The Steel Guitar Forum

Hi Steelers,

I've often been asked how to keep the metal parts on the steel guitar looking like glass. Well, here is a proven way! Some guy's use chrome polish, but the problem with this is that it will leave small scratchs called swirls and it leaves the metal looking frosty.

I use two products and they both work great! The first one is Tecnique Finishing Glaze made by Napa. Here is a link for it.

http://www.martinsenour-autopaint.com/a ... _glaze.htm

The other is 3M Perfect-It 3000 Swirl Mark Remover here is a link where you can get it. http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/us ... 6588&PTECH

I'm not selling or pushing any company, but both of these products work great.. Use this like any other rubbing compound working in small areas until your done. You can go over and over the parts until you get the desired glass finish you want!

I promise you will be blown away by the results. It's great for removing the marks on the fretboard as well. When your done use a good quality wax and your in busniess!

I hope this helps you keep your guitar metal parts looking like glass... It sure works for me!

Thanks,

David C Neal

Neat tip there, David!

I have 3M Finishing Glaze in my Garage. I'm not sure if it will do the same job as the swirl remover though.

I have never known "Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish" to leave swirl marks.

I use Mother's, and I do'nt think it leaves swirls, either. But it's nice to know what else works well.

I've had some guy's ask me what wax to use.

I use Meguiars NXT Generation Tech Wax Ultimate Deep Gloss.. You can get it at Auto Zone. Its really seems to work best and its great for wood or mica. However if your going to wax wood don't let it dry completely because it will dry in the grain of the wood making it harder to remove and buff to a shine!

Dave

I'm using a Teflon based auto polish on my mica finished Franklin. It won't hurt the "Franklin" decal on the front either. Also, no fingermarks if you touch the polished aluminum. The name on the polish is "Las Vegas Show Car", but I've seen the same stuff under various names at Fea Markets.

But, if I need to polish any of the polished aluminum, I'll either use Mother's Mag and Aluminum Wheel polish (which is non abrasive) or if I need more I'll start with either Simichrome or MAAS (same stuff)first, which is slightly abrasive, and then the Mother's and finally the Auto polish for the final coat.

Hello Dave,
Does the wax also protect the Alumanannon annon oximydation
I have found that after getting it shiny it doesn't take much to keep it nice..
How ever my ZB is Really Really bad with little dings
and super dull.. I got a wheel for my drill and buff compound but it seems to work better by hand...
At least thats what she said...
Buffing compound comes in different grits... Just like sand paper..

Kenny

I've used "Mothers" and "Simichrome" and have experienced a foggy end results with both. But, using the 3M Perfect-It gave me the final look I was looking for.
I also frequent a web-site for people that refinish and restore standard guitars. They use nitrocelluous lacquer for refinishing and use the 3M product for the final polishing...(most do this final step by hand).

Hi Ken,

If your guitar is really bad you might want to have you end plates polished at a shop most shops can do them on the guitar there is a Teflon tape that you can apply to cover the Mica or wood to protect the finish. It’s the same tape they use to apply to the necks of a guitar when you file the frets. Then keep the metal polished by hand with the product of your choice!

Dave

I also use Mother's on the polished aluminum parts on my MSAs but for a final step, I use some white flour. Just a little bit seems to give it a finer finish than the Mother's alone. It also seems to help the rag pick up more of the left behind polish and oxidation to give it a clearer shine than without.

Brad Issendorf wrote:I also use Mother's on the polished aluminum parts on my MSAs but for a final step, I use some white flour. Just a little bit seems to give it a finer finish than the Mother's alone. It also seems to help the rag pick up more of the left behind polish and oxidation to give it a clearer shine than without.

White flour??

Brad...is that Martha White? lol

No, actually, I'm no cook but I learned this trick when I used to work for a local trucking company as a Diesel mechanic. The drivers in the bulk flour division used to keep even the company tractors polished to the nines. From aluminum fuel tanks to rims. The one thing that they all used after machine buffing was flour, which was readily available because they hauled tons of it everday. There are several different types of flour used to make different products, (ei: coarse ground fine ground, bleached, etc...) but the common everyday, found in the canister at home type was what they used. Other types may work as well, I don't know, but I do know that that was what they used.

Simichrome applied with a dry cotton ball is tops, but use the stuff sparingly. Keep cleaning off the slurry with fresh, clean cotton balls until it's all gone. It also leaves an oxidation-inhibitor coating on the aluminum to retard the onset of future dulling. It's usually sold by bicycle shops and especially motorcycle shops for keepin' them Harley's lookin' good. If you can't find it there, contact Contenti, Inc. in Providence RI and order direct by credit card from their website. A second choice would be a mix of WD-40 and plain old ordinary talcum powder again used sparingly. Clean off the slurry with rubbing alcohol and cotton balls, then dry ones to finish the job. Used to use this combination to touch up optic finishes in injection mold cavities. BTW for copper and brass, Simichrome cannot be topped.
PRR

If you can't find Simichrome, "MAAS" is sold by many stores (I found it at Walgreen's). It appears to be identical to Simichrome - it's the same color, same consistancy, same slightly abrasive, works identical to Simichrome, and made in Germany the same as Simichrome.

Try some of this. No matter how oxidized your aluminum is, it will look like new again. The Mica polish is great too, and it's safe to use on natural body guitars as well.
http://www.jagwirestrings.biz/catalog/c25_p1.html