FLYER15015 Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Hi Guys,I want to ask the Pre War Buick community about "Beauty Rings".Since I am the 2nd owner of my "Baby", I think the beauty rings on her came with the car.To me, they seem to be "bright nickel" plated rather than chrome.They sure take a lot of polishing with either, #7, or Semichrome Polish, and the cloth always comes up black.They do have some pitting, or dark spots here and there also, so I don't think they are stainless, but they could be. So, my question is....... Should I continue to polish them, or replace them with shinny new chrome ones like I see from "Desert Rose Diversified Sales" in Phalan, Ca., which is really only a P.O. Box. I checked with their Chamber of Commerce, so no store to take mine to and compare. OR, do you folks think the new, bright shiny chrome rings would stand out too much and make the old girl look like a "Hot Rod" (God forbid) ? Opinions please, and see attached. Mike in Colorado Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAS VEGAS DAVE Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Personally, I like the chrome ones. They would be less work and always look good, it might be cheaper to just have yours chromed. In any case your car looks great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suchan Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Go for the new rings. Spend more time driving your jewel rather than on your hands and knees polishing. You won't notice the shininess of the rings as much as you will how much better the wheels look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonMicheletti Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 My original beauty rings are stainless steel. They all were in good shape. While I did polish them on a buffing wheel. I also found that a trip through the dishwasher (when my wife wasnt home) had them come out brilliant.The nice thing about the stainless is that it wont deteriorate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 I bet they're stainless. You're hand-buffing them, which is why it comes out black, but you need a high-speed wheel to get that brilliant chrome-like shine out of stainless. It probably isn't a high-grade stainless metal (this is a mass-produced car, after all) so the pits are probably imperfections and/or contaminants that have embedded themselves in the surface over the years. The chrome ones will be less work for a while, but the stainless can always be brought back to where they are now. If you want a brilliant shine, pull them off and have them professionally polished or get a buffing wheel and motor and clean them up yourself, it's not hard and the results are immensely satisfying. I realize that I'm clouding the waters here, but my experience says they're stainless and that you can leave them as-is or give them a high polish to look like chrome. Only you can decide if the chrome ones are worth the investment. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithbrother Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 (edited) There are different grades of STAINLESS, some won't attract a magnet, some will attach to a magnet, just like cold rolled steel.The metal makeup is key, so pitting will occur in certain stainless.For the most part, I have found the stainless used in old cars was/is nice quality. Wheel trim rings often take a beating from road grit, etc. Remember lots of roads in the past were GRAVEL, or OILED GRAVEL.Dale in Indy Edited January 4, 2016 by smithbrother (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1967 - 1997 Riviera Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 The stainless will maintain their lustre longer than any chrome-plated pieces, as the real key to corrosion resistance is not the chromium plating but the underlying plating of nickel. The chromium plating just gives the final, bright appearance. And, as already stated, you can bring them back stainless pieces at some time in the future with a cleaning or repolish. If you decide to continue polishing the stainless ones yourself, then Simichrome is the compound you want to use. And unless you have a lot of experience with buffing wheels, it would be better to do the polishing by hand. If you decide to have them polished professionally, you might ask the shop or person doing it to passivate the stainless rings when done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithbrother Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Buffing wheels can rip the piece out if your hands, and can bend such to the point it is not useable.Experience is key in POWER buffing.Using the proper compounds is a must in order to get the finish you desire.I wish you well,Dale in Indy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLYER15015 Posted January 4, 2016 Author Share Posted January 4, 2016 Well, well. Two for chrome replacements and five for polishing the OEM's, so far. Semichrome Polish is the media of choice for sure ! Just did a check, and they are "mildly" magnetic which means that they are most likely 410 stainless. (carbon and chrome only, and no moly). Just for grins, has anyone ever used "jewelers rouge" to polish their stainless trim ? Mike in Colorado Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithbrother Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 Tooth paste has been used many times. Dale in Indy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 Well, well.Two for chrome replacements and five for polishing the OEM's, so far.Semichrome Polish is the media of choice for sure !Just did a check, and they are "mildly" magnetic which means that they are most likely 410 stainless. (carbon and chrome only, and no moly).Just for grins, has anyone ever used "jewelers rouge" to polish their stainless trim ?Mike in Colorado YES Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Gelinas (XP-300) Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 I'd go with new chrome ones. I bought a set of 4 for my 38 a few years back and they really made the wheels "pop". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLYER15015 Posted January 5, 2016 Author Share Posted January 5, 2016 (edited) O.K. Dave, Where did you get them and lets see pictures. I ask because "Desert Rose" has some pretty generic pictures and if you choose wrong, there is the return freight cost plus a 15% "restocking fee". Mike in Colorado Edited January 5, 2016 by FLYER15015 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt G Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 Yes, I agree with the guys that they are stainless steel. Stick with those and do like Matt says. Buffing on a machine will make them shine up better but also heedwhat Dale in Indy says - you will get tired sooner then you think with the buffing wheel, so do not try to do all four at once. I have used a buffing wheel for stainless, brass, aluminum all using different compounds - some compounds cut faster then others due to the grit in them. I have also hooked the piece I was buffing on the pad because I got tired and flung it off into space! be careful, if it hooks let it go - do not try and hold it back to recover - you can take a finger off that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonMicheletti Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 I checked the trim strips and beauty rings on my '38-46s. The trim strips are very magnetic, almost like steel (400 series Stainless?), while the beauty rings are completely nonmagnetic (300 series?). Very obviously different grades of stainless. Lots of the stuff we do while working on cars can be dangerous. Using a buffing wheel is like everything else. Use caution and work safely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Gelinas (XP-300) Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 O.K. Dave,Where did you get them and lets see pictures.I ask because "Desert Rose" has some pretty generic pictures and if you choose wrong, there is the return freight cost plus a 15%"restocking fee".Mike in ColoradoThe photos will have to wait. The Buick has been put up for the winter. I bought them on eBay a few years back. I don't remember the cost but I was happy with the product. I believe Bob's and Car's sell them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAS VEGAS DAVE Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Mine are non magnetic stainless, they are supposed to be the original ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLYER15015 Posted January 6, 2016 Author Share Posted January 6, 2016 XP, I did look at "Bob's" and they are God awful expensive. Having been there a year or so ago I know why. nuff said. Dave, I did some more research and found what I think will work, and it just so happens to be on my route to the land of fruits and nuts. Hubcapzone in Victorville. Very close to Desert rose in Phelan, but they don't have a "store" to compare mine to theirs. Hubcapzone is a store and it looks like the price is about $25.00 each. Note, both 300 and 400 series stainless are magnetic to various degrees, and 400 series cannot be made nonmagnetic. 300 series can by the application of the schefflier (sp?) diagram, that is adding more nickel to 300 series, such as 316ss, but that alloy can still be slightly magnetic. Put a magnet on your fork or spoon sometime and see. The rings I am looking at are advertised as "chrome plated stainless steel" and the chrome is where it gets its magnetic properties. Mike in Colorado Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daves1940Buick56S Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Hmm, for $25 each and the fact that you can see before you buy would make me give them a try. Not much to lose and you can always go back, in fact you can drive it with the new ones on and take your time buffing up the old ones. Win-win to me. Cheers, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Gelinas (XP-300) Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Hmm, for $25 each and the fact that you can see before you buy would make me give them a try. Not much to lose and you can always go back, in fact you can drive it with the new ones on and take your time buffing up the old ones. Win-win to me. Cheers, DaveI'm with Dave on this one. Not much to loose indeed and it gives you the opportunity to buff up the other ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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