Hi all, I picked up some Mecca stove polish to do my Lopi 1750. Says to first clean stove and pipe with laquer thinner. Could I use paint thinner or mineral spirirts to do this on the stove and pipe? Is there something else you use to clean it before you polish it? Thanks
Stove polish
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Don't use "stove polish" George. Better to paint a cast or steel stove with hi temp paint.
Why? That stove polish is like boot black, or shoe polish, doesn't last long, attracts dirt and dust....and,
and, when you burn it stinks and smokes forever then burns away into your house. Divorce coming.
NO ! You are ordered to not use Mecca or anything called stove polish.
It's an order.
Why? That stove polish is like boot black, or shoe polish, doesn't last long, attracts dirt and dust....and,
and, when you burn it stinks and smokes forever then burns away into your house. Divorce coming.
NO ! You are ordered to not use Mecca or anything called stove polish.
It's an order.
ok gotcha 
I was gonna try that as I get some small rust spots on the stove top and pipe. I was thinking this would cure that problem
I was gonna try that as I get some small rust spots on the stove top and pipe. I was thinking this would cure that problem
Warm_in_NH
Minister of Fire
Wife uses stove polish once a year on the Oslo. Easy for her to do, no mess, quick, it's definitely black when done, smells on first burn in but isn't any worse than spray paint in the house AND the burn in for that as well.
For the lack of prep work (she does none) it's an easy dress up for the stove. Try a small spot on the back and see what you think....
For the lack of prep work (she does none) it's an easy dress up for the stove. Try a small spot on the back and see what you think....
It is mostly for antique pot belly and cooks stoves, to match the original finish and patina. Once you commit to this finish you need to stick to it. Otherwise it needs to be completely stripped in order to paint the stove due to the waxes involved in the finish.Glad to read this... I had been wondering about stove polish myself. Sounds like that was a close call!
So - just out of curiosity - why does the stuff exist when it's so horrible?
There is absolutely no way I'd polish a stove! With modern high temp paint there no reason to. It holds up well and touches up well.
heavy hammer
Minister of Fire
Stove paint is a very quick process as well point and spray. Makes it look just like new.
You see George, experts on Hearth say "NO" to polish. As BeG says, it is a for the very old, antique cast stoves or ancient cook stoves.
You wouldn't "polish" an engine, you'd use high temp engine paint.......we hope.
Warm_in_NH
Minister of Fire
No to wife also. And it is a crime to do it to a Jotul. You will be reported.
Anything I don't have to do, is a plus, I will gently suggest paint this spring....
Ok thanks guys. What would you suggest to remove some very light rust on the black pipe and stove.
Steel wool for the pipe and very light rust. A wire brush for the tougher stuff. Wipe down with alcohol to remove oils. Warning, when you paint allow very good ventilation and consider wearing a vapor mask. The fumes of acetone based paints like Stove Brite are intense.
So far I'm quite enjoying the ever so slightly grey and worn look of my stove.. suits the rest of the house! I touched up a little scratch and scuff here or there with spray paint last summer. I'm sure the day will come when I decide it's time to do the whole stove, but I wonder about all that lattice work on the door though... I'm guessing that would need to be done with a brush.. I don't think I could be bothered carefully taping out all those bits of glass.
I was given a tin of stove polish from the installers (who did the installation from Hell) I guess the polish would have been following through in the same spirit. I won't use it having read this - I'm definitely not into giving myself more work.
I was given a tin of stove polish from the installers (who did the installation from Hell) I guess the polish would have been following through in the same spirit. I won't use it having read this - I'm definitely not into giving myself more work.
Toploader
Burning Hunk
I just have to add a different point of view here because I like stove polish very much.
If you polish your cast stove you can, by buffing the polish, actually make the stove shine a bit [nice look], it's very easy to touch up small areas and have it blend in, it absolutely without any doubt smokes far less than a newly painted stove, dust does not stick and the only negative I see is that for a while you might get a bit of black on your hands if you lean on the stove when loading. I've painted stoves and polished them and I'd never paint one again unless it was very rusty and needed major work and then after I painted it I'd polish it.
After 3 years I just polished my stove again![[Hearth.com] Stove polish](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/175/175430-286eb133efde16721b0ec27bfabbb875.jpg?hash=nbIj_XDi5m "[Hearth.com] Stove polish")
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If you polish your cast stove you can, by buffing the polish, actually make the stove shine a bit [nice look], it's very easy to touch up small areas and have it blend in, it absolutely without any doubt smokes far less than a newly painted stove, dust does not stick and the only negative I see is that for a while you might get a bit of black on your hands if you lean on the stove when loading. I've painted stoves and polished them and I'd never paint one again unless it was very rusty and needed major work and then after I painted it I'd polish it.
After 3 years I just polished my stove again
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Stove polishes like Williams and Rutland are meant for plain cast iron and can look good if you don't mind them getting black on your hands or clothing. They are made from just graphite and carbon. The stove polish that the the OP listed (Meeco's) has waxes in it. I don't like using that style product on a stove due to the waxes. The baked on waxes can affect the adherence of paints later on. Not sure how well paints would adhere to a base of the Williams or Rutland product.
Heftiger
Feeling the Heat
I am very much enjoying the respectful discussion happening in this thread. Good information and no insults 
Toploader
Burning Hunk
Well I don't know about the kind with wax but the one I use[Imperial brand] I prefer to paint and would never consider painting my stove so paint adhering isn't issue for me and the black getting on your hands isn't a big deal it stops happening with time and a good job of buffing makes it a minor issue to begin with. I just prefer the look of a polished stove and the ease of making an older stove look good again. I'm sure it's not for everyone though.
Toploader
Burning Hunk
It does wash off my hands easily, I'm not sure how good it is to be breathing in the fumes but it doesn't smoke for long so I just open a couple windows when it's at it's worst. I did paint my ash lip this time because a lot of the paint was worn off, the polish only works if there's some paint underneath it.
I used acetone to clean off the old paint and polish and that work well so I imagine a polished stove could be cleaned up for painting with acetone.
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