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Corn Starch anyone?

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Basil

Basil

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I read somewhere that the best thing to use for final polishing of alumnimum, brass, copper, etc., is "Corn Starch". It supposedly absorbs all that black junk and really leaves the part you are polishing glowing. As anyone else heard of this procedure?

Basil

[ 01-01-2004: Message edited by: Basil ]</p>
 
Sounds Corny to me
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<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by 19MGA60:
Sounds Corny to me
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<hr></blockquote>

I don't know if there is a "kernel"
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of truth in that, but it seems like it would work. Slightly gritty, but not enough to scratch. Try it on a small area and let us know how it works.
 
I tried this on a piece of copper. It seemed to work reasonably well in dry form, but only for burnishing a part that was already polished. It didn't seen to want to cut the dirt at all, and the powder fell all over the place.

I then mixed it into a paste with a little water, but it became totally inefective.

I would stick with a mild silver polishing cloth I think.
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Steve:
I tried this on a piece of copper. It seemed to work reasonably well in dry form, but only for burnishing a part that was already polished. It didn't seen to want to cut the dirt at all, and the powder fell all over the place.

I then mixed it into a paste with a little water, but it became totally inefective.

I would stick with a mild silver polishing cloth I think.<hr></blockquote>

I should have mentioned - what I heard was that it was good to use as a "last" polish (after you have polished with other compounds). It is suppsed to add a "gloss" to the finished piece and the corn starch is supposed to absorb the black junk that usually results when polishing metals.

BAsil
 
I am planning on using Baking Soda for some of my media blasting on my paint.
 
In a similar vein I've found baking soda to be really good for small cleaning jobs too. Andrew uses it in the basement for all kinds of odds and ends and I use it in the kitchen as it cleans really well. I couldn't keep our s/s sink really sparkly without scratching it, I now use baking soda and it cleans it up a treat! I also used it on the stove and cooktop after all the Christmas cooking was done and it cleaned it better than all the commercial products available. Cheap too!

RG
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In High School I worked as a service sta. attendant (for those of you who don't know; gas once came from stations not 7-11s and attendants would fill your tank, check your oil and air your tires...AND wash your windows every time you got petrol)...A guy came in with terror on his face ; He had waxed his black car in the NM sunshine with paste wax. The Mechanic on duty (stations had those too)told him to use corn meal and it would come off. Not only did it come off but it looked very nice. I wonder if the same holds true here, there is just enough abrasive to remove surface scratches (and baked-on wax) but not enough to scratch paint or soft metals?
 
Ah, Steven...I remember those days in an old Gulf station...loved the convertibles that pulled up with a sweet young thing in passenger seat...as a teenager, I'd wash their windshields all day long!
 
Another good use for baking soda... you have to be a bit of a mad scientist type to try this but it's good fun!

Take a largish container, an old washing up bowl will do, one of those plug in battery charger thingies (I know, I'm very technical), a flat piece of steel - we used on old flat cheese grater, and finally some baking soda. Fill up your container about half to two thirds full of warm water, clip the battery charger crocodile clip to the cheese grater and put in the water. Take a small, rusty car part that you'd like cleaned up and clip the other crocodile clip from the battery charger to it and dump it in the water too. Put in some baking soda, enough to make the water fizz a bit and adjust the voltage on the charger to keep the water just fizzing slightly. Depending how large your part is and how badly rusted it is it will take anywhere from a few hours to a day or two to clean up.

I know it's extremely important to clip the battery charger cables in the right manner, and of course I can't remember which way round they go!! I suppose the process is the reverse of chrome plating in a sense. I would imagine there are products on the market that will do the same thing but apart from this being a cheaper method, it's also a heck of a lot of fun!! Imagine the look on your wifes face when she finds you in the basement carefully tending a bowlful of simmering, bubbling liquid!! Especially if you happened to be wearing a set of goggles and some welding gloves just for effect!
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RG
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<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by racing girl:
Another good use for baking soda... you have to be a bit of a mad scientist type to try this but it's good fun!

Take a largish container, an old washing up bowl will do, one of those plug in battery charger thingies (I know, I'm very technical), a flat piece of steel - we used on old flat cheese grater, and finally some baking soda. Fill up your container about half to two thirds full of warm water, clip the battery charger crocodile clip to the cheese grater and put in the water. Take a small, rusty car part that you'd like cleaned up and clip the other crocodile clip from the battery charger to it and dump it in the water too. Put in some baking soda, enough to make the water fizz a bit and adjust the voltage on the charger to keep the water just fizzing slightly. Depending how large your part is and how badly rusted it is it will take anywhere from a few hours to a day or two to clean up.

I know it's extremely important to clip the battery charger cables in the right manner, and of course I can't remember which way round they go!! I suppose the process is the reverse of chrome plating in a sense. I would imagine there are products on the market that will do the same thing but apart from this being a cheaper method, it's also a heck of a lot of fun!! Imagine the look on your wifes face when she finds you in the basement carefully tending a bowlful of simmering, bubbling liquid!! Especially if you happened to be wearing a set of goggles and some welding gloves just for effect!
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RG
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Positive to the sacrificial metal. Make sure the clamp isn't in the water.

Negative on the rusty part. 2 gallons of water, a tablespoon of baking soda, and a couple of amps is all you need.
 
The Corn Starch simply absorbs (removes) the excess polish. If the polish was blackened in the process... the "black gunk" would be absorbed as well...

Use it as a final process to the polishing job...

[ 01-26-2004: Message edited by: oldnotwise ]</p>
 
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