Disappointed

[Guest btate]

After 12 weeks got my stainless trim back from the trim finish man and was totally disappointed. I gave him an order for $2100. And the trim was totally un acceptable. He has now waited 12 weeks to give me this bad news. He asked me if I could live with some of the dents, because that was the best he could do. I asked him how much I owed him for the 80 per cent of the parts finished and he said $850. I am disappointed in myself for not communicating better with him, of course i didn't know i needed to. This may be acceptable to some people but not for me. I called and placed an order for about $ 1000. and purchased a buffer with pedestal and all the materials I need to do my own stainless. Maybe I can sell it at half cost once I finish. I should have it by Thursday. We were needing to move on to others things and now I cannot have the glass installed. Why oh why would somebody wait 12 weeks to tell me he didn't get all the dents out and would I accept it. Just needed to vent I guess.

[Bhigdog]

Buffing stainless probably has sent more folks to the emergency room (myself included) than all other operations combined..................Bob

[trimacar]

My buddy Greg works in a shop with every type of metal and wood fabricating/machining tool imaginable. He's always told me the buffer is the most dangerous, as Bob mentions.....it'll grab a part and send it like a spear or cannonball, and if you're in the way you're going to get hurt.....

[60FlatTop]

I had the same thoughts as the other guys. I remember polishing a '72 Cadillac grille a few years back and joking about it being made of surgical steel. My fingers proved it. And it wasn't spinning as 1800 rpm.

Last night I was telling my wife about people being tagged as negative or pessimists when they talk about the dangers of building on a hundred year flood plain when there hasn't been a flood in 90 years, or the poor condition and disrepair of a major metropolitan city's storm sewer system or building a city below sea level. They are never praised because of their foresight and willingness to forewarn.

Get someone else to do that job.

Bernie

[Restorer32]

One of my employees was polishing a brass PULLMAN script. It caught in the buffer. One half ended up stuck in the ceiling insulation. The other half hit his belly so hard you could read PUL on his belly for most of a week. Stainless is difficult to polish. We have a 3 horse industrial buffer and even with that it is easy to overheat the buffing wheels to where they occasionally begin smoking. If your stainless was flash plated, as was common in the late 1940's, you will have to have the chrome removed before you can even begin polishing it.

[old-tank]

All power tools are dangerous. Just need to think way ahead and wear protection. This is the kind of day I do buffing...44*F, coat, welding gloves, eye protection, face mask (dust from buffing is hazardous if inhaled). Some of the side trim on a 55 is hard to straighten, being both concave and convex...maybe you need better pieces to start with. Smartin on these boards does buffing. Even with the right equipment buffing stainless is extremely tedious.

Willie

[RivNut]

I got this in an email a couple of years ago. Perhaps this would be an appropriate place to post it.

DRILL PRESS:

A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, denting the freshly-painted project which you had carefully set in the corner where nothing could get to it.

WIRE WHEEL:

Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, "%^#@!

SKILL SAW:

A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.

PLIERS:

Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of blood-blisters.

BELT SANDER:

An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-up jobs into major refinishing jobs.

HACKSAW:

One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle... It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.

VISE-GRIPS:

Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

OXYACETYLENE TORCH:

Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable objects in your shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside the wheel hub out of which you want to remove a bearing race..

TABLE SAW:

A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood projectiles for testing wall integrity.

HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK:

Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you have installed your new brake shoes, trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper.

BAND SAW:

A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to cut good aluminum sheet into smaller pieces that more easily fit into the trash can after you cut on the inside of the line instead of the outside edge.

TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST:

A tool for testing the maximum tensile strength of everything you forgot to disconnect.

PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER:

Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids or for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads.

STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER:

A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws and butchering your palms.

PRY BAR:

A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part.

HOSE CUTTER:

A tool used to make hoses too short.

HAMMER:

Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

UTILITY KNIFE:

Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts. Especially useful for slicing work clothes, but only while in use.

[Guest]

I had the same thoughts as the other guys. I remember polishing a '72 Cadillac grille a few years back and joking about it being made of surgical steel. My fingers proved it. And it wasn't spinning as 1800 rpm.

Last night I was telling my wife about people being tagged as negative or pessimists when they talk about the dangers of building on a hundred year flood plain when there hasn't been a flood in 90 years, or the poor condition and disrepair of a major metropolitan city's storm sewer system or building a city below sea level. They are never praised because of their foresight and willingness to forewarn.

Get someone else to do that job.

Bernie

I like that one, and yes it is disclosed before and during escrow that you are in a flood plain.....but why on earth does building and safety give a permit in the first place? Why does a person get disaster relief money to build in the same spot again?? It's OK for someone to waste their own money, but when I have to get involved that's another story.

[michel88]

Ed, Those definitions are right on the money. I can identify with most of them. Thanks for posting this.

[smithbrother]

Some folks, JUST AREN'T CUT OUT TO USE POWER TOOLS, that doesn't make them a bad person.

If you don't feel comfortable using power tools, THEN DON'T USE THEM.

I do feel comfortable, I use common sense, and RESPECT the tools I am using.

Having confidence in what you are doing, is KEY, IMO.

There are lots of YouTube VIDEO'S on power tools, and safe usage is often pointed out. If you are uncomfortable, then ask for help until you do feel comfortable.

Understanding the dangers of using certain tools is NEEDED before you go off into uncharted areas.

Dale in Indy

[Guest BJM]

Smartin on these boards does buffing. Even with the right equipment buffing stainless is extremely tedious.

Willie

I also will use this as a plug for Adam. We know him and he is honest. Use him for future needs and I am sure you will be satisfied.

