Well I posted this http://forums.aaca.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=474905#Post474905 in the Current Restoration Projects forum I look at most of this place, I don't know how many of us Buick people make our way up there so I figured I'd post a link here. Wouldn't want to make anyone leave BCA section of this place is of course unmatched

Just kinda doin' little things that surprisingly make a huge difference. Up until this my favorite thing was wire brushing the hubcaps, couldn't believe they were actually that nice....just really DIRTY. I was shocked by how much better the car looked with them all shiny and clean.

As an even better reference for that link, attached is how the vents FIRST looked when I dragged the thing out of its cave!

What medium did you use on that pot metal? In the pictures the finish looks great but with a sandblaster, I have to wonder if it pit or scratched the chrome finish much?

Well I masked the stainless horizontal strips and tried to keep it aimed away from them so they're okay but the surfaces I was blasting did get pitted a *little* in spots, but I was able to avoid it a good deal by keeping it at an angle, distance, etc. I think some of it was already pitted though either from weathering or from when I tried to wirebrush it with a Dremel tool. Even up close they realllllly look nice. I'm happy. There are some scattered areas where the metal is obviously a little rough but it's hardly everywhere and not much of an eyesore at all. For 70 year old metal I'm impressed. More important than anything is it's far better than what it was. I can't wait to see it in the sun at Rhinebeck this spring. It ought to look real nice. (I'm wondering how soon Will's will be done with the Model A. They did say about a year which would be this spring. No biggie but my grandpa wants very much to follow me down in it!!! Fortunatley he'll have all summer to follow me aroud to all the other shows)

I'm not really experienced in restoration of these pieces but I think shooting blasting medium at a pot metal part is taking an unnecessary risk. I would recommend you try polishing parts like this with Mothers Metal polish first. This can be used with extra fine steelwool, 00 or the finest grade you can find. Although I always try it with a polishing rag first. Even a dremmel with a polishing disc but they do wear out really fast.

If you don't get satisfactory work from this then you may want to try blasting away.

JD

Just my opinion.