I use Mothers metal polish for final shine. Just a little lasts for ages. You can expect a pretty good shine on metal after getting it up to 400-600 grit. I typically go up the grits from 120 to 2000, and then hit it with some polishing compound and that'll get you to a mirror finish.
If you're using a buffing wheel, some wax-based general purpose buffing compound will be good for removing the scuff marks from sanding, prior to polishing. And if you're not after a chrome-like mirror finish, that may well be enough for your liking.
Next time you can just do it yourself and use Mother's Polish.
Literally just rub some on your headlights and polish for 5 minutes each with a towel and it does just as good of a job as any sanding kit. Even easier if you have a polish ball with a drill.
Most of the time the UV sealants wear off pretty quickly and you'll end up having to do it again probably in a year or two at most to keep them looking crystal clear.
I tried a lot of different things and I swear the only one that worked for me was the easiest one
Mothers 05101 Mag & Aluminum Polish - 10 oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009H519Y/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_5G1HCPHD639K7QYYRM6M
Literally one try, applied a generous amount and rubbed in circles with a towel and it looks almost just as good as the new one I just replaced.
This is assuming this is from the outside and not the inside
Depends if the damage is on the inside or outside.
Can't really do much if the damage is on the inside which can happen if it gets too hot from the Halogen Bulb.
You can try polishing the outside with Mother's Polish using a rag or drill and polish ball.
Will make the headlight clear in seconds.
I accidentally forced a patina on my barbell using white vinegar that was too acidic. It actually looks pretty cool but I'm curious if I can remove it.
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I saw this product is used to remove patinas on knives - would this be safe to use on my barbell? I don't want to ruin the grip. https://www.amazon.com/Mothers-05101-Mag-Aluminum-Polish/dp/B0009H519Y/ref=sr\_1\_3?dchild=1&keywords=mothers%2Bmag%2Band%2Baluminum%2Bpolish&qid=1626477441&sr=8-3&th=1
Get this stuff. It's definitely got a smell, but it's not harsh. Just kind if a dry powder-ish smell. Almost like play doh. And it works really well.
Use Mother's Aluminum Polish. You can get it on Amazon here: Mothers 05101 Mag & Aluminum Polish - 10 oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009H519Y/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_oAFhEb47NXX5X I use it on my rims on my '79 ranger and they look absolutely stunning.
Yeah, I was going to suggest Mother's - not that I've used it on chrome faucets.
Amazon.com: Mothers 05101 Mag & Aluminum Polish - 10 oz: Automotive
Mothers 05101 Mag & Aluminum Polish - 10 oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009H519Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_MQEZVAP9HZTKPSFM6E7Y
That stuff?
Looks great!
But next time just use some Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish. Takes 5 minutes per headlight and results are the same.
The first time I restored my headlights I used the 3M kit as well and it's pointlessly hard for the same results as a polish.
Bad MF right there but i have a recommendation for you. I use these to clean up my pipes. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009H519Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fab_I3PAFbK85D48W
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001MXTOKQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fab_G5PAFb2RX5ABJ
Mothers 05101 Mag & Aluminum Polish - 10 oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009H519Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_0SV1X4GV2PC8B6SHTK2G
Mothers aluminum polish and lots and lots of paper towels... I got a package of special buffer heads to attach to a drill, but just by hand worked better... Will take a few hours, but the results are staggering
I just refreshed my old Kirby (read: needlessly rebuilt)
One thing that I would recommend for you is Mothers Aluminium Polish.
I went out and got special buffer heads to attacchi to a drill, totally unnecessary... Ended up using paper towels for the whole thing (lots and lots of paper towels), and 2 evenings of polishing...
But check out the difference! It’s not perfect, and one day I’ll polish more, but 2 evenings was about my limit apparently...
Alternatively if you don’t have AC+ to fall back on, you could buff the Silver’s stainless steel bands with a metal polish like https://www.amazon.com/Mothers-05101-Mag-Aluminum-Polish/dp/B0009H519Y/ and get quite good results
https://www.amazon.com/Mothers-05101-Mag-Aluminum-Polish/dp/B0009H519Y
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Thank me later works so GREAT! and it's cheap
As stated in another recent comment:
People generally make headlight restoration way to complex and expensive. Most headlight restoration will not hold up over time and will likely need to be done again in a year or so, regardless if you put protection on the lenses or not. It's just the nature of constant exposure to UV light, friction from wind and particulates, as well as bug guts degrading whatever finish you put on it.
The most simple and straightforward method is to use a good polish on the headlight lens once, maybe twice a year. I use Mother's Polish
Just smear some on the headlights, and polish with a drill pad or elbow grease and towel. Takes less than 5 minutes per headlight and results in a crystal clear shine. No complex sanding or multi-step process required. Watch YouTube videos/read Amazon reviews about it if you're not convinced.
People generally make headlight restoration way to complex and expensive. Most headlight restoration will not hold up over time and will likely need to be done again in a year. It's just the nature of constant exposure to UV light, friction from wind and particulates, as well as bug guts degrading whatever finish you put on it.
The most simple and straightforward method is to use a good polish on the headlight lens once, maybe twice a year. I use Mother's Polish
Just smear some on the headlights, polish with a drill pad or elbow grease and towel. Takes less than 5 minutes per headlight and results in a crystal clear shine. No complex sanding or multi-step process required. Watch YouTube videos about it if you're not convinced.
