Sanding stainless steel

[bevans]

My son just purchased a stainless steel refrigerator and when he or his wife removed a tag that was adhered to it they scratched it up a little. I have a RO 90 and RO 150 but not buffing pads. Can you buff out scratches in stainless steel? If so, what compound, sander and technique should be used?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions?

 

[leakyroof]

Stainless is generally finished with a 'grain' or pattern going in one direction.
So, linear polishing in that direction will help blend in a scratch . I'm thinking rotary or rotational polishing would make it stand out more since you probably don't have a mirror finish to start with.
Try a rag and metal polishing paste first. Then progress to White Scrub pad, the kind made for dishwashing Non-Stick cookware without damaging the coating if the scratch was deeper than you thought.
Try the white pad with a bit of the polish in a unseen or hard to see area as a test if at all possible.
Rub straight, evenly, and slowly in- line with the pattern or grain of the stainless.
Tell us how it worked out for you.
FYI, I gave up on our fridge since my wife dents it from time to time, esp on top edge of the door. [crying]

 

[Mettes]

A couple I know have there complete home remodeled, including the kitchen. Countertop of the new kitchen: brushes stainless steel. The guy comes in after the initial outfitting, takes a cooking pan out of the drawer, puts it on top of the counter, and while his wife is standing there, slides The pan across the top leaving scratch marks all over the place.
His wife is furious, and he just replies: "no need to worry about that anymore..."

True story, and they're still together.

You van try soms toothpaste to get a very fine scratch pattern, but it will nog be easy to match. I think that everything you will try will only make it stand out more.

 

[Slappy]

A couple I know have there complete home remodeled, including the kitchen. Countertop of the new kitchen: brushes stainless steel. The guy comes in after the initial outfitting, takes a cooking pan out of the drawer, puts it on top of the counter, and while his wife is standing there, slides The pan across the top leaving scratch marks all over the place.
His wife is furious, and he just replies: "no need to worry about that anymore..."

True story, and they're still together.

You van try soms toothpaste to get a very fine scratch pattern, but it will nog be easy to match. I think that everything you will try will only make it stand out more.

And this is why SS for counter tops is Bad Idea , yeah it's great in professional kitchens & restaurants but not for picky wives that want everything looking brand new .
as for SS refers & other appliances , I learned long ago when I bought a SS microwave they do scratch & that sticks out like sore thumb  when it's damaged
BUT there are drawbacks to most surfaces & one has to choose something right ?  [big grin]

 

[teocaf]

I've never seen a refrigerator void of stuff hanging off of every showing surface, but that's probably because I have 2 young kids.  Simple solution is to have the wife tape a "honey-do" list over the spot right away, before the husband pops a festool sticker on there!  But seriously, I use a fine polishing creme for metal called MAAS.  It's for a variety of metals including SS.  But I agree that even with hand buffing, it might make it stand out more as a brighter patch than the rest.  BTW, for what it's worth, that MAAS is also great for making scratched dvds play better if you wipe it in a pattern from center out.  It works quite a bit better than toothpaste.  I think I got my tube from Bridge City a long time ago and I still have about a third left--a little goes a long way.

 

[rst]

We fabricate acrylic for a local restaurant design/build install company that specializes in college cafeterias.  Stainless fabricators use conditioning belts (for bandfiles) and drums (burnishing machines) for polishing and finishing.  These are the mesh pads with abrasive in-bedded.  The recommendation above by Leakyroof is the say to go.  Only linear motion up/down.

 

[h.gil]

We fabricate acrylic for a local restaurant design/build install company that specializes in college cafeterias.  Stainless fabricators use conditioning belts (for bandfiles) and drums (burnishing machines) for polishing and finishing.  These are the mesh pads with abrasive in-bedded.  The recommendation above by Leakyroof is the say to go.  Only linear motion up/down.

Yes, they use a Makita ribbon sander to finish welds on-site. As far I remember they use a red 3M Scotch Brite ribbon for the final pass. I don't remember what brand past they used.