# Cleaning brushed stainless steel and brushed aluminum?



## WRX/Z28 (Feb 21, 2008)

Anyone have any recomendations? I have a few pieces that need light cleaning. A couple are brushed stainless steel, a couple are brushed aluminum. Anyone know what will clean them up nice and bright and new?


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## WRX/Z28 (Feb 21, 2008)

anyone?


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## jel847 (Nov 8, 2007)

go to pep boys and get some wheel cleaner...or home depot has stainless steel cleaner for grills either of those should work..


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## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX (Oct 24, 2007)

There is a product called Never Dull, it's a cotton wadding, with a polish on it already, rip some off, polish away, wipe it down...done.. It's good stuff..


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## circa40 (Jan 20, 2008)

Is it raw metal or coated? 

If coated, you can use automotive detailer spray or Plexis

If not and you are trying to preserve that matte sheen you could simply use any degreaser. 
If you want it polished look then Mothers Mag polish works wonders.


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## sqshoestring (Jun 19, 2007)

Right, if its paint or clear coated you can treat it like car paint. I'd use a cleaner (light compound/polish) or maybe wax if minor, most wheel cleaners are for cleared wheels and should take off dirt. If it is bare metal I use this kitchen cleaner for SS/chrome and if that does not hack it then semichrome polish for chrome on cars or motorcycles. It is a polish you rub in and wipe away. Sometimes softscrub or that ajax type powder cleaner works great on metal if it is mostly dirty. If scratches go for the polishes and elbow grease or get a buffing wheel for a drill/dremel/etc. For paint one of my favorites is meguires 11 dual action cleaner polish. It works by hand or machine and breaks down into a polish.


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## miztahsparklez (Jan 11, 2006)

wd40 =P

Edit: i use mothers mag polish for cleaning my stainless steel exhaust and other raw metal objects. but standard wd40 should work for cleaning things like stainless refrigerators among other things.


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## Mack (Jul 27, 2007)

circa40 said:


> If you want it polished look then Mothers Mag polish works wonders.


This is the only thing that makes my titanium wedding ring shine.


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## M3NTAL (Apr 9, 2006)

believe it or not, pledge does a nice job of cleaning up brushed stainless steel


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## khail19 (Oct 27, 2006)

Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX said:


> There is a product called Never Dull, it's a cotton wadding, with a polish on it already, rip some off, polish away, wipe it down...done.. It's good stuff..


I've used this stuff too, it works great. I polished the stainless tips on a muffler I bought used and they came out almost like new.


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## GlasSman (Nov 14, 2006)

If it's uncoated I would wipe on bit of WD40 or light oil to sort of feed the surface.

After awhile just buff it off and use a nice metal cleaner like NOXON.

I use that to polish my cymbals....I'm a drummer boy.....so if it's good for highly polished OR low luster Zildjians it's good enough for some brushed aluminum or stainless.


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## WRX/Z28 (Feb 21, 2008)

I had thought about Nevrdull and wd-40, but I didn't want to leave an oily film on my amps. I have a TRU Billet 475 that actually looks ok after cleaning with tint-safe glass cleaner. It has the plexi windows over the output devices, so I really don't want to get oil or cleaner on there. Also, there is a grain to the amp, so I wasn't sure I'd be able to get the cleaner out of the grain. I also have an Xtant 2200i that is brushed stainless as well. Same issues. Then I have an orion concept eq, it's brushed aluminum. Similar problem, but it's a bit dirtier, and I might be able to get the cover off of that one.


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## GlasSman (Nov 14, 2006)

If you get the cover off use the Wd40 followed by a good metal polish.

If you can't get the polish out of a few crevices....and this only applies to a bare panel.....use some detail spray to thin it out, then wipe away. 

If you can't remove the cover from the Billet use the pre moistened swabs. YOu don't want to get anything on those Plexi pieces. 

Are they easily removable?


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## miztahsparklez (Jan 11, 2006)

WRX/Z28 said:


> I had thought about Nevrdull and wd-40, but I didn't want to leave an oily film on my amps. I have a TRU Billet 475 that actually looks ok after cleaning with tint-safe glass cleaner. It has the plexi windows over the output devices, so I really don't want to get oil or cleaner on there. Also, there is a grain to the amp, so I wasn't sure I'd be able to get the cleaner out of the grain. I also have an Xtant 2200i that is brushed stainless as well. Same issues. Then I have an orion concept eq, it's brushed aluminum. Similar problem, but it's a bit dirtier, and I might be able to get the cover off of that one.


just tape over the windows.. wd40 does not leave an oily residue. or spray on the cloth then wipe. usually thats enough to give it some shine and clean off any crap thats been built up on it.

if you want to try it.. just spray a little on a cloth.. and try it on a corner of the amp or some place you dont really see much.


