polish

adj. from Poland (country in eastern Europe); of Poland

n. Indo-European language spoken by residents of Poland

n. substance used to shine; scouring, shining

v. shine, make glossy; brush, buff; refine, improve manners or style, polish up; take off outer layers of rice by spinning the grain in a drum

Polish (when pronounced /ˈpoʊːlɪʃ/ or /ˈpəʊːlɪʃ/) may refer to:Poland, a country in Central EuropePolish language, the official language of PolandPoles, a western Slavic people inhabiting the country of PolandPolish notation, a form of notation for logic, arithmetic, and algebrapolish (when pronounced /ˈpɒlɪʃ/ or /ˈpɑlɪʃ/) may refer to:Polishing, the process of creating a smooth and shiny surface by using rubbing or a chemical actionNail polish, a cosmetic lacquer that is applied to the nailsShoe polish, used to shine, waterproof, and restore the appearance of leather shoes or boots
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Noun
1. the Slavic language of Poland
(hypernym) Slavic, Slavic language, Slavonic, Slavonic language
Adjective
1. of or relating to Poland or its people or culture; "Polish sausage"
(pertainym) Poland, Republic of Poland, Polska

Noun
1. the property of being smooth and shiny
(synonym) gloss, glossiness, burnish
(hypernym) radiance, radiancy, shine, effulgence, refulgence, refulgency
(hyponym) French polish
(derivation) smooth, smoothen, shine
2. a highly developed state of perfection; having a flawless or impeccable quality; "they performed with great polish"; "I admired the exquisite refinement of his prose"; "almost an inspiration which gives to all work that finish which is almost art"--Joseph Conrad
(synonym) refinement, culture, cultivation, finish
(hypernym) perfection, flawlessness, ne plus ultra
(derivation) refine, fine-tune, down
3. a preparation used in polishing
(hypernym) formulation, preparation
(hyponym) shoe polish, blacking
(derivation) smooth, smoothen, shine
Verb
1. (of surfaces) make shine; "shine the silver, please"; "polish my shoes"
(synonym) smooth, smoothen, shine
(hypernym) beautify, embellish, prettify
(hyponym) Simonize, Simonise
(entail) rub
2. improve or perfect by pruning or polishing; "refine one's style of writing"
(synonym) refine, fine-tune, down
(hypernym) better, improve, amend, ameliorate, meliorate
(hyponym) overrefine, over-refine
(derivation) refinement, culture, cultivation, finish
3. bring to a highly developed, finished, or refined state; "polish your social manners"
(synonym) round, round off, polish up, brush up
(hypernym) perfect, hone
(derivation) refinement, culture, cultivation, finish

(v. t.)
To make smooth and glossy, usually by friction; to burnish; to overspread with luster; as, to polish glass, marble, metals, etc.
  

(v. t.)
Hence, to refine; to wear off the rudeness, coarseness, or rusticity of; to make elegant and polite; as, to polish life or manners.
  

(v. i.)
To become smooth, as from friction; to receive a gloss; to take a smooth and glossy surface; as, steel polishes well.
  

(n.)
The language of the Poles.
  

(n.)
Fig.: Refinement; elegance of manners.
  

(n.)
Anything used to produce a gloss.
  

(n.)
A smooth, glossy surface, usually produced by friction; a gloss or luster.
  

(a.)
Of or pertaining to Poland or its inhabitants.
  

We have only a few examples of how armour was finished during this period. Generally, it appears as a satin brushed finish, something you might achieve with thousand-grit sandpaper. Other sources speak of highly polished armour, "that glints in the sun." Still other armour was painted . The reason for this polish is that it resists rust , and that it imparts a glory to the pieces rarely seen in the modern world. It evokes the image of the "knight in shining armour," connecting the combatant with the romantic history that feeds tournament reenactments.
To achieve this finish now, a belt sander with a 2" x 72" belt is the best thing I have seen, followed with a polishing wheel of 80 grit to a high stainless polish.

We have found that the absolutely best thing is a microcrystalline wax, sold to museums and to furniture restorers as Renaissance Wax. Happich Simichrome is useful for removing light rust and cleaning the metal prior to the waxing (motorcycle shops often have it). Keep all pieces separated in their own bags (pillowcases work well), since scratching wears pieces more definitely than does moisture. Lastly, polish from time to time bringing the polish back up to a high gloss using a buffing wheel and greaseless compound.

Most period armour was maintained by squires or grooms who would go over the surfaces with a brush. More extensive work was probably done at a guildhall, where waterwheels could be used and coated with fine sand to act as sandpaper. Similar wheels covered in leather and painted with various compounds could easily polish armour in the same way that we can do now, but at a much slower pace.Mail was often placed into drums and dragged or turned, tumbling it with sand and vinegar to remove the rust. I can find no authentic references to the use of wax or oil in the care of pieces.