SS Boat Bow/Stern Railing Power Tools

[sailboatowner]

Hello,

I have read a number of threads regarding polishing SS. It appears relatively straight forward with patience and the correct buffing compounds. In my case, I hope to restore some luster to the bow/stern rails (1" tubular SS) of my sailboat. Removing the railing is not practical, so I am looking for some recommendations as to the power tool(s) to use by make/model, advantages/disadvantages, etc.

Thanks,
Michael

[Rasper]

You could use a small polisher or an electric drill. I use an old Black and Decker polisher I bought for 15 dollars on E Eay. It turns 2200, or something close to that.

Normally the ideal polishing speed is obtained by using a six inch wheel at 3450 rpm, but I think that is too fast for polishing tubing using a hand held machine. Too much chance of the polishing wheel grabbing the tubing and scratching the piece you are polishing with the chuck or the wheel hardware. Better to go slower. Your bow rails are probably not scratched up. Just dull. So they should not need much work. I would start with a green stainless compound and then finish it off with a finer white one. If the green doesn't clean it up, then go to black emery. Use separate wheels for each polish and clean the rails thoroughly before changing to a finer compound.

The hardest thing you will encounter is the tendency of the wheel to grab the tubing and pull the machine into it. Also, stainless is hard. It's a lot harder than plain steel. It takes time and work to polish.

Richard

[jrow]

Michael,

Try this: http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/bluejob.html
If I remember correctly the rails have a brushed finish that runs around the circumference of the rail! A standard style drill motor would be hard to use because you would have to use it parallel to the rails, and it would be hard to hold. I would suggest that you purchase a 3/8" 90 degree offset drill motor. It would be easier to use. I wouldn't use any compound that would take the brushed effect off the rails as then you would have to refinish all the rails, not just the scratches. Outside of the buff above that I suggested I wouldn't use any buffs bigger than 3 - 4 inches, to hard to control. Try some Simachrome first and see what that does. If that doesn't get it, I would try the white compound.

Let us know how up make out.

John

[alabama_lowlife]

an hourglass buff would probably do great in this situation.
http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/bluejob.html

[Rasper]

That hourglass buff would almost totally eliminate the problem of your buff grabbing the tubing. Looks like a perfect thing for tubing. I question whether a drill would turn it fast enough to do much on stainless though, the effective diameter appears to be only a few inches. I would think you would want to turn that thing at about 5 or 6 thousand. But then, why not try it with a drill? I can't imagine your rails have deep scratches, unless they got up against a concrete wall somewhere, so a drill might work fine. Stainless is hard stuff though. (I really hate it; that is until it's all done and polished. Then it's simply wonderful, and worth all the effort.)

Richard