What product can you use to clean vintage chrome so common in 40s 50s 60s and 70s kitchens and baths? One of our handiest readers – jsnugbear says:
I have found Noxon 7 metal polish works excellent to clean and shine old chrome and it puts a protective coating on it as well while cleaning. It comes in a green plastic bottle. I use it on all my chrome in my 50’s kitchen and furniture with metal leg caps..
John
Thank you, John! I for one am getting some of this asap:
There’s a similar product that comes in an oversized toothpaste tube called Flitz Metal Polish that does wonders, too…don’t use it if the chrome is all but gone as you can polish off what’s left! That much said, it’s awesome stuff as well. Available at a gun shop near you.
To keep your showroom shine, I would also recommend 3M Marine Paste Wax. Stays around longer than Car or Floor-type paste waxes, easy to use, protects well, etc. I even use it on my Kitchenaid mixer every once in a while and it makes cleanup much easier as nothing sticks! Also keeps the kids’ spills from adhering to the red and oyster cracked-ice pattern laminate on our vintage dining table. Do not use on pebbly surfaces or you will be sorry. Available at a marine supply outlet near you or from outlets like West Marine and Defender Marine Supply online. Also great on cabinet pulls, fridge handles, appliances (except things that get hot like toasters, wafflers, sandwich smashers, stovetops…), all kinds of metal and smooth or enamelled surfaces.
Another nice product for things like the table is Meguiar’s #7 Professional Reseal Glaze, available at autobody supply houses. Nice deep gloss restoration and hides small scuffs. Apply BY HAND ONLY and let “kick” fully overnight, then follow with two coats paste wax. I do it about once a month.
Resist temptation to use a power buffer on surfaces like this…they “burn” at way too low a temp. and there isn’t enough thickness there to sand out the imperfection and re-buff. Hand work only.
The #7 and the Paste wax would be very nice on steel cabinets and appliances as well. Make sure the surface is really clean first or you will be sealing down something yikky into/onto your work.
Tomorrow maybe I’ll remember to take the Old English Lemon Oil to my tiki wood stuff and the monkeypod dishes. Or maybe just write myself a note and promptly forget all about it!
Dave
Wow atomicbowler, you are the king of clean!
Thank you so much for posting this. I am definitely going to try this on my kitchen cabinet hardware as soon as I can find the product.
Any idea where we can find this?
I have always had good luck using an automotive grade chrome polish. It cleaned up the bumpers on my car so well that I used it on my chrome kitchen table, and it looks great! I would post the name of the product, but it is currently in the trunk of my car, which is covered with snow. I’ll post it when the snow melts in a couple of days.
I’ve had good luck with Noxon (be prepared for the ammonia smell) and Brasso. Both work well for cleaning and polishing chrome and other metals. The chrome polish sold in auto parts stores is more abrasive and better on items that are rusty or pitted.
An important reminder to everyone to be sure to read and heed the instructions on all of these products regarding proper ventilation, safety and environmental precautions and procedures when using them!
I like Nevr-Dull [sic] for all metals including chrome – it consists of cotton wadding saturated with solvent (no abrasives) in a tin can. I first started using this when I had to polish my brass belt buckle in Coast Guard boot camp – (after boot camp a bought a gold plated buckle that never needed polishing!) Caution: a little fumey and will turn your fingers black if you don’t wear rubber gloves.
SimiChrome is also good – I’ve used it on plastics that have become dull
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28718267@N06/2878510631/
– so a fine abrasive must be in the paste.
I saw a tip on AT the other day that Naval Jelly combined with ultra-fine steel wool works GREAT for removing rust spots from chrome. Apparently a lot of car restoration types use it for that purpose. I’m going to pick up a bottle at my local Ace and go at some of my less-than-perfect kitchen chairs.
One week too late! I just spent last Saturday polishing the chrome on my dinette set. It is a new set–only four years old–and I can’t believe how pitted the chair legs were. I gave them a coating of Turtle Wax a while back (my dad’s suggestion), but I was really unhappy with the outcome of this latest polishing job (I used Brasso to polish with another coat of Turtle Wax.) I’ll tackle it again with these new suggestions in mind.
I guess chrome, like everything else, was just better in “the old days”!
I was so happy to see so many people into the Retro look. Frankly my 94 yr old mother in law thinks I am crazy for searching out and dragging home the Lustroware and vintage dinettes etc. She was sick of that look long ago…….ha I just found a retro dinette yesterday with the red crackle formica top. It was dull and had some scratches and whatever. I cleaned it with Goo Gone and it not only removed sticky whatever but left the top bright and shiny.Seems around the Central Missouri area there are a few tables but finding vintage chairs is the problem….
I did finally find four chrome handleback chairs with the table for $50.Since I already had the red cracked ice table I want to use I just needed the chairs. The frames were in wonderful condition just very dirty with years of dried food along with about an inch of dried floor wax on the legs. Cleaning them was the next problem so after removing the old seats and backs I put down an old shower curtin and got to work. Solution: Bar Keeper’s Friend and LOTS of hard scrubbing. I tried other things but that worked best. I put it on a scrubber. Today I cleaned my table legs the same way and they look brand new. I am waiting for the replacement seats and backs to arrive to complete my set…………It has been quite a journey but worth all the searching and hard work..
I have a red cracked ice table with four handleback chairs. I had the chair backs and seats re-upholstered and unfortunately found out afterwards that I could have ordered the matching vinyl. But, alas, had them done in a different vinyl. Now, I am searching for the chair tips. The front legs have flat clear plastic tips and the back legs have angled tips. They fit into the chair legs. Any sources?
Try: http://www.americanchairs.com/replacement-seats.html
Also: http://www.barsandbooths.com/ doesn’t list the parts, but probably have them and could sell to you. Good luck! I think we just *finally* found the vintage chrome diner set that we’ve been looking for, after 8 weeks! (But now watch, I’ll have jinxed myself!)
Jen – great resource page you’ve shown from americanchairs… but i bet readers can drill down to find better prices closer to the source. $400 for a 4×10 sheet of Formica boomerang laminate is a lot, I think. I have not priced the stuff at Home Depot or Lowes (etc) but I recall a reader telling me he/she got it for like, $80. The crackle ice laminate is another story, as that seems to be custom-made… In any case, thanks again for the resources to help folks get started, it’s great to know that they are out there!
I totally agree re: the vinyl and laminate prices — crazy high! But the replacement chair caps (Barbara B.’s request)…those were reasonably priced.
hi folks,
new to the site, new to retro furniture! ive found a lot of interesting stuff here and some great tips.
im wondering if anyone out there has an answer for a seemingly simple, yet nagging problem i have! ive recently picked up a couple of cracked-ice diner tables, but both have a few plastic caps missing from the legs. does anyone know where i can get these dang things?? im sure youre all familiar, but they are just a basic plastic cap, but look like 2 of them have been joined together.
thanks very kindly!
I have the same problem with the double cap at the base of the table legs. These caps are joined and look like a number 8. I have not seen these before but to tell you the truth I haven’t looked any further than Home Depot. Let me know if you find some.
Thanks
Hi Mike – was wondering if you ever found the caps as i just bought a set and in the remodel am looking to find all the caps for table legs and chairs
I had the same issue with my table legs – I ended up getting the 1″ plastic caps at Home Depot and cutting a sliver out where the two meet so they’d both fit. Not very elegant, but the cuts are hidden, and it’s better than a wobbly table.