I agree the softer pastes that come in tubes and cans just don't do the job on a soft brush. A soft, motorized toothbrush, however, is ideal for a surface with either small incised or relief detail (like eyelets). Hold the rotating brush against a bar of rouge or for harder jobs, brown Tripoli. The green and white bars (Aluminum Oxide) remove corrosion (& detail!!!) even faster. An abrasive bearing hard wax like you get with bar compounds will hang on the bristles more tenaciously than a cream.
FOR RIMS.... I use a bar/stick polishing compound applied to a 2 to 3.5 inch cotton wheel mounted on a mandrel and powered by a hand drill. A quick mandrel can be made from a 3 (or more) inch- long bolt, two wide washers, a lock washer and a nut. If your hardware store doesn't have small hard cotton polishing wheels, make your own from disks of blue jean denim. The disks don't need to be accurate. After they've been locked into the mandrel and then the drill, the spinning cotton wheel can be easily trued up with coarse abrasive paper.
Lock the wheel axle into an aluminum jawed vice and allow it to turn freely. Using a wheel stand is okay except that it is tougher to keep the bearing dust caps and the sprockets covered--and this is important because the abrasive flys everywhere. Let the metal wheel spin as the cotton wheel drives it. The polishing goes fast and evenly. Be careful not snag the spokes. The space between the spokes can be done with a hard felt polishing spindle on a Dremel or flexible shaft--or just some denim wrapped around your finger. --Residual compound buildup can be removed with mineral spirits on a toothbrush. --Use a loser stitched wheel with red rouge for a final brighter polish. --Concave rims require a smaller diameter, thinner cotton wheel--and more patience
Calvert Guthrie Kansas City
In a message dated 11/23/2003 11:34:10 AM Central Standard Time,
Enzorino@aol.com writes:
Re: toothbrush with a metal polishing paste
I find that polishing paste does not work so well. The paste tends to fall
off the brush and I cannot apply the same type of pressure to obtain desired
results as I can do with a cloth.
I have tried an electric toothbrush and it is not much better.
A water pick tooth cleaner is great for removing the left over polish in
hard to reach areas.
Stuart Garfield
Lynn, Ma