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## sqshoestring (Jun 19, 2007)

For amps I use window cleaner. If not enough on a metal surface I actually put lamp oil on them, then clean it off with window cleaner...which does a half job of that so they are oiled but not oily. I think it is just mineral spirits. What you have to be careful of is the silkscreened lettering. I had one amp I took ink off the paint using acetone and it took some writing off just like that (cheap amp to be fair). Did not hurt the paint but did soften it a little. One pass over the writing printed in it took it right off so be careful of that. It was some kind of ink or something not sure, but cleaners and mineral spirits would not touch it. Acetone took it off fast but I would only recommend solvents like that as a last resort. Mineral spirits is pretty lame and I've never had a problem with it so far, takes lots of stuff off if a soap will not.


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## dogstar (Jan 31, 2007)

Castrol superclean if it's really dirty, but TEST it first. 
Don't leave it on either... it will strip paint.

WD40 works for most other things, lighter fluid can work too.

Most of the above suggestions are good ideas, but mask off any plexiglass or lettering with painters masking tape, then clean those areas with a Q-tip or swab.


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

jel847 said:


> go to pep boys and get some wheel cleaner...or home depot has stainless steel cleaner for grills either of those should work..


Be careful what wheel cleaner/polisher you get. Some leave a film that can cause oxidation.


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## STIck built babe (Jun 23, 2008)

I thought the term "brushed" refered to tiny scratches made on the surfaces, so I wouldn't think you could polish it unless you get out the belt sander. Hehe, but aside from that, baby oil works for the steel and mothers for aluminum. FYI... toothpaste works great on silver. yw babe


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## EnricoFermi (Jun 26, 2009)

I nearly ruined a very expensive sink in my apartment by using one of those green/yellow dish sponges which I thought were just abrasive plastic, but as it turns out, they must have had steel in the green part. (maybe this is obvious to people who clean a lot)

Anyway, as one user pointed out, the brushed look comes from scratches going in a particular direction. To polish it just use something such as the sponge I mentioned, to scratch in the direction of the polish. I would bet that you could use wire brush or steel wool. For my sink, all scratches were horizontal so i simply applied a bit of pressure and moved the sponge back and forth horizontally several times in the same direction as the polishing while looking at it under a directional light that made the dull areas more obvious. Sure enough, the scratches slowly went away. When I was nearly finished, it looked a bit different than the rest of the sink so I blended it with those areas by pressing even more lightly. Kind of a perfectionist.

The area had looked a dark grey compared to the rest of the sink and now you can no longer tell. I'd start with a sponge like this and then move to harsher techniques like steel wool or a steel brush. Anyway, the idea is to just redo the brushed look. Brushed steel isn't exactly polished like a mirror and is actually scratched to a particular grain. The sponge seemed to replicate that nicely.


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## smgreen20 (Oct 13, 2006)

Sand in the direction of the grain. A green scratch pad will work well too. For the past 9 years I welded aluminum and SS, and for cleaning the aluminum a green scratch pad did wonders. I'd also use some sort of polish with it. The company I worked for didn't supply any. Just had to use water.


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## Pistons23 (Dec 21, 2007)

ive used a fine grain steel wool pad to clean stainless steel before. worked pretty good.


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## ReloadedSS (Aug 26, 2008)

I used wheel cleaner on my old Xtant amps (chromed alum and brushed alum). Seemed to do the job just fine, no residue that I could tell. 

This guy I worked with used Brasso (the stuff for getting the shiny bits on your class "A" dress squared away) on his amps, swore by it. I found that it would eat away at my buttons and what not, so I didn't use it, just stayed with wheel cleaner.


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## boltupright (Feb 14, 2007)

this stuff is pretty good.

Tri-Peek International Ltd., Washroom polish


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## geom_tol (Jul 9, 2007)

EnricoFermi said:


> I nearly ruined a very expensive sink in my apartment by using one of those green/yellow dish sponges which I thought were just abrasive plastic, but as it turns out, they must have had steel in the green part. (maybe this is obvious to people who clean a lot)


The tradmark name is Scotch Brite. The industrial versions have different colors depending on the 'grit'. 
http://academic.evergreen.edu/projects/biophysics/technotes/fabric/finish.pdf

Works really well to create the brushed look on alu or stainless.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

WRX/Z28 said:


> Anyone have any recomendations? I have a few pieces that need light cleaning. A couple are brushed stainless steel, a couple are brushed aluminum. Anyone know what will clean them up nice and bright and new?


Windex glass cleaner works for me, my amplifier and my subwoofer cone both have a brushed aluminum finish.

As for stainless, there is such a thing as stainless steel cleaner, I used it at my custodial job a few years ago, but it tends to be a bit harsh. The stuff is oil-based, so I've occasionally just done windex to get the spots off and then a few drops of a light light oil rubbed on very thin with a soft cloth to give it a nice sheen. May not even need the oil, just try the windex first.

Also, I even use windex on cloth upholstery when I detail my car, I just let it soak for a minute and then suck it out with a strong vacuum... Lifts stains like magic!


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