Item | Current | Lowest | Reviews |
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Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish - 283g | - | - | 4.6/5.0 |
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Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish - 283g | - | - | 4.6/5.0 |
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Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish - 283g | - | - | 4.6/5.0 |
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Item | Current | Lowest | Reviews |
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Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish - 283g | - | - | 4.6/5.0 |
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Item | Current | Lowest | Reviews |
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Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish - 283g | - | - | 4.6/5.0 |
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Ty! :) One more question, is it okay to use a metal polisher on both inside and outside of the skillet?
exhaust tips just use
Mothers 05101 Mag & Aluminum Polish
Inside and out it will look mint plus it's cheap
Ultrasonic cleaners will generally not remove tarnish. I have a commercial one and use it for removing dirt, dead skin and other nastiness from earrings and just general cleaning of jewelry and watch parts.
I use this stuff for sterling.
They make a large cylinder of it for sterling flatware. It's not super acidic like Tarn-X
For a little more stubborn tarnish, I follow up with this:
https://www.amazon.com/Mothers-05101-Mag-Aluminum-Polish/dp/B0009H519Y
Yes, it is wheel polish, but works great for gold, silver, copper, brass, etc (even says so on the container).
For larger items, I use silver cream:
I messaged the company on Instagram, and this was their response:
>I actually spoke to the founder here about your problem. Here is what he recommends to fix the sheen on the cabinets. He said to get this product (https://www.amazon.com/Mothers-05101-Mag-Aluminum-Polish/dp/B0009H519Y). You'll need a very small amount. Because this is very slightly abrasive, when buffed on those affected areas, it should both remove that very minimal amount of oil on the surface and bring back the surface to a uniform sheen. He suggested NOT to use a scrubby pad as it is more abrasive than the Mothers Mag/Aluminum Polish.
I haven’t tried this yet, but I will update when I do.
https://www.amazon.ca/Mothers-05101-Mag-Aluminum-Polish/dp/B0009H519Y/
This stuff works wonders.
Stripped the paint with Klean-Strip Premium Stripper.
Scrubbed it down with #0000 Steel Wool to get a good base shine and remove any remaining paint.
Polished it with Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish and a couple different off-brand Dremel tips.
Then it was nice and shiny before I added the paint.
I’d try this - it’s like a miracle. You can return a C-Vap back to the Ms stainless steel with it
Use Car soap clean the wheel and take your wheels off then polish them with Mother Mag and Aluminum Polish by hand; as you polish it will take off the caked on brake dust it takes time but it does work.
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Then when you are done PUT ON GLOVES! YOU DO NOT WANT GREEN HANDS!
https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-WAC_303-8-Ounce-Sealant/dp/B001THV9D0?ref_=ast_sto_dp
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Use the Max coat Whee Guard I run these on my volks save so much brake dust and works great and its priced right.
Ok, I was having a TON of problems with adhesion with PLA, and a fair deal of issues with PETG on the textured sheet. I tried it all: Lower Z, 99% alcohol, dish soap, increased bed temp. Everything was coming loose after a few layers, or warping (or warping worse with the higher bed temp). It would still warp with a 2cm brim.
I was seriously considering tossing the textured sheet because it was completely useless for me, so I tried a more drastic approach. I figured that acetone was risking chemically changing the surface (which is why they warn against it), so I decided instead to physically change the surface.
I got some "Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish" and softly polished one side of the textured sheet. This stuff has an extremely fine grit in it (aluminum oxide), and it scuffed/polished the top layer of the powder coat. I didn't polish too hard, I didn't want to change the look or texture of the sheet. After that, I washed the surface thoroughly with dish soap, dried it with towels, did a pass with the 99% alcohol, then heated the bet to 80c for a few min.
The difference was night and day. PLA sticks incredibly well (nozzle 200c, bed 50c), but still easily pops off with a light bend of the sheet. It didn't change the surface texture of the sheet at all, you still get that nice textured finish. I haven't tested PETG on it yet, but considering how well the PLA sticks, I'll only want to only do small test parts first until I have confidence that the bigger parts will actually pop off (I still have the reverse side of the sheet for PETG in case this polished side works too well). I've accumulated about 50h of printing on the polished textured sheet now without issue.
WARNING: Mothers contains petroleum distillates. I'm not a chemist, but I may have in the end actually chemically changed my textured sheet anyways (similar to what using acetone would have done). I don't know if there will be long term issues with this method, but in my case, I at least turned a useless textured sheet into something I can actually use for a bit.
This is the stuff I used: https://www.amazon.com/Mothers-05100-Mag-Aluminum-Polish/dp/B0009H519Y
Mother's polish for metal.
https://www.amazon.com/Mothers-05101-Mag-Aluminum-Polish/dp/B0009H519Y
If you want to do a full restore this is a great vid from ChrisFix. If you want to do something quick and good but not permanent, polish them with Mag Polish and a buffer.
Mothers 05101 Mag & Aluminum Polish - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009H519Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_T.uHzbMVDV4PZ plus a lil’ elbow grease
Your mother usually does a good job cleaning my blow holes
https://www.amazon.com/Mothers-05101-Mag-Aluminum-Polish/dp/B0009H519Y
I generally use Mag and Aluminum polish. Don't know about leather though.