OR, post further up in the AACA for recommendations. I would not necessarily use vendors found in Hemmings. I might, but I might not. But these forums are "real time" and you should be able to find qualified vendors.

[MrEarl]

a wise man once said, "People who use tools bleed a lot!" Me I don't even need tools. Just touching something cold and soft feeling while reaching way up under a junk car dash and all of a sudden remembering the copperhead I had seen just a week before near the same car. Turned out to be a black snake but that didn't make the 9 inches of raw meat arm feel any better. Keep your tetnus shots current.

[JZRIV]

btate,

In reference to your first post, welcome to the world of auto restoration. Sometimes no matter how cautious you are with vendors and how much research you do when buying parts, things can still go south in a hurry. You just try to minime the major mishaps.

I commend you for being honest. Many people have too much pride to admit when mistakes are made not to mention how much they cost which can mislead those who are getting into their first restoration thinking its all peaches and cream.

As for all the other comments on dangers of using buffers, Jeez, I'm surprised I'm still alive and have all my appendages! LOL. I'm not taking away the seriousness of the comments exercising caution when buffing stainless because accidents can and do happen. As long as you are AWARE of what can happen and take measures to prevent it you should be fine.

I've done countless pieces over the years and never had a single incident.......knocking on wood. I didn't have any prior training, instruction or warnings. I don't think I was that lucky. You just have to careful, take your time and do NOT allow any distractions while working. Its a tedious process. Buffing stainless is one of my more favorite parts of a resto. I always start with dent free pieces if they can be obtained. Unless its a real rare piece, the labor to have dents removed by a pro including shipping will meet or exceed the cost of buying straight used part.

[dibarlaw]

Thanks Ed:

I will edit this a bit (beer refrence) to post in my Tech Ed Shop.

Larry

[Guest btate]

Jason, you may be right regarding replacing the pieces rather than removing the dents. I wish I knew where to look for 55' Buick Special stainless trim.This week it took me 4 hours of Internet time to find two firewall gaskets. In the end I took pictures and emailed around and finally someone said they had them. I am exhausted from looking for parts. Maybe I am having fun and don't know it.

[trimacar]

One of the posts talks about stainless steel. One common misconception is that stainless is harder than regular steel. Not true. Stainless work hardens very quickly, so a lot of people think it's harder.

When cutting with a saw, use deep cutting teeth, to get beyond the work hardened cut SS.

Buffing, if you heat too much, the surface hardens, and you can't file or sand.

Long ago, I restored a set of trim rings for wheels for a 1935 Pierce Arrow...had to be very patient, pick out dents, file, sand, then, at the very last, buff, but not get aggressive. Hard lesson to learn, and I probably had 30 to 40 hours of work in the rings...

[Guest Dave May]

Refinishing Stainless is not as hard as you may think, it just takes time and patience. I recently finished my first restoration (1960 Invicta convt.), and did the stainless refinishing myself. There are some very good instructional videos on YouTube. I sanded/filed the scratches out by hand before buffing and I'll not do that again. An electric belt sander would make that process a lot easier. I used a cheap bench buffer/grinder for buffing and had no issues, but large parts would be easier to do with a pedestal buffer. I found working with stainless to be very forgiving. I was able to take the dents and scratches out and if I made a mistake, it was easily fixed. While it was a lot of work and time, it sure beat paying thousands of dollars to have it done for me, not to mention the sense of satisfaction of doing it myself. I would recommend using leather gloves, apron, safety glasses and possibly a faceshield when buffing and use a dust mask when sanding, the chrome dust can be toxic.

[Matt Harwood]

I think you can get good results by doing it yourself. All it takes is patience and practice. Sure, the pros can do it faster with bigger equipment, but you can learn. I've buffed some of the stainless on my '41 Buick and had very good results, even just starting out. But yes, the lessons here are excellent. I DID set a wheel on fire by pressing too hard and for too long (you can see photos of my "incident" on my Buick restoration website), and I have had parts snatched out of my hands. Safety first!

You've invested in good equipment, make sure you get a good respirator and a face shield at minimum, plus a thick apron and thick leather gloves (not cloth). I prefer to work with my arms bare so there are no sleeves to grab (old habit from working in a machine shop). Also be sure to stand out of the line of fire should the part be grabbed. Stand just to the side of the wheel so if a part gets launched, your body isn't in the way. And always use gentle pressure, letting the wheel and compounds do the work. Pressing harder won't do it any faster, although it's hard to remind yourself of that while you're working. Be gentle, work slowly, pull the part away frequently to let everything cool down, and keep it loaded with compound (but not too loaded!).

As for dents, there are several good books out there on straightening stainless trim. I have a variety of little tools I've made that fit the contours of the Century's trim, and I gently work the dents out with light taps from a hammer and these parts. I even bought a little tiny anvil from Eastwood or someplace like that. You can often tap out the dents then use a file to gently flatten everything out, although with this trim, it can be too thin and filing will go through. Just use care. But I guarantee that will some patience and time, you will get results every bit as good as this shop you've used and you won't feel like a heel for spending a pile of money to have someone else do an inferior job. You'll probably find it quite rewarding at first, although it does get tedious after a while. But you can definitely do it and you can do it well!

Good luck!

[Guest Skyking]

I do all my own stainless. I find the best way to get scratches out after filing is using wet/dry paper in steps with kerosene. It's tedious no doubt, but they do come out easier this way before I even put it to the buffing wheel. I usually go from 320 grit up to 2500 grit using a small block, (like you were doing body work). The stainless already looks polished even before I buff. There are times I would spend a few hours on one piece.

[Guest btate]

Thanks Skyking, my mechanic and I removed about 20 dents today. I hope we can get the file scratches out tomorrow. Will try your method. My buffer should be in tomorrow to do the polishing.