Product for Polishing and Sealing Stainless Steel?

[SportEL]

I don't see this topic discussed often..or at all?

I'm wondering what you guys use to polish and seal stainless steel exhaust tips and mufflers. Currently, I use P21S Finish Restorer on my exhaust --->P21S® Multi-Surface Finish Restorer- This extraordinary German car polish from P21S will bring back luster and reflective brilliance. (http://www.autogeek.net/p2mulfinres.html)


which works great, but I need suggestions on what to use to seal.

[spike]

I would like to know as well. Subscribing...:dblthumb2:

[Kevin Brown]

A while back, I had to do a pretty heavy-duty mask job on a car.
I decided to polish the already installed stainless-steel trim.
The paint job was top-notch, so I had to be sure to protect it!

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/1_57.jpg

Of course, you know I had to use M105 Ultra Cut Compound!
I applied it via my little Metabo SXE400 and some slightly modified Meguiar's pads.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/2_57.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/3_57.jpg

There are several options when it comes to tape, but for me, these are three of the best:

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/4_57.jpg
http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/5_57.jpg http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/6_57.jpg

The 14 day painters tape is durable and thick. It takes a pretty good whack yet remains in tip-top shape. Plus, water doesn't soften the backing as it does on regular masking tapes.
The 60-day safe release tape is quite a bit thinner, so it's not as durable, but it contours nicely. I use it a lot (for other things). Two layers of this tape works as well as one layer of the others. Iif you need to mask something to paint a straight line (like baseboard or a doorjamb), it's the best I've ever used. You can easily identify it because it has the orange print on the cardboard donut.
The green 233+ tape is very popular in body shops, as it was really designed for their harsh environment: It can handle 250 degree heat, stick like crazy, and removes super-clean.

Overall, the trim was in pretty good shape. However, I was dealing with a lot of scratches.
My goal was not perfection: That would require sanding and then polishing. A job for another day.
Rather, I wanted to remove as many defects as possible, while leaving the trim intact. I wanted that super-shine that only stainless can deliver!

The goal was to go from this:

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/7_57.jpg

To this:

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/8_57.jpg

More scratches:

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/9_57.jpg

Lots of tape protects paint & glass:

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/10_57.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/11_57.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/12_57.jpg

Work area:

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/13_57.jpg

I kick the Metabo into high gear and push HARD! A spritz of water helped things along.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/14_57.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/15_57.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/16_57.jpg

I didn't get great shots, but you can see the difference where I pulled the masking:

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/17_57.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/18_57.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/19_57.jpg

Much better reflection and clarity.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/20_57.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/21_57.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/22_57.jpg

I used a soap & warm water mix to soften the tape adhesion prior to removal:

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/23_57.jpg

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/24_57.jpg

A done deal!

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/500/25_57.jpg

[ScottB]

I find quad zero steel or brass wool and a good metal polish often work well on mufflers and tips. You can coat with a synthetic sealant like Rejex for protection as desired.

[Dubbin1]

Awesome job as always KB :dblthumb2:

For things like exhaust tips I have had really good luck with Nevr-Dull.

[mchess1]

Optimum metal polish and quad zero pads

[XB70]

Meguiar's Nxt Metal Polysh on my SLP Loudmouth stainless exhaust tips. It leaves some sort of protectant behind and requires fewer applications than other polishes I've tried.

I love it, so Meguiar's evidently discontinued it.

I also use it on stainless steel watchbands and watch cases and polished the barrel and slide of my Kahr CW9 9mm pistol. The CW9 is designed for concealed carry with a polymer frame and a lower price point than the all-steel Kahr models and the slide isn't finished to a high polish.

My CW9 now sports a much higher luster finish than what comes out of the factory on any Kahr pistol. As a bonus, The exterior of the barrel and slide is now ridiculously easy to clean. I can wipe powder residue off with my bare finger!

Nxt Metal Polysh is great!

[spike]

Meguiar's Nxt Metal Polysh on my SLP Loudmouth stainless exhaust tips. It leaves some sort of protectant behind and requires fewer applications than other polishes I've tried.

I love it, so Meguiar's evidently discontinued it.

I also use it on stainless steel watchbands and watch cases and polished the barrel and slide of my Kahr CW9 9mm pistol. The CW9 is designed for concealed carry with a polymer frame and a lower price point than the all-steel Kahr models and the slide isn't finished to a high polish.

My CW9 now sports a much higher luster finish than what comes out of the factory on any Kahr pistol. As a bonus, The exterior of the barrel and slide is now ridiculously easy to clean. I can wipe powder residue off with my bare finger!

