You really ought to try Spotless Stainless. Works amazingly well if you can keep it moist, I use a damp microfiber over what I've got coated. It also re-passivates the SS. It likes to be used in warmer temps but not in direct sun. I will never go back to hand polishing....

The stuff works quite well though is a tad slow and on some older stuff it may require two applications.

Some things I have learned about it:

Do not use in direct sun
Do use it on a warm humid evening so evaporation is kept down
It won't work well in cooler temps
Work on the shaded side of the boat if working during sun up hours
Don't stand their watching it

Here are some ACTUAL photos of Spotless Stainless working.

Temp 68F, humidity 63%, set time 1:20 minutes, only because I got side tracked. I can't accurately comment on how long it actually took to get that clean. This was a 25 year old Wichard snap shackle that I have had on a number of halyards. The surface is pitted from time and exposure, and the Spotless Stainless won't fix pitting, but it did and does remove the rust very well even if a little slow. In higher temps and humidity it does seem to work faster. Below 70 degrees it seems to begin to slow down.

Before:(nl)

During:(nl)

After Rinsing:(nl)

Not bad for doing nothing but brushing it on, letting it sit and rinsing it.

I do find it a tad expensive but don't doubt the price will come down when volume eventually goes up.

In these photos the boat was on the mooring and after a sail I busted out the Spotless Stainless and a chip brush. Worked up near the bow. While waiting I got some paperwork done then went back and rinsed it off. Overall really, really easy. The ability to clean stainless while I am doing work for my "real job" is really quite nice..

For rinsing it I used a bucket of water and a wet microfiber rag. I did not feel like going into the dock to rinse down or to get out out my on-board hose. Rinses off just fine..

I have also tested a spot or two where I waxed over some rust purposely. It does not work very well unless the stainless is unprotected and may take considerably more time depending upon how thick the wax coating is.

These pics were all taken on 6/23/10..

Before:(nl)

During:(nl)

After:(nl)

These pics were all taken on 6/23/10..

Temps were 78F with about 84% RH and it worked in about 30. It was however direct sun so I had to keep it wet. You can cover it with a dampened and wrung out microfiber rag and it keeps it wet longer.

Keep it wet and use in warm temps and the stuff really works and leaves a very nice shiny surface.

For experimentation's sake I tried it on a seacock. I also used a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser with the Spotless Stainless. This took a long time, a lot longer than the stainless, but the results were great when it finally had enough time to do its work. Getting through the verdigris took a while but this is right next to my nav station where I was working so it was easy to keep an eye on the progress..

(nl)