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Can the grey case castings be made shiny and newer looking? I have tried rubbing compound and a Dremel tool and all I get is the same grey finish made shiny.
I see pictures of machines for sale that are bright, but I am opposed to painting and too underfunded from chrome/nickle plating.

As always, I appreciate your thoughts and opinions.

Garry

I have found that the gray oxidation goes deep and surface polishing won't do it. It needs some abrasive levels to get it removed down to the metal.

You need a buffing wheel grinder setup on a stand, using coarse cutting compound (the dark gray color stick). All of the polished surfaces come alive, but then you need to use the next finer grade (white) then finally the orange compound to finish the polished areas. You might want to go over the areas with something like MAAS paste polish. The benchtop (or stand top) buffing motors from Harbor Freight work well.

Next, you mask off all of the polished areas with painters tape, then bead-blast the rough cast areas.

Remove the tape, clean up the castings with soap and water, then re-tape the buffed areas. This is when you apply your paint.

Thanks for your explanation of the process. Frankly, I was hoping for something less heroic. (Always looking for a short cut. )