Polishing stainless exhuast
 

Looking for a product to remove the bronze color off of my exhaust.

I bought a product called Barkeepers Friend, it is available at home depot comes in a 26 ounce bottle costs around 4 dollars.

how well does it work on the bronzing?

I've used 3M 06060 Extra cut rubbing compound for 4 years on my stainless pipes. It removes the bronzing color with very little rubbing. It hasn't changed the surface finish at all in case you're wondering. I've also seen others use exotic metal polish from performance unlimited. Both products work great.

Scott

I have been using Borla Exhaust Cleaner and fine bronze wool. Works for me.

Dan

I've seen the Borla on-line. How long between polishing? Scott, where do you get the 3m product?

Aj

I generally go over the pipes whenever I get serious about cleaning the rest of the car. It's a lot less often since I resealed the collector connections a couple of years ago.

Dan

I use Muriatic acid purchased from Lowe's. This is what I do. Make sure the pipes are cold. Take a paper towel and put some Muriatic acid on it and clean the pipes off. Then soak a couple of paper towels in water, don't ring out the water, and completely rinse the pipes. Now use a couple of dry paper towels to dry the pipes. I don't use gloves at all. The acid is very mild. Now I use a stainless steel polish to finish if needed. Both side can be done very quickly.

I used Flitz Polish on my stainless steel roll bars that I had welded up. They had blued from the welding and Flitz removed it, I was very surprised. Works great!

Aj,
I picked it up at a local paint supply house and I've seen it on autogeek.com as well. It's not cheap, but works really well.

Scott

Looks like I have something to do this weekend. Scott I'm assuming you mean Auto Paint supply store?

Using Muriatic Acid also known as another name for Hydrochloric Acid HCI, is a peroxide base and will remove the Chromium Oxide layer and over time pit the base metal if using it undiluted. Once pitted, dirt and other metals will adhere to the pitting and rust eventually completely through.

HCI is mostly used to pickle steel.

Isn't the 3M rubbing compound just a fast cut rubbing compound? Meaning that any brand of rubbing compound would likely do the same thing. Or, am I missing something?

Great replies everyone. Looks like we have many options and choices to go on for cleaning our pipes. Mine is getting a tad discoloured as well so I'll be sure to refer back to this thread on best tips for cleaning. I wasn't sure if it was possible… Cool!

Peter

my understanding from talking to several people outside the forum, non of these products have a long lasting solution.

ajr,

The only long lasting cure is to not get them hot.

Here is some basic information about heat tint on Stainless from the British Stainless Steel Association.

Heat tint (temper) colours on stainless steel surfaces heated in air
Introduction

The colour formed when stainless steel is heated, either in a furnace application or in the heat affected zone of welds, is dependent on several factors that are related to the oxidation resistance of the steel. The heat tint or temper colour formed is caused by the progressive thickening of the surface oxide layer and so, as temperature is increased, the colours change.

However, there are several factors that affect the degree of colour change and so there is no a single table of colour and temperature that represents all cases. The colours formed can only be used as an indication of the temperature to which the steel has been heated.

Factors affecting the heat tint colours formed

Steel composition

The chromium content is the most important single factor affecting oxidation resistance. The higher the chromium, the more heat resistant the steel and so the development of the heat tint colours is delayed.

Atmosphere

The level of oxygen available for the oxidation process also affects the colours formed. Normally heating in air (ie approx. 20% oxygen) is assumed. In welding, the effectiveness of the shielding gas or electrode coating and other weld parameters such as welding speed can affect the degree of heat tint colour formed around the weld bead.

Time

Laboratory tests done to establish the published heat tint colour charts have usually been based on heating for one hour. As exposure time is increased, the temper colours can be expected to deepen ie make it appear that a higher exposure temperature may have been used.

Surface finish

The original surface finish on the steel can affect the rate of oxidation and the appearance of the colour formed. Rougher surfaces may oxidize at a higher rate and so could appear as deeper colours for any given set of conditions. As the colours formed are by light interference, then the smoothness of the surface can also affect the appearance of the colours formed. There is no specific data published that compares the effect of surface finish, but it is worth noting that surface finish can influence the conclusion on heating temperature, from the colours seen.
Heat tint colour chart

The table below represents the temper colours that are likely to form on stainless steel type 1.4301 (AISI 304) if heated in air.

THIS INFORMATION MUST BE USED WITH CARE WHEN INTREPETING THE HINT TINT COLOURS OBSERVED ON STAINLESS STEEL SURFACES AS THE HEATING CONDITIONS ARE NOT SPECIFIED.

Colour Formed Approx Temperature C

pale yellow 290
straw yellow 340
dark yellow 370
brown 390
purple brown 420
dark purple 450
blue 540
dark blue 600

sounds like you live with it or ceramic coat them.

After watching these two videos, I went to metalwax web site and ordered

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1817vysAvRk]How To Clean Polished Stainless Steel: Metalwax - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k73ihDww1rA]How to Remove Heat Stains on King Air Stainless Steel Stackes - YouTube[/ame]

My order came yesterday, and it works fantastic. My stainless pipes have never looked so good. I had the gold color and some black spots. With a little work they are all gone.

Hi , go to a welding supplies or stainless steal metal supply company and buy some S/S picking paste, or S/S passivation paste . google it. This is for stainless steel after it is welded , if you have nice polished stainless pipes I would recommend watering some down and you can bring it back to shinny polished s/s ,this is the best and fastest way without all the hard work , use it cold wipe on with kitchen paper towel and wear some gloves , other wise it will look like you have been a heavy smoker for 40 years it will work faster on just warm pipes/mufflers, works great on mine , Cheers from NZ

x2 on what Jack said in post #18 above. That stuff is amazing and the discoloration just melts off with no scrubbing.