, and go to the races like it is a random orbit.

The best Random orbit that I have found is the Cyclo model 5.
It is a bit on the expensive side ( 315.00 ), but it is made for buffing airplanes.

Cyclo is out of Denver, CO.

 

Ummm you do know DA stands for Dual-Action and a Dual-Action buffer is the same thing as a random orbital.

The Cyclo is a DA buffer!

The cyclo is not worth the money either! It is hard to control the two pads and keep polish off trim, etc.

The best DA buffer I have found is the DeWalt. It is a single 6" pad. The Porter Cable is also a nice one and uses a 6" pad or a 5". The PC has a slightly smaller motor than the DeWalt.

The buffer that you need training to use is a Direct Driver buffer or a Rotary buffer or a right angle buffer, there all the same thing. They usually use large pads around 7" or 8". They create a lot of heat which can burn through paint. They also can leap off the paint and tear off trim, mirrors, etc... You can also hit yourself in the nose with it. I've done it, I know

 

Sorry for getting the name wrong.
Content still holds, direct drive is what I meant.

Guess I will be more careful when posting at work in an area you might post back on in the future....

Actually I have no problem keeping the dual pads off of the trim.

Guess it is what you are used to using, not the manufacture's product.

 

Mother's is good. NevrDull is OK, but not intended for that sort of cleaning. The best metal polishes are Wenol (Red is more aggressive than the Blue) or Simachrome. Serious motorcycle chrome junkies have know about these polishes for years. Personally, Wenol Blue was the only stuff I ever used. Never a scratch. My chrome was absolutely luminescent. And I never had to work up a sweat doing the job. Great stuff.

 

sundog7,

That's the others I forgot. I used Simachrome to polish the ramp on my gun. I used to use Wenol Blue on my headers on my BMW R100/RS & Harley XLS.
Now that I have a GoldWing all the pipes are under plastic, so for what I need MAAS works fine.

Never tried MAAS on my headers on my BMW or Harley , so I cannot tell you how well it works comparativly..but those are both good options..........strange how when you get old your mind goes to ***** <g>