Stainless scratch repair/refinish ?

[BMB]

I have a brushed stainless medical cabinet that I am looking to restore a bit.

It has several scratches in it, of varying degrees, that I would like to lesson or remove. I have looked a bit at the Scratch be Gone kits and they appear to be nothing more than various grades of ScothBrite pads with a lubricant/polish of some sort. They seem to run about $50 or so for a small kit.

I imagine I can buy the pads myself for much cheaper, but would like advice on what use with them for the lubricant.

Or if there are any other suggestions for removing scratches, I'll consider them as well.

Thanks.

[SidecarFlip]

I routinely mirror polish and satin finish stainless parts and I use scotchbrite for satin finish. You'll need to ascertain how coarse or fine the finish is in an inconspicuous spot. Different grades yield different finishes... Just ask John Deloran.....:D

[KGIOR]

This is where I buy my surface conditioning supplies from.
He is also very helpful if you have questions.

Ken

[vicegrip]

The original "brushed" finnish was made by exactly that brushes.
The sheet passes under the brushes.

I've lightly sandblasted blemishes, with the effected area masked
and hit gently from a good distance. Repeat with larger boarder masking.
This feathers-out the blemmish. Nozzel angle can assist in correcting
the offensive feature. THEN one direction only brush with a good stout brush.

Use a force and stroke that provides a suitably matched finish.

vg

[atlantafab]

If your stainless steel has a factory applied finish then any process you apply will be noticeable to some degree to some people. By "factory," I mean applied to the entire sheet or product by machine and not by hand. "Brushed" finishes are loosely defined at large. Many fabricators buy 3b polished sheets in T-304 and work them into "brushed" products. Removing and/or Blending scratches in a 3b finish is as much science as it is art. Abrasive manufacturers have links on their websites often with videos on metal finishing.

I second SidecarFlip: your quickest, most readily available answer came from - a green kitchen pad (without soap) applied without oils or other lubricants - lightly, in the direction of the grain.

[old blue]

Actually a little soap will make it work better. In any case I'd definitely do it wet. With water not oil.

Auto body wet sanding papers will also work well. I'd try 400 grit and see how it looks. Use a flexible block, being careful to keep the strokes as straight as possible. Set up a guide if you can.. kind of like a rip fence. It will look best if you can make a full pass in one direction from end to end instead of scrubbing back and forth, changing direction constantly.

You'll likely be surprised how quickly it goes. I'd sand the whole thing.

[usmcpop]

This forum thread might be of interest:

http://www.finishing.com/4000-4199/4148.shtml

[BMB]

Thanks for the replies.

Just got back to where I could work on this.

I need to pick up some pads and I had planned on using a backer with them.

I'm going to experiment a bit on the bottom of one of the panels that won't be seen to see what works best.