After 30+ years of abuse your knob is bound to be pretty unsightly. You have decided to go about shaping up your body and making it look nice but what to do with your poor abused knob???? Well that's where I come in to help! Here is a miserable looking knob that has definitely seen better years

I decided to take this in 2 steps to see how much werk was really necessary. First I wet sanded my knob with 400 grit. You can use water with a touch of soap or do as I did and just use 409.

I then took my knob to the buffer to see what it would look like with only 400 grit. Pic isn't great but if you're lazy 400 grit will do O.K. but not really nicely

NOW it's time to step it up a little more I the took the freshly polished 400 grit knob and wet sanded it 2 more times. Once with 800 grit, then with 1500 grit. Here it is after the 1500 grit sanding

After the final buffing. The other knob is a nice survivor I have been holding on to for comparison. I think IT needs a little werk now

All it takes is a little time (about 30 min) a little elbow grease and a grinder converted top a buffer Use a plastic compound.

In the past I have taken light lenses directly to the buffer and have been happy with the results. After my experience with my knob, I wonderd" HHmmmm can lenses be made any brighter by first wet sanding them?????" I set out to answer this question. First off the specimen gets taped off and the bottom gets wet sanded with 400 grit

then with the 800 & 1500

Then I buffed the bottom half ONLY.

The I buffed the top half too.

The I removed the tape. Pictures don't really show the drastic difference between the original and the finished sections. As for the wet sanding on the lenses....don't bother. A proper buffing looks every bit as good as the wet sanding AND buffing did. If anything, the wet sanded side had just a touch of cloudiness on EXTREMELY close inspection

neat thread scotty... are you going for the classic knob status?

For those who have never done any buffing/polishing a few werds of advise....DO NOT use any pressure on the parts!!! Let the compound do the werk. If you use pressure you WILL ruin a plastic part and may very well send what you are werking on FLYING out of your hands which can be VERY dangerous. Use only enough pressure to keep the piece in contact with the buffing wheel. Buffing wheels will easily grab an edge and either burn the piece or snatch it right out of you grip, but don't keep a tight grip on your piece either, just take it easy and you'll be proud of your werk

Impressive... Nice work..

Hadn't really thought that far ahead Pete. I was just in the garage polishing my knob and figured I would share my technique with you all

Very nice work!!!

Where do you source the plastic compound?

Eastwood carries all types of buffing compounds for plastics and all types of metals. I'm sure there are cheaper sources out there, but I have used theirs from the start and have been happy with it

Yeah, Scottie! Best part, though, is the warning about the grabbiness of the buffer. True, and the deeper the floppy part, the worse. Keep your part in a position which, if it gets grabbed, will move it away from you, not toward your face (clear shield is good anyway. The other good secret is, put a "net--like under the circus performer--in the direction where it will go if you lose control. Old blanket or bedspread might do, or blue tarp. (I even use a mini version of this at the back end of my belt sander to catch run-aways. Saves starting over or lots of looking, esp. in a garage as junked up as mine.) Remember, an accident is something that you didn't plan, or even expect. Be safe. (An old friend just suffered an 18 foot gravity attack, and broke all 12 ribs on the left side. Accidents are what you didn't expect!)

Sanding and buffing makes the old crazed plastic top of shift knobs look like new also.

Ya, lets see a shift knob. Mine needs a little hows your father come to think of it. Forgot mine was all cracked up top though on that clear part


Nice work by the way local yockal.

great thread Scott!!! keep adding to it...what else have ya got?

I will do a shift knob for ya in the next week or two. This process also werks wonders on the knobs in 356's and VW's with the white or ivory knobs. Shift and dash knobs alike

I dont have a before shot of a knob only an after. This one looked really bad before I started, I wet sanded it and buffed it for this like new result.

NICE !!I'll be sure to get some before pics when I do mine

Can ya buff the cracks off the top? Mine might get shinny but still have them cracks. I guess you can call it a crack nob.

The cracks do come out, sand first then buff you will be amazed!
When I tried it on my first knob I took the worst one I had, the cracks and crazing were covering the entire clear plastic I couldn't believe that it came out like new, It is the one that I have in my car right now.

How heavy a grit did you have to use to get through the cracking?

I think I used a little 220 on it then 400 and 600 from there the brown trippoli polishing compound. It really didnt take much sanding I even think a good buffing could remove it.

I'll try and find the WERST one I have. I'm pretty sure I've got at least one nasty one somewhere Planning on next Sat. for the update. I'll be stripping,coating and rebuilding CV's this week for 2 cars FORWARD progress makes me happy. I've had enough backward lately