Nxt Metal Polysh is great!

Thanks for the recommendation. I'm not sure if Megs has discontinued it or not, but AG sells it:

Meguiars NXT All Metal Polysh is one of Meguiars most versatile metal polishes. (http://www.autogeek.net/mg13005.html)

[XB70]

It is discontinued. They say the metal [polish in the Meguiar's Marine Line is very similar:

http://www.meguiars.com/estore/productthumbs/product_M9314.jpg

[ScottB]

Meguiar's Nxt Metal Polysh on my SLP Loudmouth stainless exhaust tips. It leaves some sort of protectant behind and requires fewer applications than other polishes I've tried.

I love it, so Meguiar's evidently discontinued it.

I also use it on stainless steel watchbands and watch cases and polished the barrel and slide of my Kahr CW9 9mm pistol. The CW9 is designed for concealed carry with a polymer frame and a lower price point than the all-steel Kahr models and the slide isn't finished to a high polish.

My CW9 now sports a much higher luster finish than what comes out of the factory on any Kahr pistol. As a bonus, The exterior of the barrel and slide is now ridiculously easy to clean. I can wipe powder residue off with my bare finger!

Nxt Metal Polysh is great!

Meguiars NXT All Metal Polysh is one of Meguiars most versatile metal polishes. (http://autogeek.net/mg13005.html)
grab the rest now ...

[tuscarora dave]

Poorboy's World Pro Polish 2 works very well for this or if you need some serious correction you could always get a set up like this one for your rotary.

http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/115.jpg

[SportEL]

In my original post, I was asking specifically about polishing and protecting mufflers and exhaust tips. Do you guys actually use a machine to do this? There's not a lot of room to work with under the car. Plus, working upside down doesn't seem that easy to me.

What I did was done all by hand. What I did was use an APC (DP Cleanse-All) to first clean the muffler and exhaust tip. Then I used 000 Steel Wool and P21S Finish Restorer to polish the exhaust. Then I used Duragloss 105 synthetic sealant/wax hybrid to protect. Pictures below.



Before:
http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q356/SportELR/Exhaust%20Overhaul/ExhaustClean-up006.jpg

http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q356/SportELR/Exhaust%20Overhaul/ExhaustClean-up005.jpg



After APC
http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q356/SportELR/Exhaust%20Overhaul/ExhaustClean-up008.jpg


Tools for Polishing. It's the first time I used steel wool for this
http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q356/SportELR/Exhaust%20Overhaul/ExhaustClean-up009.jpg



After
http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q356/SportELR/Exhaust%20Overhaul/ExhaustClean-up014.jpg

http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q356/SportELR/Exhaust%20Overhaul/ExhaustClean-up012.jpg

http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q356/SportELR/Exhaust%20Overhaul/ExhaustClean-up013.jpg

http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q356/SportELR/Exhaust%20Overhaul/ExhaustClean-up015.jpg


I don't have a dedicated Metal Protectant, but someone here suggested a synthetic sealant. So I applied Duragloss 105 which has excellent durability.

I hadn't polished the exhaust since last summer. All I did was spray the exhaust with soap when I washed the car. So after winter in Canada, basically all the dirt, grime, and whatnot had been embedded on the exhaust all year. I buffed and cleaned with shop towels instead of microfiber towels because I didn't want to see my microfibers get dirty.

[JohnHenry]

Here's my recommendation:

Optimum Metal Polish, chrome polish, wheel polish, aluminum polish, motorcycle polish, how to polish metal (http://www.autogeek.net/metal-polish-32.html)

I use the OMP on commercial stainless steel ice makers at marinas on the Florida Gulf Coast.... good stuff. I've never really thought about using a sealant. Optimum says their metal polish leaves behind a protective coating.

[SportEL]

Here's my recommendation:

Optimum Metal Polish, chrome polish, wheel polish, aluminum polish, motorcycle polish, how to polish metal (http://www.autogeek.net/metal-polish-32.html)

I use the OMP on commercial stainless steel ice makers at marinas on the Florida Gulf Coast.... good stuff. I've never really thought about using a sealant. Optimum says their metal polish leaves behind a protective coating.

Thanks for that suggestion. Though I'm one of those that believe a dedicated product is best. Just like how it would be better to use a separate polish and paint protectant rather than an AIO for paint.

It looks like Wolfgang offers a metal sealant but it's pretty pricey at $30. I was wondering if anything else is just as good.

[Silverstone]

I've had good luck with Flitz metal polish around the house. It does something that prevents further tarnishing. I have some nickel-silver things I cleaned 6-7 years ago that are still clean and shiny, but of course this is indoors.