Removing/disguising scratches in stainless steel

[mike.stavlund]

A member named Randy off-listed me to ask about my method for removing scratches from stainless steel, which I had referred to on an earlier post but had never detailed.  My apologies, Randy!

So before I tell you about this, let me say that I haven't actually tried it on any Weber product yet.  I intend to do it on my Performer table, but haven't gotten to it yet.  I did do it on the backsplash of our new used range, with great results. 

Speaking of the range, it was an epic CL score by my wife (a used Viking) (and yes, having it has reduced my kettle usage slightly).  The guy who sold it to me suggested the following method, and it worked really well.  But it is worth noting that this dude was a very high-end workworker (cabinetmaking, actually), and was old-school, old-world (a Swedish immigrant), and so following each part of the method is pretty important.  Get ready to be precise, and patient. 

Like a good woodworker, you first need to determine the direction of the 'grain'.  I know that SS doesn't grow on trees, but you know what I mean:  those linear marks that you can see when you look at the surface.  You are basically going to sand the surface with 220 grit wet-or-dry paper, using a cheap stainless steel cleaner as a solvent.  So technically, you might not be able to fully remove the scratches, but you will definitely mask them to the point that they are very hard to see.  The two tricks being:  1.) moving the sandpaper very straight, in exactly the right direction, every single time, and 2.) sanding all the way past the end of the piece. 

Beginning woodworkers often make the mistake of sanding *to the end* of the piece, which leaves these sanding and 'stop' marks at the end of the piece.  Instead, what the pros do is to sand right off the end of the piece, so the sanding marks just trail off the edge.  So for my range, I needed to disassemble the backsplash to allow me to sand *past the end*.  On the Performer, you'll need to remove the piece from the frame to allow you to do the same thing.

Then take your time, and pay close attention to make sure your strokes are straight as an arrow, and patiently work at that piece until the scratches start to disappear.  I worked on my backsplash for about 30 minutes before I was satisfied that I was the only one who would see the scratches (and only in bright light with my face up close).  I kept dosing the surface with cheap Home Depot stainless steel liquid cleanser as I went, and turning my piece of sandpaper regularly.  Also, I suggest that you use some kind of sanding pad to make sure you are putting even pressure on the sandpaper.  When I was doing carpentry/remodelling, my boss had me use a Scotchbrite pad (we wrapped the sandpaper around it), and so that's what I use to this day. 

Oh, and BTW, someone on this board suggested the very best regular cleaning potion for SS, which works wonderfully for me as well:  Barkeepers Friend. It's a scouring powder that does magic on SS grill parts, SS skillets, sinks, and etc.. 

Best wishes to Randy and anyone else looking for this fix.  Let us know your experience and improvements to the method. 

[Bman]

Just regular ol' sandpaper?  (Being a woodworker/cabinet maker, I have tons of it)
Will give it a shot on my gasser side burner lid.  Thanks...

[mike.stavlund]

The guy told me wet-or-dry paper, but it seems like a lot of the modern papers without paper backings hold up to moisture pretty well.  I'm sure there's no harm in trying whatever 220 you have laying around.

Good luck with your side table, B. 

[RandyG]

Thanks mike, I'll give it a try!!