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polishing welds?
desyboy - 29/1/06 at 09:55 PM

Has anybody got any advice on how to polish the welds and the discoloured pipe work on my new stainless steel mk exhaust system please.

Cheers Des

OX - 29/1/06 at 10:20 PM

wire wool and auto-sol ,i'll do mine when iv got 3 hours to kill

NigeEss - 29/1/06 at 11:27 PM

I scrounged a small pot of acid from a local stainless welder. I think it's orthophosphoric (I'll ring him tomorrow).
Excellent stuff, just brush it on and half an hour later rinse off and all discoloration is gone. No elbow grease required !!!!

Avoneer - 29/1/06 at 11:38 PM

Doesn't flux do that as well - warm exhaust, coat in flux, wipe straight off???

Pat...

chrisf - 30/1/06 at 12:05 AM

I just did this myself, and OX is spot on as far as time estimates (well, he's actually a bit speedier than I). My stainless was badly golden with road grime on it. So...

I took 1200 wet and dry and soaked it in water, then sanded the exhaust. I then went through the different colors of rouge (sp?) until it began to look like a mirror. If your exhaust is not too bad, I suggest putting a polishing wheel on the end of the air powered die grinder and polishing it with a fine rouge, perhaps red. Works a treat.

--HTH, Chris

Hellfire - 30/1/06 at 12:13 PM

Rotary wire brush in the drill for the tough stuff, followed by wire wool and autosol like OX says, should fetch it up great. First time might take a few hours but gets progressively less each time you do it.

desyboy - 30/1/06 at 09:35 PM

thanks very much.

OX - 9/2/06 at 11:04 PM

just noticed your avatar desyboy,,,your car looks tidy,will it be on the road for summer

G.Man - 9/2/06 at 11:14 PM

use a rotary wire brush and you will scratch the pipes to hell and back..

You need a rotary scotch 3m pad, made out of scotchbrite like you use on your kitchen pans...

Marc Nordon introduced me to these and they are incredible.... great for polishing, great for removing powder coating...

Just amazing

Hellfire - 10/2/06 at 12:27 PM

quote:
Originally posted by G.Man
use a rotary wire brush and you will scratch the pipes to hell and back..


Rubbish. We've done it this way a few times now on the discoloured welded bits and the finish it achieves is incredible. Quality of MK's stainless might be different though, so probably won't work for everyone.

G.Man - 10/2/06 at 12:48 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Hellfire
quote:
Originally posted by G.Man
use a rotary wire brush and you will scratch the pipes to hell and back..


Rubbish. We've done it this way a few times now on the discoloured welded bits and the finish it achieves is incredible. Quality of MK's stainless might be different though, so probably won't work for everyone.


Maybe with a brass brush, but the 3m pad is much better... and steel brushes do scratch, even tho the stainless is harder... it also leaves a coating of steel that can rust...


phillippe - 11/2/06 at 02:28 PM

i get the girlfriend to polish mine Orel's she cant cum in with me