Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Something ate into my sink

I am Homeowner and my recent tenant spilled something that has eaten into my stainless steel sink. This is an older sink with the house having been built in 1949. Is there any way to fix this without having to replace the sink?

Cherylin Trella
home owner - Pasadena
August 23, 2011

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Probably was a muriatic acid based kitchen cleaner. I imagine it's etched and possibly is a little rusty too?

You can usually use a non-iron containing abrasive in the same direction as the original grain (assuming a brush finished surface) and get it to blend in at least better than it is. Commercially available material should be fine, also one of the other advertisers here, BarrysRestoreItAll, sells a kit for this.

If the original surface is very shiny, then electropolishing or professional mechanical polishing equipment is needed.

Ray Kremer
Stellar Solutions, Inc.

McHenry, Illinois

September 2, 2011