This has probably been asked before, but...

What non-abrasive polish would you recommend, for the times you need to play it safe? I'm particularly thinking of plated furniture (or nibs), because I know how easy it is to take off plating.

Tryphon makes a variety of pen polishes that are great and perfectly safe. They're my choice.

I use automotive clear coat polish by Mcquire.

Good success with Simichrome here

I wonder.. are there other car care products that would be suitable for FP cleaning and polishing? (It's great to know what kind of polishes are OK, and easily obtainable and cheaper than ordering online.)

from many accounts here on FPN Simichrome is abrasive and can remove plating from trim... so not exactly OK when as stated "for the times you need to play it safe?"

I use Mother's Clear Plastic Polish to very great effect on plastic, celluloid and BHR and it seems to be very non-abrassive as it is a VERY smooth cream... buffs off to a brilliant shine

Maguire's Clear Plastic Polish and Maquire's Clear Plastic Cleaner are great for pens. They are designed specifically for plastic, such as convertible rear windos, dash guage lenses, etc. The polish has very little abrasive, cleaner has a bit more and I use it less often then the polish. I use the cleaner to remove light, visible scratches, the polish to bring a shine to dull finishes.

It CAN, but it depends on your method- I use a VERY SMALL amount on a soft Q-Tip for plating. I limit the working time to very short periods and then clean up. It will take off plating if you get aggressive with it, because it does have some abrasion power. But I keep it short and soft and it seems to work. I've used it on plating on bicycles too (as well as pens) with the same method, and it worked there as well. If the plating is particularly fragile or old then maybe something lighter is indeed better. I stick with Simichrome because I'm familiar with what routine I need to follow to get what I'm after. If you're playing it VERY safe then something else maybe indeed. I tend to stick with what I know as a personal thing.

I've not heard that a non abrasive polish exists.

I have found Prelim to be gentle.

-david

There are several products and classes of products that polish without a primarily abrasive action or with no abrasive action. Surfaces can be polished by various mechanisms, including the removal of material via an abrasive to level the surface, the removal of tarnish/oxidation through chemical means, the plastic flowing of a surface to level it, the dissolving, flowing, and re-hardening of a surface to level it, the melting and hardening of a surface to level it, and the adding of material to fill low areas or to coat the surface and thus level the surface.

--Daniel

Fair enough. I had not considered tarnish removal, per se, to constitute conventional polsihing, though making no claims to being pro on the industry jargon, i will keep open mind.

And, from what i recall Burnishing too is not polishing.

"Plastic flowing of a surface to level it- snip- the melting and hardening of a surface". Again, i will keep open mind as to whether these processes constitute polishing. But, if for sake of discussion, conceding these constitute polishing, one might hope then that this polishing could be performed with... a polish. So mapping to the practical, which polishes are available that polish in these fashions and in manner safe to pens. I might wish to try one instead of scrubbing away all the time at the poor wee critters .

-d

I was looking at Tryphon and saw two candidates - the Pen Cleaner-Protectant, and the Museum Wax. Has anyone used these? I'm also looking for something non-abrasive.
Would it be wrong to polish pens every night?

Probably.

regards

david