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Best chrome polish

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G

grandson

Freshman Member
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I'd be interested in hearing the collective wisdom about the best chrome polish the members have experienced. Personally I have tried Turtle Wax Chrome Polish, Autoglym metal polish, Met-All, Wenol, vinegar and Windex glass cleaner. I seem to collect polishes and waxes to a fault all in the search for the best one. I know this is probably subjective and personal preference but just curious. Thanks...
 
For good clean chrome, aluminum or stainless, I use Blue Magic. It leaves a nice protective coating and shines wonderfully. If the surface is dirty or corroded I use Mother's. If it's really bad and pitted I use Semi-Chrome which is an abrasive cleaner.
 
Steve said it - Semichrome as a real polish/abrasive is very good. I've also had a lot of success with Flitz. For maintaining the shine I use Mother's liquid - it's a blue watery liquid that you apply with a cotton towel, let dry, and buff off... it also works like magic on windshields.
 
Do the same products/considerations apply to nickel plating? My 1925 Rover pre-dates extensive use of chromium plate and has many nickel-plated bits and pieces. I have been using mere Brasso, which seems to work if you put enough effort into it (assuming the plating has survived at all), but some places may need many minutes of hard work, and some scratches cannot be removed.

A related question. I had assumed that the radiator surround was nickel-plated brass (around a brass honeycomb), but recently someone suggested it was solid nickel-silver (or German silver, depending on your language). It has traces of orange colour, which I had assumed was the plating wearing thin, but if it is solid, then what is this colour, and why can I not polish it off?

Ken G, 1925 Rover 16/50 (San Francisco)

P.S. Basil, please keep up the forum. If you are going to offer a bunch of skins, how about one that does not contain the gremlins for old fogies like me?!
 
If you are talking about real chrome, and if you're trying to get out little pits and real grunge rather than just keeping it clean, use tinfoil. The motorcycle guys showed me this trick, and it is great. There is bound to be some in your pantry, and the boss won't even mind, so long as you don't bring a bumper into the kitchen.
 
Simichrome is OK, but I think Blue Magic is much better. Mothers is OK too. I polish aluminum a lot more than I polish chrome though.
 
Agree with the tin foil, but isn't it really 'aluminum' foil? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yesnod.gif and I think as you rub it over the chrome it actually shreds into the spaces (pits) and practically fills them. Use the Simichrome polish afterards to seal over the top, but not something like Wenol, as (in my experience)it will just take out the metal tiny bits that you just put in the pits from the foil.
 
the best product i have used on chrome is a product called gel-gloss, it works unbelievably. my father swears by the stuff and uses it on everything (reminiscent of windex in 'big fat greek wedding'). he does his ENTIRE truck with the stuff and it looks great - it's like 4 bucks a can and it should be in the plumbing section of the hardware store. works wonders on glass and can be used throughout the house cleaning anything - great on city sticker glues - just rub it on and rub it off with a clean rag. give it a try (no plug here, just telling you what i use)
 
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