Well, I figured that using the oft’ quoted “gleaming” procedure after painting my tracks would be a good idea…
So I am about half way through painting with Floquil rail brown etc. and today started “gleaming” with the standard procedure…smoothing the rails with 400 then 600 grit, then burnishing with stainless steel washer etc.
…and on to using a little auto mag wheel polish.
The smoothing and burnishing are fine, but the metal polish still produces black streaks when buffed off, hours after the first application. I sure didn’t use much of the polish, and buffed it off soon, and then once more. Yet now, even two hours later I can blacken a buffing cloth on the “finished” sections.
Will the metal polish ever stop doing this, or is it normal? [*-)]
I used something called Mother’s Mag and Aluminum (and all metals) polish made in California.
Is is ok to just skip the polishing step after burnishing?
You could skip the polish and it will be 10 times better than original track. You will however have better results with the polish. I wouldn’t worry too much about the black streaks. Just get it to a nice reflective finish and stop. You can also do an alcohol wipe after polishing to remove any dirt from the process.
You will still get black streaks… even gleamed track will oxidize, and that’s what the black gunk is.
However, you shouldn’t get that much. If your cloth is really black, you probably didn’t burnish the rails well enough, and there are rough spots that are collecting crud.
I think I see my problem. I looked back further at some posts on the gleaming…
I used only #400 and then #600. I think that is still pretty coarse. I am going to have to go over it again with something even finer.
And I don’t think I applied enough pressure on my stainless steel washer. I can still feel the rails are not as smooth as some untouched track elsewhere on the layout…my bad!
So I have probably made matters even worse than my original untouched rail by putting in a lot of scratches that I haven’t worked out with fine enough emery and firm enough pressure or the burnishing.
But what about cleaning as one goes? Normally when sanding, one has to vacuum up debris as one works. But nowhere in the gleaming instructions have I seen anyone say to vacumm well after the work the emery paper. I didn’t vacuum. Should I?
Anyhow, if it doesn’t come up better tomorrow I am not going to bother with the rest of the layout.
I’ve just started back into model railroading also, after a 20 yr break. I’m doing the gleaming process and use 600 grit on the first time around the layout, lightly, then wipe it down with alcohol dilute and use 1200 grit. Wipe with alcohol and start the SS treatment. I found that a 1" SS nut works well and you don’t have to use much pressure. This part of the burnishing really finds the rough spots. Another wipe with alcohol and then the mag polish. I use a peice of cork to apply the polish and a small peice of 1 x 4 with a lint free cloth to finish the polish process. I section the track out in smaller areas so I don’t get “over loaded” with the job and, being “of an older age” I remember where I left off! The track looks great and it’s real easy to keep clean.
The problem is that you scratched the railhead with that sanding. Further scratching the railhead w/ rubbing a washer also. Wipe the rail down w/ 91% alcohol and then polish. The slight abrasive of way more than 2000 grit in the polish will continue to try to smooth the rail, hence, blackening on the rag.
I would recommend that next time you are rail painting that you wipe a thin film of oil on the railhead. Immediately after painting the paint will scrub off fairly easy w/ a solvent. Polishing will be much easier if desired, however, not nec. Back to the “To gleam or not”.
This is what I plan to do. Pls let me know if I am making matters worse.
Wipe the sections with metal polish down with lacquer thinner [my preferred rail head cleaner]. Done this today…lots of black residue/oxidation continues to come off no matter how many applications made. I don’t think this can be stopped until the railhead has been restored.
Go back over a test section with 1200 grit many times [or move on up to higher grit if poss.]
Get a really smooth stainless bar of some sort and try reburnishing [the washer used flat side of seems not so smooth]
Reapply metal polish.
Hope this works. Beginning to think the burnishing idea might be one of those that should carry the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” labels.
If your goal is to eliminate the black oxidation, that is a tough thing to do. i gleamed my track, i have the oxidation after I’m done and two of my locos don’t like it at all. the rest run fine. I run three masonite pads under boxcars and all is good. Clean the masonite now and then but other than that it has been over four years and things run fine. Gleaming was worth the effort for me.
I use Mothers Mag Wheel polish on my wheels on my Trans Am and my pickup truck. I keep polishing them until that black is gone. I can wipe my finger on them weeks later and there is no black residue. Could it be your using the wrong stuff? Aluminum wheels and nickel silver track are very different. Just an idea…
Also make sure you use the smooth side of the washer. Many SS washers have a side that have sharp edges which will make the track worse. Also the NS black oxidation is conductive and helps with track pick-up.
Yes, I did mention I am using Mothers Polish. I did use the smooth side of the washer too.
Anyhow, I did find an automotive store in town with 1500, 2000 and 2500 grit papers and I am going over the track with those in sequence.
At the same store I bought a couple of inches of square stainless steel stock. I had them cut me a few pieces about 1.5 inches wide. At home I polished one side of one bar with 220, 400, 600, 1500 etc. and made a very nice burnishing bar…rounded edges and corners. It took only about half an hour with a power pad sander and now I have the best-looking burnishing tool ever! The business side gleams like chrome and seems to burnish very well. I like it much better than the washer I was using that was a little harder to keep on track.
Tomorrow going to do over my first job and see what is what.
I use NO-OX metal polish which I read about on several ‘instructional writings’ about gleaming. I got some black residue but haven’t noticed it since. NO-OX is specifically for not oxidizing the metal contacts for electrical equipment. Might want to give it a try.
The no-ox is not a polish rather it is a conditioner for electrical contacts. It will treat the rails and any metal wheels that have run on the wet (with no-ox) rails. It will not remove atmospheric gunk like dust from causing issues. So vacuuming is still a must from time to time. The black residue will continue, but is conductive.
I have only used 600 grit paper, metal polish, then burnished with the smooth side of the washer. The washer will find all those little imperfections you tried so hard to avoid. I followed up with the no-ox and all is well. After that to maintain just vacuum. I do like to run a couple of my F units as dust busters if I am too lazy to vacuum, so they need more frequent wheel cleaning and debris removal.
I am a member of a modular club and I try not to come unglued when I see someone pull out a bright-boy. I calmly take it from them and give them a bottle of alcohol and and strip of T-shirt and explain that we polish the rails and they will treat us better if we do not mar the surfaces.