[Joe]

Stainless is a very forgiving and workable material. Small dents can be easily repaired and bumpers are an excellent place to learn and use the skills because they are relatively thick.

The first step is to press or hammer the dents out. No heat is required, just a good eye to restore the bumper to a near flat condition.

Then use a sander or grinder (for the bumper a small belt sander is ideal) remove the uneven small surface irregularities. It is likely this step will be combined with more hammering to bring the low spots up to the surface so the final sanded surface is even with the rest of the bumper. The grit of the belt is determined by how much material is needed to get a smooth surface. The dent removal is very important because you want to avoid removing a lot of metal.

Using progressively finer sandpaper grits work the surface to a smoother and smoother condition taking great pains to keep the sander moving to avoid heating the stainless steel. Heat created, especially on thinner gauge material will ruin the part because it will distort the metal. Avoiding heat is also important during polishing.

As the grits get finer sanding begins to remove the “grain” left by coarser grits. I have worked from 220 up to 1500 grit on a bumper I repaired. With the final sanding complete begin the process of polishing. The principle is the same as sanding with the use of more aggressive grits initially working toward finer polishes. For a bumper I have ended up with a white rouge with very good results. Again, keep moving with the buff to avoid heat buildup on the metal.

The polishing discs (buffs) are also progressively more aggressive typically ending with a loose buff.

[Jim/Chris]

Good info! Thanks’ Jon. Hey I have a another question about stainless, I have a lower panel on 1 of my compartment door that’s looks like some one used a fine scotch bite pad on it , how do you get that final chrome look?

[Tim]

If the polish has been damaged such as with a scotch brite pad you can use a fine grit wet sand paper if the marks are deep, again getting up to a 1500 or finer grit, then carefully polish using more abrasive rouge working up to a fine rouge for the final polish with great care taken to avoid heat build up on the panel.

The buffs will start out stiffer and more aggressive, but they also will work up to loose buffs for the final polish.

[Deleted User]

Interesting. I wish this had been posted a few years ago. Probably would have saved me some money.