Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

Just wondering what chrome polish you all like/use/reccomend? I recently went through a tube of Simichrome and was pretty happy with it. After a light rain this past weekend, I didn't have any polish on me, and was at the Packard event in Frederick. Just a bit of buffing with a soft cloth brought the chrome back to decent shape, because I had gone over it 2 days before with the Simichrome.

I seem to remember another chrome/metal polish that same pink color when I was younger and I'm wondering of you all know of anything that may work better/be less expensive.

The best way to polish chrome is triple 0 steel wool. I have not used anything but for over 20 years and it's CHEAP.

I agree with Al--nothing will bring up dirty chrome like some 000 steel wool. Works terrific on glass too, just make sure there's no grit present. Steel is softer than either chrome or glass.

But chrome is porous, so I like to seal its little pores with some carnauba wax after cleaning.

Further, much of the chrome from the Korean war period did not have any nickel plated under it. The nickel serves as a weather shield to the copper plating and base metal underneath that. To make up for the lack of nickel, the pieces were clearcoated. This worked very poorly. You should have heard my father go on about the 52 New Yorker wagon he bought new for my mom. It looked BAD after a year.
Once the clearcoat is gone you can't hardly keep that chrome nice no matter what you do--except get it plated.


You'll want to avoid regular use of pastes like simichrome as they are abrasive and will wear off the already thin top coat of chrome.

Polishing requires an abrasive to remove deposits and oxidation. Semichrome has a fine abrasive and steel wool itself is an abrasive. The more you use abrasives the more you scratch, however finely, the surface and the more you degrade the chrome plating.

LIght compound is a good substitute for SemiChrome if you're out of it, and much less expensive. Cheap toothpaste, the $1 a tube kind works great too

If chrome has a dark film on it the best thing to use is a chemical remover, phosphoric acid. This is available at body suppply shops and is sold under the brands Metal-Etch and Dual Etch. Dilute 50% with water, wear gloves, use eye protection apply with a toothbrush and let it sit 3 minutes. Use toothbrush and presto the dark coating comes off. Neutralize with baking soda/water soluiton, rinse well with clear water. Jst about as good is Coca Cola as it contains phosphoric acid, no need to dilute. Absolute magic on wire wheels. When finished wax with carnauba wax.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WITH CHROME IS TO WAX IT AFTER CLEANING. PUT ON A CARNAUBA WAX, NOT A COMBINATION CLEANER/WAX. THEN JUST A BUFFING WITH A SOFT CLOTH WILL RETURN MAXIMUM LUSTER

Great advice Fred. Chromium plating on my 2 Packards varies between original which still shows very well, and reasonably new plating on some of the Caribbean parts. I'd NEVER use steel wool or anything like that. Every couple of years I'll go over it with regular chrome polish, the "pink" stuff like the old DuPont No. 7 but now with a NAPA or Prestone label. After than I use good, old-fashioned Simoniz paste wax.

I am using a product called "Autosol" from Germany (Genuine German Quality - Since 1929). It really brings out the shine.
I don't see it for sale very often but when I can find it (usually at the Iola Wisconsin Car show) I buy it. After polish a coating of auto wax is applied.

CHROMIUM PLATING: The ability of chromium to withstand exposure has created the impression that it requires no service attention, Actually the finest chromium plating is subject to deterioration if neglected.

Among the more common elements that attack chromium plating are;
sulphur dioxide present in the air, especially in large industrial centers, calcium chloride used on city streets to melt ice and on dirt roads to prevent dust, also the salt air of coastal territories. When plating is scratched or scuffed to the base metal, ordinary moisture becomes a damaging agent. Rust, originating at the root of a scratch, will continue to spread underneath the plating unless attended to when it first appears.

Chromium plating is very easy to clean and frequent cleaning is all that is necessary to keep it in first-class condition. First, go over all placed surfaces with a clean cloth moistened with KEROSENE, follow this with a clean cloth wet with clear WATER and then rub dry with a soft clean cloth. The rough treatment given car bumpers is apt to damage the plating. Should rust appear, use a mild scouring compound to remove every trace of rust and prevent further oxidation by applying a coat of wax, varnish or clear lacquer over the damaged area.

Brought to you by The Packard Motor Car Company
1940 Owners Manual

I've become a big fan of Nevr Dull (http://www.nevrdull.com/). It is a commonly used polishing product in the marine industry. One can will last years.

Tom

Sometimes older information must be reevaluated, I certainly would not use a scouring compound or varnish on the chrome on my 1930 Speedster. The information quoted is 71 years old. Phosphoric acid, neutralization with baking soda and a coat of wax is a far superior remedy as there is noo abrasion of the chrome.

Scouring compound only if there's rust. Then cover that exposed place with something, wax, clear lacquer, varnish (or the like modern stuff).