Wenol and Pol Metal Polishes
After many years of packaging the very same identical product under two different product names
(for different markets), the manufacturer has discontinued the production as POL and now offers
only the product under the Wenol name. If you have been one of our many POL users in the past,
you will find the Wenol product to be absolutely indistinguishable from what you have been using
previously. We apologize if this change causes any confusion but we can assure you that it is
the very same product but just in a tube of a different color and name.
For many years, Wenol has been the main metal polish product used in laboratory settings.
Polishing residues were easily removed and that characteristic made Wenol the preferred
product for use with high vacuum systems, including the cleaning of delicate parts of
electron microscopes and other electron and ion beam instruments. Wenol is a petroleum-based
paste and contains no silicones.
In addition to its use on surfaces to be exposed to high vacuum, Wenol is also used in a wide range
of other applications, such as a stove cleaner and also, for the stainless steel surfaces in
commercial kitchens. Actually, it is an outstanding metal polish for stainless steel sinks
in residential settings. It is also excellent on chrome plated surfaces. Hard as it might
be to believe, Wenol has found to be indispensable in the maintenance of concern pianos!
While we recognize Wenol as being an outstanding metal polish, some of our customers have
expressed a preference for
PIKAL® metal paste.
We have found the PIKAL polish to be a bit more easy to remove from surfaces, especially those
going into UHV environments. The grain size of the abrasive particles is a bit smaller and
seems to be a bit more gentle to a delicate surface.
Getting the very last molecular layers off of a freshly polished surface is not always easy,
complicated in part because the measurement of such residues, if indeed present, are so difficult
and costly to actually measure. Although there are those who would use acetone or some other
(dangerous to one's health) organic solvent to remove any last residues, we recommend the use
of
Asahiklin® AK-225 Light Duty Degreaser.
This degreaser is just as effective as the best organic solvent for the removal of Wenol but it is far less
toxic to the person doing the cleaning such any vapors be inhaled.
While the tendency might be for a low volume user, such as one running an electron microscope
laboratory, to purchase in the 1000 gram can, we would advise against doing that. After a few
times of removing the cover of the can, the more volatile components start to evaporate,
leaving a heavier-than-desired concentration of the polishing media, something that could
adversely effect the surface characteristics of the parts being cleaned. So for low volume
applications, such as in an electron microscope laboratory, we would strongly recommend
using only the product packaged in squeeze tubes, and not the can.
For higher volume applications, such as in commercial kitchens, where larger quantities are
used at one time, the purchase of the product in the can instead of the tube would represent
a more economical approach. But however you decide to make your purchase, we are happy to
have you as our customer!
Wenol metal polishes
Storage conditions:
Room temperature
Non-hazardous from stand point of shipping
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