restoring Tin metal , what compounds should i get ?

[einhander]

hi members , i have recently bought a item while not being Jewelry or a Watch it still falls into a catagory where you could help. I got this item for $44 AUD and it usually goes around the
$230 AUD mark i don't plan on selling it i want to keep it. What is it ?........it is a Sepultura Tin CD Boxset , i will leave some attachment photos below. Quite simply it's rare and i've wanted one for
some time , so this opportunity has come up and i want to restore it to excellent condition.

ok so i have sanded it down (240 grit) and removed imperfections and now i need to remove sanding scratches and polish it to a shine. It's my first time so i need some gentle guidance ,
also i have made a Labanda account for products i need.

btw i will be using a Drill and a Dremel (i don't have a bench grinder) , i have seen on ebay in the link below. I'm hoping this will work with Jewelers Buffing Wheels


i found a Drill attachment on ebay that might work , i can't post links yet but you can search ebay for 'Tapered Mandrel,drill Attachment,tapered Spindle For Polishing,Moping,puffing'


can anyone suggest where i should go from here ? ..........like what compounds i need for Tin , the order i should use each color etc......


i have attached some pics of what a excellent condition Tin looks like , and i have attached my before and after sanding.


any help is appreciated , chat soon

[china]

Next step sand to 400 then 600 then 1200 then 1500 then 2000 then polish with Tripoli then white rouge, then finish with a cream type polish such as Reflection, then spray with a automotive clear coat.
You will need to run around the edge of the pattern also to remove any tiny amount of rust that may be present. I would purchase bench grinder and some decent mops, not some thing I would tackle with a Dremel type tool

[einhander]

hi china , thank you for chiming and helping me with my project. Ok i have ordered from Supercheap Auto the sandpaper grits you mentioned. I am having trouble finding a good quality Tripoli there's some to choose from but i don't know if any of them are good , so if anyone knows a good source in Australia that would help a lot. I can get from Labanda Dialux White which is perfect , they also have polishing wheels. If i'm correct i should buy a Yellow colored one for Tripoli as it holds the compound better than the regular white , is that correct ?.

I still want to use my drill as it's easy from me to use and safer than a bench grinder , i also found in the attachment below. I'm not sure which one i should go for.



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[china]

Caswell are a good source for metal polishing, or CJS for smaller quantities, I personally recommend CJS ideal with them all the time no affiliation just a satisfied customer. re polishing mops (wheels) start with a stitched calico Tripoli yellow or white not a great deal of difference, then a stitched Calico for rouge, finally a loose leaf Calico/ Swans down for the reflection or similar.
Re the attachment the tapered one is more versatile, however as before I recommend bench grinder, with the tapered att.
If you don't mind sharing in which state are you.

[einhander]

Wow excellent response you nailed it , much appreciated. Roger that on Caswell and CJS I will check them out. BTW I'm in Victoria


edit..............

should i wet sand when i get to a certain grit ?

[china]

I do not believe wet sanding would give much of an advantage in this situation.

[einhander]

ok i'm back after working on this. I got Supercheapauto sandpaper and worked on that last night , i also got a order from Labanda (wheels , brown tripoli , dialux white etc). The problem i'm facing atm is when i use the 2 compounds white brown , or brown white i am left with lines or scratches in the same way i move the wheel. I am using a piece of scrap tin metal for my tests

[china]

The metal should be void of any significant lines/scratches before you move onto compounds, use a different wheel for each compound removing the scratches from the previous compound as you you go.
with each abrasive weather it be paper or compound move in the opposite direction each time, this allows you see when you have removed the scratches from the previous operation, by the time you progress to the Swans down and reflection it should already have a polish.
Always go from course to fine this is one operation in which you can't cheat

[einhander]

The metal should be void of any significant lines/scratches before you move onto compounds

roger that , got it and good to know


use a different wheel for each compound removing the scratches from the previous compound as you you go

definitely , i picked that up from somewhere else. Still thanks for the confirm


with each abrasive weather it be paper or compound move in the opposite direction each time, this allows you see when you have removed the scratches from the previous operation, by the time you progress to the Swans down and reflection it should already have a polish.
Always go from course to fine this is one operation in which you can't cheat

got it i will keep a close eye when i am working on this piece.


i have some news as well , i practice on sheets of metal from XBOX 360s (they're thin and flimsy , not the chassis). Today i taped off an area and scuffed up in circles 2000 grit with wet sanding. I then did a short blast with Tripoli then a longer Dialux White , short Tripoli and a long Dialux White. It came through really well no scratches from then 2000 grit , i think i might be on to something. The only thing i would like is more of a mirror finish so i need to work on that. Btw some picks below of 240 grit Dremel and almost like you mentioned (400,800,1500,2000 grit) Supercheap didn't have all the grits

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[josef1]

looks great

[china]

It is the reflection and the Swans down buff that will give you the mirror polish you wish to achieve. Local hardware such as Supercheap only cater for Handyman type supplies what you want is beyond that, this company will have what you want although it will a post job they are in QLD https://www.thesandpaperman.com.au/

[einhander]

thanks josef , i owe everything to china and a liittle to me for experimenting. But yeah he has shown me the way and what to do , thank you china

btw i'm thinking of getting some of the sandpaper you linked to , what would you suggest ? ...........my last used on the piece is 2000 grit

[china]

Go to 3000 then 5000, 5000 should give a pretty good finish then go with the compounds.
Just a note many people will say use Autosol, make the effort to get the Reflection is is a far superior product.

