Plus, Kate tests the tinfoil method to clean rusty chrome ![Vintage-starline-chrome-starburst-towel-holders]()
How to keep chrome from rusting in a steamy bathroom environment? After all the elbow grease I put into to clean up my vintage Amerock starburst cabinet knobs, I wanted to know. Luckily, I only had to look as far as the comments on my initial chrome cleaning story to get some helpful reader advice:
As far as a coating that will protect your metal after its cleaned…. I took metalwork and jewelry making in college and we always used Johnson’s paste wax. Put on a coat, let it dry, then buff it off. This is not a permanent solution, it will have to be redone every so often depending on how much the object is handled
Soon I was off to my local Ace Hardware to buy a tin of good old SC Johnson Paste Wax – which I discovered after reading the label — can indeed be used to polish and protect metal surfaces.
| Disclaimer added by publisher Pam: Here on the blog, as homeowners ourselves, we may try new cleaning products aimed at solving our own cleaning problems; if we think we’ve found something promising to consider, we may write about it. But, we are not professional chemists or engineers or home economists. So, please: Do your own research into these products and their suitability for your projects before trying them. More info in Terms of Use. |
Before we dive into the details of using Johnson Paste Wax — a word about the Cramer Kitchen & Bath Stain Eraser. Several readers tried unsuccessfully to order the product from the Cramer website. Readers waited weeks only to have their money returned and never get their orders. It was a mystery until reader TerriLynn got a response from Peter K. Cramer at the company stating that the company was winding down business and transferring to another distributor — meaning that for the time being they cannot deliver their product. While this solved the mystery of why no one could seem to get a Kitchen & Bath Stain Eraser — this also made me want to test another readily available method that numerous readers had suggested — cleaning chrome with wadded up tin foil.
I decided to test the tinfoil method on my latest purchase — heavily corroded starburst towel racks — which were in much worse shape than the cabinet knobs. I found that the tinfoil worked well to clean the oxidation from the chrome — especially in tight areas that the Stain Eraser couldn’t reach. In the heaviest areas of oxidation, I used some vinegar along with the tinfoil which yielded good results.
Above: The towel ring was the most oxidized piece.
After many hours of careful work removing oxidation from every nook and cranny of my starburst towel holders — I was left with a nearly new shiny chrome surface (shown above).
I then applied a very thin coat of SC Johnson Paste Wax with a soft cloth, let it dry, then buffed it to a shine with another clean soft cloth. To give my chrome extra protection, I applied two more thin coats to each of my towel racks, knobs and backplates using the same steps as the first coat. The SC Johnson Paste Wax did amp up the shine of the vintage chrome, seems to have made a protective coating and was easy to apply and buff. The only down side to using this method is that is it a bit time consuming and the paste wax did also have a strong smell. To remedy the smell, I made sure to keep the lid on the can as much as possible while working (during drying and buffing time). Once the wax had dried, the smell disappeared, so fumes were only an issue when applying the paste wax.
NOTE: For anyone who has a set of these vintage Starline chrome starburst towel holders without an original rod — the holes for the towel bar are very narrow — only about 3/8 inch diameter. Most of the towel bars that can be purchased today are far too thick to fit into the starburst holders. I looked high and low and the best option for a replacement bar that I’ve found to date is the BYGEL towel rail from Ikea. I purchased it in a 39.25 inch length for $3.99. Since it is all one piece, I used a metal hack saw to cut a straight section in my desired length from this bar for use with my vintage Starline towel holders. The bar fits in the holes easily and though it is not chrome, the powder coated steel works with the chrome brackets. I’m thinking that when there are towels on this rack, you won’t even notice that it isn’t chrome.
Mega thanks to the helpful readers who chimed in with ideas for cleaning chrome and protecting it from further oxidation. I’m happy to say that your suggestions worked in this case. Once I get my vintage pulls and towel bars installed in my master bathroom — I’ll keep you posted on how the SC Johnson Paste Wax works to protect the chrome surfaces.
The post Polish and protect vintage chrome with Johnson Paste Wax appeared first on Retro Renovation.
