Stainless Steel - buffing/polishing
 

got a superficial scratch on a stainless steel 'in wall' oven. I can't feel the scratch with my fingernail however it doesn't seem to be removeable by simple wiping down.

what's a good method to buff out this surface scratch? I was going to try the usual toothpaste and then polish. is there a specific stainless steel cleaning solution that can handle this?

from my experience you will need to wet sand in the same direction.

most likely you will need to sand the whole surface for consistency UNLESS u find the paper with the right grit to blend in.

If you can't feel it with your fingernail, maybe try a very mild car polish to see if you can polish it out?

I'm not sure if the surface is textured or has some kind of clearcoat on top of the surface but that might be worth noting. Baking soda may work too but those might be a bit more on the aggressive side and might end up making the polished area look different to the area around it.

I don't think you can repair stainless steel easily.
Any spot you buff/polish will end up looking different from the rest of the area.
And I found most stainless steel appliance has a "linear" direction. So even if you buff the entire face, it still won't look like original

My girlfriend manages a appliance store, when they get scratches on display models, they usually send the panel back for a replacement from the manufacturer. She's tried everything to remove scratches from stainless, and nothing ever works good, usually end up with that spot looking different than the rest of the stainless. No easy way to fix scratches on stainless steel. Easier to just replace whole panel.

ordered new trim piece. its the outside piece of the in-wall microwave...


you can see the mark middle of photo.

http://i.imgur.com/NprforU.jpg

Scotchbrite on a belt sander