English Chrome Polish

The best English chrome polish is German.

David Barnett - SW Florida

>Simichrome is amazing stuff and not limited to metals (ferrous and otherwise). Try it on plastics, soft stone, your glass eye. Use it as a stropping compound. It's non-toxic, non-corrosive, has a five-year shelf-life, and is offered in several forms and packagings. You can find it nearly everywhere. Even Canada.

Another vote for Simichrome

Clay C in Miami

>

Re: English Chrome Polish

paul womack

>The commonest name brand here in the UK is "Solvol Autosol".

It's jolly clever because the abrasive is soft and breaks down in use.

The effect is that it start coarse and finishes fine during the cleaning process, giving the effect of working through the grits.

Recommended (interestingly) here:

http://www.hfmgv.org/explore/artifacts/iron.asp

http://www.museumservicescorporation.com/consemp/catalog/a.html

Be aware - the stuff starts off coarse enough that you might want to be careful of it; I certainly would NOT use it on non brass / copper based alloys.

BugBear

Agreed...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>It's great stuff.

Re: The best English chrome polish is German.

Dan Donaldson

>Take this to heart;-) For something like this, I would consider David the resident expert. He probably has forgotten more about metal working, (fine working), polishing, and stuff like that than most of us will ever know.

Thanks All

Jim in Burlington On

>Friends are headed over to England and Chrome polish will be alot more usefull than some trinket or bobble. Thanks again Jim

Re: The best English chrome polish is German.

paul womack

>It appears that Solvol Autosol, Simichrome and Flitz are ALL German.

Germans appear to be good at polishing chrome?

BugBear

Beyond BMW bumpers & Mercedes trim...

David Barnett - SW Florida

>...and perhaps of at least marginal semiotic interest; in a recent episode of "Project Runway" (Bravo TV), designer judge Michael Kors has this exchange with Heidi Klum.

Kors: "It's too shiny."

Klum: "I have no problem with it being shiny."

Kors: "That's because you're German."

I've read Germany dominates (intended) the latex fetish-wear market. Takes lots of Flitz and Simichrome to keep that hardware spanking clean, I suppose. Merely retro? Vestigial? Hmmm.

(It's okay -- I'm distantly related to Willy Brandt.)

Who would have thought.

Bob Hackett(Mainely,Bob)

>Dave,

I never took you for the "reality" TV type.

MB

Why, I remember when...

David Barnett - SW Florida

>..."This Old House" was still a reality show. Okay, you got me, Bob. But bloody 'ELLE' what I wouldn't give for weekly woodworking excoriations from Nina Garcia: "David, could you not have used a nicer secondary wood on those drawer backs? And is there not dust along the your web frame? I'm disappointed. I expected more... well... at least your seams are straight."

And you think my shop's clean now, heh.