[einhander]

roger that on the grits , i was going to get California Custom 'Deoxidizer and Polish'. Now you mention Reflection and others using it i will switch to it , i will do some googling to find it.


edit.....

is this the Reflection you mention ?

https://chsmith.com.au/Products/Liquid-Reflection-Metal-Polish.html

[einhander]

i have an issue from yesterdays work on this project. Simply i got from Labanda 'small polishing brushes' and i attempted to use them on my Dremel. Unfortunately the Collet on the Dremel is too big (it won't grip) , if i went for a Dremel collet .8mm would that work out ?

https://www.labanda.com.au/jewellery-tools/buffs-burrs-and-drills?page=2
https://www.hobbytools.com.au/dremel-collet-8mm-483/

[china]

Shafts on the the polishing brushes are 2.4mm so you need a collet for 2.4mm check the Dremel website and see if they have one, Imperial is 3/32

[einhander]

woohoo found them on HobbyTools website , thanks for clearing that up. Btw did you see my post above about Reflection ? is this the product i should get..........

https://chsmith.com.au/Products/Liquid-Reflection-Metal-Polish.html

[china]

Yes the Reflection is the one to use, it is used by high class professional polishers, except they buy in $600 containers
When you have finished be sure to give it a protective coat to stop it rusting, even if it is just a fine wax.

[einhander]

hi again , i just wanted to give a quick update. I got a Collet from HobbyTools and it worked out great , i placed another order with Labanda and i've been playing around with that. I'm really liking the Dialux Black compound so i am going to use that in my compounds to use after sanding. I also placed a order for Sandpaper (3000 and 5000 grit) i estimate it will be here this Wednesday. So things are going well , thank you china you have been a big part in it.

[einhander]

back again , i have received the 3000 and 5000 grit sandpaper and worked on the Tin box (pic below). Came out much better than 2000 grit alone , i still have some more work to do such as compounding.

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[nicks creative stuff]

Nice and shiny… the photo makes it look like a mirror on a wall …. Your comments make me think of chrome workers who use massive Buffing wheels to achieve there desired results……. Nick

[china]

Looking good

[Dennis]

I have watched this thread for some time, and not joined in, because I don't really understand the objective.

If it is an exercise in polishing metal, then so be it, although if you go much further, the stamped design will be polished away.

If the object is to restore an old tin, then no offence intended, but you should have preserved its natural patina and just cleaned it with soap and water.

The high shine will not last long, without finally using a lacquer. Dennis.

[china]

My understanding is the objective is to restore to original condition, yes now that the buffs will come into play take extra care not to "over buff" and remove the the defined edges also as I mentioned in a previous post some type of protection will be required to
prevent rust

[einhander]

thanks for all the comments guys , theses Sepultura tins commonly rust or corrode over time being released in 1993. My objective is to buy one and restore it to it's former glory , i've wanted one since 1997.........also note taken on over buffing. China mentioned 'a fine wax' for preventing rust coming back , i still have to work on that as that will be the final step. I will post below a well aged tin versus mine when i first got it.


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[china]

If you go with a wax finish rather than a clear coat of some kind I recommend this https://www.ubeaut.com.au/trad.html, although a timber product it is comparable (if not better) to the more expensive Renaissance wax ,plus it is Aussie made

[einhander]

hi guys , update.......I got a bottle of Reflection. So I started compounding the top part of the tin box. When I was working on it I said to myself 'this isn't making an impact'

So I stopped and inspected. Scratches were still present from sanding , so I pressed harder (between light and medium force) and got better results with brown Tripoli. Even though I still have a small amount of scratches

I haven't gone any further with compounding I did just one line. I think I need Bobbing compound. What do you think ?

Also bobbing compound is hard to find but I have located a couple of stores that have a generic branded one. I was wondering if Luxor and Super Q have it in their range ?

[china]

Sorry for late response I have not been well, lot better now, bobbing compound is just another name for compounds you already have, if you have scratches from sanding that don't come out then you need to go to a finer paper
before you start with compounds the scratches need to be not visible. to create a mirror type finish is a a long and painstaking task and there is no cheating along the way

[einhander]

hi china , it's great to hear from you and your doing better. I was wondering why you weren't posting much but that explains it. Roger that on everything you said , i have more understanding of what i need to do. Thank you again for taking the time in posting in my thread , you know i'm most grateful for your efforts.

hope you can improve more health wise in the weeks to come

[einhander]

hi everyone , I purchased from the Sandpaperman 8000 and 12,000 grit Micro Mesh. I tried them out and I'm not getting anywhere with them (no sanding impact)

They both are soft like leather , I'm thinking I should have bought the cardboard backing type


Correct me if I'm wrong..........

[Dennis]

Those grits are very fine, to impart the final finish, but any chased surface is best polished with soft brushes and compound, or you will miss the deeper parts.

It's best you leave that poor tin alone now, because you will be well through its plating. You are no longer restoring it: more like systematically destroying it. Dennis.

[einhander]

thank you Dennis , very well put. I've been working on this piece on and off for about 5 months , your explanation and careful wording to not offend me is my time to let go. Although I have learned some new skills from China which is much appreciated.

I hope everyone who chimed in my thread is doing ok

best wishes

DEAN

[einhander]

I just wanted to thank china for the support over the months. You took me under your wing and gave it everything you had. You single-handedly helped me for months which was a huge task.

I appreciate everything you've done for me

DEAN

[china]

Not a problem glad to be able to help.