? compounds/wheels for stainless steel fasteners

[bjp]

I'm a bit confused about the range of compounds for stainless steel. (I think that any of the medium to fine compounds would suit my purpose.) I started out looking for a way to polish stainless steel fasteners (Allen and hex bolt heads) other than by hand with Autosol. I thought some sort of wheel that I could put a bit of Autosol on and hold the bolt against it for a few seconds. Then I discovered the Caswells website and got confused. I have to keep telling myself that all I want to do is polish new but unpolished ss Allens, and clean up dirty/corroded carb/throttle mechanism parts (stuff that should be zinc/cad plated). (Stuff that I've done with bathtub cleaner and 3M pads and bristle and nylon brushes - ok to some extent.) So - no actual polishing. A nylon/bristle brush wheel would do well except that the cleaner would fly off. With no experience, I can't judge well enough which compound to use. It seems to me that Autosol on a cotton spiral wheel would do the job. I'm not looking for mirror-finish on the Allen/cap screw heads, just "polished". They come dull with a few tiny pits.

Which compound/s should I use ? (Or just the Autosol, although I would probably want a general purpose ss compound anyway).

What about cleaning (not polishing) engine cases and fins on the bike (old BMW).

[diaster]

just get the Black magic bar. I use it all the time with a spiral sewn wheel to polish all bolts and fasteners. Use vice grips to hold it into the wheel and rotate it around, will look like chrome when you are done

[bjp]

Originally Posted by diaster

just get the Black magic bar. I use it all the time with a spiral sewn wheel to polish all bolts and fasteners. Use vice grips to hold it into the wheel and rotate it around, will look like chrome when you are done

Thanks. I'm checking it out now on the Caswell webpage.
What do you do with corroded/dirty fasteners - and things like carb/throttle linkages? Maybe I should just use a wire wheel on them.

[clydes]

a tumbler works well but it takes a few days in it to get good results. caswell sells them. just a thought . clydes

[mcaswell]

Try the 'scrubber wheel'. It will remove paint, rust and crud, leaving a satin finish.