Polishing Aluminum and Chrome

[whitecat]

Working on cleaning the Voigtlander collection and want to get a shine on these tops and lenses. What is your best product? Never Dull? Flitz? All comments welcome.

 

[Ronald M]

MAAS metal polish in a silver tube. Wife probably got it at the food super market.

I use it on carbon steel kitchen knives which stain unlike stainless steel which does not, but does not hold an edge either.

I also polished up some new to me brass film cassettes which had some green corrosion and acid finger prints. They look like shinny new brass. Then I waxed them. We will see.

Chrome does not polish. You can only clean it. Turtle Wax chrome polish, Do not use the Turtle on Chromed plastic though. Only on a proper chrome plate over copper, then nickle, then chrome.

The MAAS also works well on sterling silver.

For very mild abrasion, a rough impregnated cloth for silver plate hollow ware

 

[whitecat]

Thanks, Ronald. Good info!

 

[Roger Hicks]

Solvol Autosol, for both.

Cheers.

R.

 

[peterm1]

I use one of two techniques depending on the type of grunge I am trying to remove. (1) There is a product - cant recall its name - that comes in a tin from auto parts stores. In the tin is a kind of brown cotton wadding impregnated with something that smells like Brasso metal polish. This is a soft and mild of cleaning that works quite well on flat chrome areas as its not really abrasive - well perhaps at a microscopic level. (2) If the crevices / internal corners on camera bodies or the milling on camera lenses focusing rings etc have developed a greasy dirty accumulation that some cameras get from being used too much without being cared for you can use this method: Take an old toothbrush and dampen it (not wet - it must be only just damp enough to be able to realize its damp when you touch it) with any of the surface sprays you can get for kitchen and household use. These products use strong surfactants that cut through grease. Brush the dirty area and it will remove the grunge. Dry with a clean cloth. Another nice cleaning product is a kind of liquid based on the oil from the skin of oranges of all things. Its common in Aus - not sure about elsewhere. Same deal with the brushing. A toothbrush is not abrasive enough BTW to damage chrome.

 

[Peter_Jones]

Peterm1, maybe the product (wadding) is "Duraglit" ?

Roger, Autosol is a fantastic product, especially on aluminium, but maybe a bit abrasive for some camera gear ? Gets a fantastic shine on bike engines though 🙂

 

[Roger Hicks]

Peterm1, maybe the product (wadding) is "Duraglit" ?

Roger, Autosol is a fantastic product, especially on aluminium, but maybe a bit abrasive for some camera gear ? Gets a fantastic shine on bike engines though 🙂

Dear Peter,

Works fine on chrome camera bodies. OK on light-alloy lenses too, as far as I recall, but it's years since I tried it for that.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Bill58]

I use "Rennaissance" brand (1) pre-cleaner and (2) wax products from the UK, but available almost (but of course, not in Korea) everywhere. They advertize it's used in "Her Majesty's Royal Arms Museum."

 

[peterm1]

Another trick I use (if you can call it that) is to use a clean paint brush - one about two and a half inches wide with soft bristles that I bought for about two bucks from one of those Asian cheap-stuff stores. It is magic for removing dust from the camera surface and crevices. I keep it specially for the purpose and most times its all that is needed except when I buy a new lens or body that arrives in a grubby condition - this is when the toothbrush comes out.

I have just checked the polishing wadding I spoke of. Its name is "Brite Shine Cotton Wadding Polish" and comes in a yellow metal can. The only address on the can is an Australian one but it may be sold overseas under other names. I like it specifically because its not very abrasive. Roger Hicks says you can use Autosol successfully on lite alloy lenses. I can say that Brite Shine does well here too although its less abrasive. In fact it works better on aluminium than on chrome and will really give it a shine. (It also works on plastic camera bodies but I cannot say if the residue causes any damage - it seems to be a kind of hydrocarbon base that might attack the plastic if not cleaned off properly when you are done, which is what I do to be safe.

From memory the Voightlander chrome is brighter and somehow seems harder than the Leica version (its certainly more robust) so you may get away with some degree of abrasive polishing without creating obvious rub marks.I would still be careful about using Autosol as it is considerably more abrasive than anything I have mentioned.

 

[dmr]

For giving aluminum (aluminium) a chrome-like shine, nothing will beat a jeweler's wheel and a white rouge stick.

There's another product which has been talked about here, Simichrome. It's a very abrasive polish, but will give you an amazing deep shine. Hobby shops and motorcycle shops have it. A tube lasts years!

 

[photobizzz]

I have used very fine steel wool to polish aluminum, espically if it has oxidation buildup, for chrome I use Nevr-Dull on my motorcycle. It is a wadding with the polish already on it. You just tear off a bit, rub it on, let it dry and then buff. Works brilliantly.

 

[peterm1]

I have used very fine steel wool to polish aluminum, espically if it has oxidation buildup, for chrome I use Nevr-Dull on my motorcycle. It is a wadding with the polish already on it. You just tear off a bit, rub it on, let it dry and then buff. Works brilliantly.

Nevr-Dull looks and sounds suspiciously like the "Brite Shine" I mentioned - right down to the tin it comes in.

 

[payasam]

Old toothbrush dampened with water or booze, then soft cloth.

 

[whitecat]

Let's get the leather now..

Let's get the leather now..

Been using Mother's Chrome polish and Never Dull and I like the results. Who has some suggestions for cleaning the leather?
Thanks

 

[Bill58]

For leather care, I always use Propert's brand products (Saddle Soap and Cream)--simply the best.

 

[FallisPhoto]

Working on cleaning the Voigtlander collection and want to get a shine on these tops and lenses. What is your best product? Never Dull? Flitz? All comments welcome.

For aluminum, Nevr-Dull.

For stained aluminum, Alumabrite.

For more deeply stained aluminum, Naval Jelly for aluminum.

For yet more deeply stained aluminum, #0000 steel wool.

For steel (for example, a Ciroflex), Naval Jelly.

For chrome, pretty much any good automotive grade chrome polish.

For clean uniformly dyed leather, any good silicone based protectant (NOT Armorall).

For not so good leather, either leather dye and a sealer or replacement.

For cleaning mold and mildew out of leather or fabric, hydrogen peroxide.

For cleaning lenses, naptha, denatured alcohol and distilled water -- and lots of Q-tips.

For cleaning lenses with fungus, a 50/50 mix of hydrogen peroxide and ammonia.

For cleaning vinyl and plastic that is not too bad, toothbrush and windex.

For cleaning badly stained vinyl and plastic, Wesleys Bleche White tire cleaner.

For cleaning and brightening viewfinder lenses (NOT taking lenses) on box cameras and folders, toothpaste on a finger.

 

[Steve Bellayr]

I just found "Sunshine Polishing Cloth" price $2.86 from Fire Mountain Gems. Seems to work on Chrome. Adds a bit of gloss.

 

[Ikontafan]

Been using Mother's Chrome polish and Never Dull and I like the results. Who has some suggestions for cleaning the leather?
Thanks

I have used Lexol for over 30 years on all types of leathers. It softens, prevents cracking, and preserves by using tanning oils in a light liquid. Works well on bellows, cases, and straps. RB