The Kitchen Sink

[Opsa]

Mr. Ops bought a new sink at a yard sale a while back. It still had the blue protective film on it, so we thought great, the surface will be fine.

Our kitchen faucet started to leak, and Mr. Ops decided it was time to install the whole new sink, as long as he had to replace the faucet.

Of course, he could have just replaced the cartridge, but he had found a beautiful new faucet on clearance for dirt cheap, and it was less expensive than the cartridge would have been. It was so cheap he bought new faucets for both bathrooms  as well and installed them moths ago, no problem.

He could not install the new kitchen faucet though, since the old one was fused to the pipes. So we called our handyman, and he said he'd never seen pipes put right onto faucets and suggested those little flexible pipes with cut-offs. So we said okay.

When he opened the box we thought the new kitchen faucet was in, he found just old parts. Mr. Ops had thrown out the new faucet and kept the old parts from the bathroom faucets in the box! Poor thing. He was so embarrassed. So handyman had to go buy us a new kitchen faucet. So much for saving money!

When handyman put the faucets on the sink, he found that the blue protective coating on the chrome sink almost impossible to remove! He was all sorts of apologetic, but I told him to go ahead and install it, and we'd find a way to get the blue stuff off.

I filled the sink with hot soapy water, hoping that it would soften the blue coating. Not much help. I tried isoprophyl alcohol. No good. I went online and read that ammonia worked to dissolve the stuff. It didn't. Finally I found a site that suggested nail polish remover. I tried a little bit and it worked! Thank the Great Whatever!

So five hours and 365 dollars later we have an almost unbearably bright chrome kitchen sink with new faucet and plumbing.

Was it worth it? Yes. The dripping has stopped!

[Swatopluk]

Aaargh, acetone!  (that's what usually hides behind the term 'nail polish remover). The death of almost all things plastic.

[pieces o nine]

... So five hours and 365 dollars later we have an almost unbearably bright chrome kitchen sink with new faucet and plumbing. ...

Can you save some money back on electricity by doing the dishes in the dark?   



Poor Mr. Ops! It's frustrating when good things go awry, but good that you're happy with the end results.

[Griffin NoName]

I never throw anything out.  Old defunct fittings? Never know when you might need them again.

That is why I cannot actually move around my home.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

I was going to suggest acetone, but you already figured it out.

Good catch.

[Opsa]

Mr. Ops did indeed regret that he hadn't listened to his hoarding instincts, but when he came home and saw the shiny sink installed, he was delighted with it.

[pieces o nine]

I'm just jealous; my sink is kind of dull.     

[Griffin NoName]

My sink is dull too. Occasionally I polish it with Barkeeper's Friend, but the sparkle doesn't last long. I suppose it would help if I didn't use it.

[Opsa]

Funny, we were wondering how long the bright chrome finish would last.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Funny, we were wondering how long the bright chrome finish would last.

Avoid all metal scrubbing pads.  Also avoid all Scotch "brite" pads-- those green ones? (some are blue or other colors).  Avoid anything with pumice in it, like Comet-brand scrubbing powder or Lava hand soap.

Also avoid harsh chemicals such as drain openers (all kinds). 

Avoid leaving standing water for any length of time--- is fine for routine dish-washing & such, but always drain after the dishes are done. 

If your water is hard?  Avoid natural soaps, too--these combine, chemically, with the minerals in the hard water and leave behind a milky film.  Artificial detergents are less susceptible to this effect.



Chrome is cool.  Chrome is reasonably rust-resistant.   But it can be affected by some chemicals.   And it's not all that hard, as metals go.   

So some reasonable care and it'll stay bright for years....

[Opsa]

Very good advice, thank you!

Honestly, when we bought the thing several years ago at a yard sale we had assumed it was brushed stainless steel, like our old sink. We were very surprised when we finally got the blue stuff off and found the shiny chrome underneath. It seems less practical than stainless steel, but there it is.

I just took a photo of the sink in question, with it's bright reflection onto the kitchen ceiling.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Very good advice, thank you!

Honestly, when we bought the thing several years ago at a yard sale we had assumed it was brushed stainless steel, like our old sink. We were very surprised when we finally got the blue stuff off and found the shiny chrome underneath. It seems less practical than stainless steel, but there it is.

