Simichrome Polish Tin, 8.82 oz (250 g)

Some jobs are measured in square feet. Chrome wheels on a fifty-year-old road bike. Brass rails on a staircase. A whole cabinet of candlesticks, a gun rack of blued steel that has started to freckle with rust. For those, open the tin and fold a cloth into a pad.

Dip the pad, work a section in circles until the cloth darkens and the shine comes through, then buff with a clean face of the cloth. On deeper oxidation, a soft toothbrush pushes the paste into knurling, engraving and the corners a cloth cannot reach.

The tin has a press-fit lid, like a small paint can. Pry it with a flat blade, and when you are finished, set the lid and press it home firmly all the way around so the paste stays soft for the next job. Keep it somewhere cool, and it will see you through a long restoration.