Thread: Restoring Metal Surfaces

I was hoping some of you might have some tips or ideas on how to polish and clean up rotators? I've got an XL bar that I'm working on and am hoping to get 3 of the rotators cleaned up to be close to the one I have that really shines. I've posted a pick with the clean one and one of the 3 that need cleaning. Thanks!

Sometimes you can clear up that yellowing with a very light scrubbng from an sos pad and finish off with some plast-x polish, ive had good results with that

could try eagle ones, nevr dull.


Can get it at walmart. Orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr mcquiers metal polish stuff.

Just a thought.... we have a thread for polishing domes. How about a sticky thread for polishing/restoring other parts of lightbars, like rotators, chrome, other parts....??? I know I bought a light recently that I have a NOS dome coming for, but will need some restoring on the base and motor.

Originally Posted by rwo978

Just a thought.... we have a thread for polishing domes. How about a sticky thread for polishing/restoring other parts of lightbars, like rotators, chrome, other parts....??? I know I bought a light recently that I have a NOS dome coming for, but will need some restoring on the base and motor.

I made this a sticky and changed the title to a more broad one.

OK. This will be my first attempt at a restoration. Got this for a great deal from ChargerLighting. It works and lights up, although the bulbs flicker some when the right bulb holder is over the motor, so on the left side. I think a good cleaning will take care of that.

Where do I start with cleaning this up? Will most of that gunk inside just wipe off? What do I use to clean up the metal after the gunk is off? Just metal polish and some elbow grease? Any power tools I might want to invest in?

Also, it looks like there's 2 different bulb holders. Which is the 'correct' one for the series (A3)?

Originally Posted by rwo978

It works and lights up, although the bulbs flicker some when the right bulb holder is over the motor, so on the left side. I think a good cleaning will take care of that.

The grime on the contact plate and bulb-holder brushes and contacts can be cleared out using some electrical contact cleaner and wiping down with a clean cloth/rag. For the plate, dmathieu suggested in a different thread to use a pencil eraser to clean it up real good.

Originally Posted by rwo978

Where do I start with cleaning this up? Will most of that gunk inside just wipe off?

The first thing I'd do is disassemble the entire beacon so all parts can be individually cleaned. From the looks of it, Ryan, it seems that all the cream-colored goop is old white grease spray. Very easy to remove with a moist rag and cleaned up with Goo-Gone so nothing sticky remains.

Originally Posted by rwo978

What do I use to clean up the metal after the gunk is off? Just metal polish and some elbow grease? Any power tools I might want to invest in?

Metal polish from Mother's or Turtle Wax should do just fine. Hand-cleaning the parts is best, and the base could be buffed with metal polish and a Mother's Power Ball on a variable-speed drill. I would clean the base off with soap and water first and dry before buffing. Other power tools...ehh, not sure about that. 14 beacons aren't too complicated to get around.

Originally Posted by rwo978

Also, it looks like there's 2 different bulb holders. Which is the 'correct' one for the series (A3)?

Both can be considered correct for the A3 series. I've seen A3 14s on here with both the full-cast holder and cut-out cast holder. Mike over at Dakota Guns and Lawman in Bismarck has some of both styles of holders in stock (plus other Federal beacon parts), so I'm sure he can hook you up with whichever one you want. Hope this gives you a good start on your resto, Ryan!

Note: All above advice are my own ideas for a project like this. Other collectors are free to give their input as well !

Got partially thru the Model 14, still have some fine tuning to do while waiting for the NEW dome. There was a lot of pitting to the pan, the gear and motor bracket, and rotator shaft. Is there anything, short of sanding the crap out of it, that will get rid of some of the pitting? It looks a lot better after going over it with a wire brush and drill, but that pitting....

Originally Posted by rwo978

It looks a lot better after going over it with a wire brush and drill, but that pitting....

Hi there,
the only suggestion I have to remove pitting is by heavy sanding. I have had good results in the past on metal ship decks with this:

3M Rust and Paint Stripper 03172, Coarse grit

I used it with an industrial high-speed portable grinder. I don't know if the results will be as good on a home hand-drill. I eats through the plate until the pitting is flattened out. You will have to disassemble the beacon to efficiently get to the part of the plate you want to restore. Your beacon is getting better and better

powder coating fills in most all imperfections and makes it like new.

I know this is going to sound crazy, but a drop of toilet bowl cleaner in a few drops of water actually does a great job of restoring the sine to metal surfaces. Just be sure to wear eye protection and wipe it off with water afterwards.

-Jared