I have metal paneling on my wall that got scratches from wiping with abrasive material (accident). The white stuff looks like parts of a "skin" when it gets rubbed on concrete to put it in perspective. Is this repairable without having to replace the paneling. I have this on long walls so the price will not be cheap if I replace them.
They are probably more noticeable to you than others. You might try a little bit of tooth paste and see if it might rub out the contrast. They do make a paint with type of finish but I would only do that as a last resort.
There is not much you can do. If it were a polished stainless steel, brass or copper yes, but you have galvanized steel. You see the crystallization pattern in the zinc. There is no way to polish out scratches without risking polishing off the zinc coating or leaving a even more visible buffing/sanding mark. Just consider the marks "patina" and go on with life.
my wall that got scratches from wiping with abrasive material
So what was the material used? That will help a lot to understand what you have!
The first question is, do the panels have some type of coating on them to keep them from oxidizing (rust) that is important to figure out since you need to know if the repair is to the coating or to the metal!
If it's un-coated metal it would be an easier fix, just like the finish on a car you buff it out with an abrasive paste, getting to finer and finer materials.
He is using galvanized steel. The galvanizing is the protective coating. That's the crystalline look on the surface. It looks like the same stock used to form HVAC rigid ducts or possibly a galvanized flashing material.
As said, the wall panels appear to be repurposed galvanized sheet metal.
The galvanizing process makes the surface highly resistant to water but acid is what is used to remove the galvanized finish prior to soldering..
The finish has been altered and can not be restored.
To make it less noticeable you could try a cleaning product that leaves a residue like ArmorAll for vinyl or even baby oil.
Don't put any acid or strong alkali (including vinegar, orange juice or oven cleaner) on the surface. You will make the situation worse.
Toothpaste is safe. It is very mildly alkaline and is very mildly abrasive. But don't brush it very hard or repeatedly.
Galvanized metal is not intended to be a decorative surface when left bare. It needs to be dried off well after cleaning. It develops (usually whitish) water spots easily, which are a form of oxidation or corrosion to be exact.
So ye they are coated and galvanized. I tried to remove the oxide and below it was the black and dark steal. The galvanized part doesn't look salvageable with a little bit of paint it's going to be lots of little bits of paint to do little bits of of the metal. I might have to just replace them. Thanks guys!
Hi, I have a problem that is getting worse with my Snap On welder. It is made by Century. I love this welder, because it does everything I ask of it. Lately, like the last year, it has been sticking in the " On " position. Like if I would pull the trigger on the gun, the loud hum will continue, even if I release the trigger. Some times when I turn the power switch on, it will do the same thing. Is there a contactor of some sort that is NOT releasing ? It takes re arching to stop it, or just to turn it off and turning the machine back on. Sometimes it will do it over and over and get real frustrating. Other times it will do it and them not for a day or so. It sounds like something it sticking and won't release, but it is in the " weld " mode, if that makes sense. I don't know if the internal workings of a welder, but it something that is sticking or hanging up inside the machine.