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HOW DO I MIRROR FINISH A STAINLESS STEEL BUS

2003

Good morning,

My question is, how do you polish the stainless steel panels of the exterior of a 60' bus that has never been polished from day one? the bus is 5 to 7 years old and in good shape, no surface damage or pits. I was wondering if I can water sand the surface with a 2000 grit water paper and use a high speed at low RPM with a conventional metal polish to accomplish a mirror finish and do I also have to seal the finish with a special sealant or would any type of sealer do. Take in to consideration this is a $200,000.00 60' coach with ribbed outer stainless body panels below the windows around the entire bus.

Thanx, Dennis in the BIG EASY

Dennis Keith Warren II
motor coach detailing and polishing - New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A.

Hard to say what grits you should use because we haven't seen the finish that is already there. What you stated sounds good, just keep in mind its easier to remove the metal than it is to add it so be careful. Yes I would wet work it, use silicon carbide paper(the grit seems to be more uniform IMO) for a final buff try a green compound formulated for stainless or gold..I get great results with it. and of course use a loose buff in the final stage to avoid hazy swirl marks. Coating is up to you, it will help protect the polish from scratches but may detract from its luster. Any time you polish a material you help make it more corrosion resistant so if its not already coated and you polish it, it will be that much better. Sounds like a project from hell to me, have fun :)

Jason Aube
- Flint, Michigan
2003

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July 13, 2008

We specialize in mirror finishing products. In regards to your coach, I would suggest you try and purchase the correct soap, a wide 100 mm black mop. grit wheels, and highest grit sanding disk.
this will be a time consuming procedure.
using the correct tools, you can achieve a mirror finished panel.
if you don't have weeks and want it done quickly, I would recommend removing all the panels and having them individually polished by a professional using belt sanders. but this method will not get in the tight ripples you mentioned.

Dennis Reyes
- Sydney, NAW, Australia

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Q. I myself have a 40 foot MCI bus. It's actually a 1973 converted in 1989. I'm in the middle of restoring the roof which is quite a project; over the years people trying to repair it put many layers of fiber tapes and specialty products that were just goofed up. It is taking me already about 60 hours mostly peeling it off with my gerber knife. Grinding wheels only take off too much metal to quit or they just heat up the product it's on there, and smear it all over ... huge mess. My question now is what kind of product should I use after all my prep work to apply, say, a 1-piece rubberized paint job. I thought about Rhino lining type of bed liner but I'm not sure if it's flexible enough and also I want to do the work myself. My name is scott. Any input from anyone?

Scott [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
- Bend, Oregon, USA
May 31, 2012