I just took a photo of the sink in question, with it's bright reflection onto the kitchen ceiling.

It is extremely attractive.  Are you certain it's actually Chrome, and not simply polished Stainless Steel?   Polished SS is more likely to me-- it's a bit harder than actual chrome, and it's likely solid all the way through, unlike chrome which would be plated over steel.

Polished SS is still soft enough, that you'd want to still avoid the scratchables, like pumace, those scotch-brite pads (or generic equivelents), etc, for sink-cleaning.  They are fine on dishes--glass is extremely hard, and brushed stainless (most dishwear/pots) won't show the scratches.  But for the sink,  I'd suggest using dish detergent to clean it, then wipe with a very clean sponge, after rinsing.  Try to avoid scrubbing the sink, in other words.   

Or use the spay arm to rinse, then dry with a soft dish cloth.   Leaving water-on, can leave spots.

A simple wipe-down after use, it'll remain polished for years.

It is quite stunning, though. 

[pieces o nine]

You need chrome fins on them faucets now...      

[Griffin NoName]

Wow! That's bright!

[Opsa]

It's almost blinding.

Bob, I think you must be right about the polished stainless steel. Our old one was brushed steel, and not reflective. In comparison, this one gleams like chrome.

When I had to take off the blue coating, I first was actually scratching the surface and was worried that I'd take the finish off, but none of the scratching left any marks. So I think you're right about the steel.

Dishwashing detergent swiped around the sink seems to be fine for cleaning it.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

It's almost blinding.

Bob, I think you must be right about the polished stainless steel. Our old one was brushed steel, and not reflective. In comparison, this one gleams like chrome.

When I had to take off the blue coating, I first was actually scratching the surface and was worried that I'd take the finish off, but none of the scratching left any marks. So I think you're right about the steel.

Dishwashing detergent swiped around the sink seems to be fine for cleaning it.

It ought to stay bright for years and years that way.

One of the nice things about polished stainless?

Once the inevitable starts, and it begins to dull?   It really is easy to convert it to brushed stainless steel.   You can even impart lovely, rotary patterns-- that overlap, rendering a kind of shell pattern.   It's literally a piece of cake, but a bit time consuming.

Get an ordinary drill.  Get some waterproof, but fine, sandpaper-- preferably a hard grit, like Aluminum Oxide (harder than SS).    Get a wooden dowel the size of the desired pattern-- short, no longer than 2-3 inches.  If your dowel is bigger around than will fit into your drill?  A screw driven in one end-- keep it centered as best as you can.  Removing the screw once it's in, putting in a drop of glue, then re-inserting it will help keep it there, longer.  Now, wrap the other end of your dowel with a strip of sandpaper, hold with wire, or a rubber band.   

Chuck it up into your drill, and begin making a pattern.  Warning!  I suggest you practice first, on some scrap material, preferably metal.  Like an old car door?   (Or get a metal panel/door off of a dead appliance from your local junkyard for free...). 

Hint:  You can use a sharpie marker, a ruler and a tape measure to create a center-spot/dot for each of your circles if you wish.   

Okay, here's a guy demonstrating it with a drill press-- read his description, he explains how it works
[youtube=425,350]5KmnVLU304w[/youtube]

At about 2.26, he shows his result.

He's using a Scotch Brite buffing pad, used by auto body people, to shape automobile bodies.  Available anywhere-- more high-tech than my dowel & sandpaper (which is old school-- how I was taught... )

You can use a hand drill, doing the same thing.   Many pleasing patterns can be done this way.

[Griffin NoName]

Or.......just use Bar Keeper's Friend.

http://www.amazon.com/Bar-Keepers-Friend%C2%AE-Cleanser-Polish/dp/B000V72992/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371612601&sr=8-1&keywords=bar+keepers+friend

[Opsa]

Neat! Thank you, both.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Cool product, Griff.

[Griffin NoName]

Dependng on how stained the stains are, I sometimes have to apply it twice. But it is like magic.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Dependng on how stained the stains are, I sometimes have to apply it twice. But it is like magic.

Even better-- an actual user testimony.