Header Polish Challenge!

[Gone in 60]

I just got back from an automotive trade show, where I picked up a few samples of Flitz brand polish. I like to keep the headers on my '13 in perfect mirror-finish, which is easy to do once you make the effort to get them shiny the first time. After about three long rides, I notice a slight gold tinge to them, along with small black dots near the cylinder heads. About 10 minutes of polishing brings them back.

Call me OCD.

I've always heard that Flitz is the shiznit, but I have always used Blue Magic, which is cheap and easily available at Walmart. I was tempted to buy a large jar of Flitz at the "show special" of $37, which would amount to two eight-buck jars of Blue Magic.

Glad I saved my money. I used the Flitz samples yesterday on my pipes, and while it easily removed the gold, it wouldn't take the dots away. A few swipes with my cheaper polish and they were gone.

 

[max]

Sounds a bit like my expectation of autosol "stainless steel power cleaner" a liquid in a spray bottle.
Made in germany and not cheap, anyway i got a bottle and.........
Nothing, same as window cleaner.
Although i have used autosol polish in the tubes for 50 years ( started on my bicycle rims with great success )
and works fine there is now quite a bit of slop for sale, yes.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Flitz has been around since the early 90s (maybe earlier) and is very good for final polishing and it protects without harming the environment.

It is not practical for hard stainless steel stains (lol). You need an acid-based product for that and Flitz is not that product.

 

[Houtman_imp]

Just another " FLITS " in the pan product !

 

[Gone in 60]

I dunno, GO, the Flitz rep at the show was talking a pretty big game about what this stuff can do. As far as the environment, when I opened the sample, I got the same noxious whiff of amonia that I do when I open Blue Magic.

I've seen Flitz for years, just never tried it. As far as final polishing, I've used Weenol, which has a red tube "heavy" polish, and a blue tube "final" polish. Maybe Flitz is like Weenol's final polish.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

I dunno, GO, the Flitz rep at the show was talking a pretty big game about what this stuff can do. As far as the environment, when I opened the sample, I got the same noxious whiff of amonia that I do when I open Blue Magic.

I've seen Flitz for years, just never tried it. As far as final polishing, I've used Weenol, which has a red tube "heavy" polish, and a blue tube "final" polish. Maybe Flitz is like Weenol's final polish.

Flitz is non-toxic, Gone.

Not sure about the ammonia scent, but ammonia itself is naturally occurring - whether it is in Flitz I am uncertain.

 

[Gone in 60]

Hey, if it makes my headers shine, it can be as toxic as it wants to be. With all of the automotive chemicals I work with, I'm sure my lifespan has already been shortened considerably.

 

[Gone in 60]

Yup, stock '13 polished stainless headers.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Hey, if it makes my headers shine, it can be as toxic as it wants to be. With all of the automotive chemicals I work with, I'm sure my lifespan has already been shortened considerably.

lol - I guess so Gone.

Is that currently you in your avatar image?

 

[Wagonpeddler_imp]

I've used Flitz for years on brass and copper....works miracles. However, no difference on the headers. I've only used Mother's with SOME improvement, but still not to my satisfaction.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

I've used Flitz for years on brass and copper....works miracles. However, no difference on the headers. I've only used Mother's with SOME improvement, but still not to my satisfaction.

Mentioned a few times in the Forum:

Yoshimura Stain-Magic

Works great. Wear gloves, eye protection. Not cheap.

Optionally finish up with a dab of Flitz.

 

[1985CB450_imp]

Flitz works great on nickel plated firearms as well

I posted a thread a few weeks back about Yoshimura’s stain magic - best stuff I’ve ever used on headers

 

[Gone in 60]

I wonder how much my life has been shorted by using the "Old Formula" Brasso years ago, polishing buttons and belt buckles. Talk about non-environmentally safe.
But I'll bet it would work well on headers.

A friend of mine runs a custom exhaust company. For a few years they produced a polish called "Manifold Destiny" especially for stainless headers. It was fantastic for motorcycle pipes, and I wish they still made it.

 

[Nachodaddy]

Thanks for the reminder. I bought some Stain Magic back when it was 140F in my garage and now it is cool enough that I can spend some time cleaning and polishing those golden pipes.

 

[the Ferret]

Hey Cormanus


...are you getting in on the Header Polish Challenge?


:rofl:

 

[Cormanus]

Nope. Mangling Nancy Sinatra a little, “my bike was made for riding”.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Nope. Mangling Nancy Sinatra a little, “my bike was made for riding”.

If they are [still?] black from stainless steel staining, I'd say you have a scratch resistant colour coat.

 

[Charlie Bravo_imp]

Way back in the day when I was working as a fabricator, I was considering buying some plumbing pieces for under the sink use and fabbing up an adapter to make them into shrouds for the header pipes. Never did it tho.

 

[Nachodaddy]

I wonder what effect I could get by coating the original stainless headers with gun blue and oil and then getting them really hot. Would look better on a black bike, I think.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

I wonder what effect I could get by coating the original stainless headers with gun blue and oil and then getting them really hot. Would look better on a black bike, I think.

Hey Nach, were you thinking of going through with this experiment? Maybe even an inconspicuous test spot?