[Eliot Ness]

I usually use a good metal polish.... I like a brand I pick up at car shows called Satin Gloss, but there are other brands that will work also like Metal Armor or Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish that might be available locally.

Some like Brasso in the metal can, but when they changed the formula due to EPA regulations they ruined it.  You can tell the new formula because it comes in a plastic bottle now.

You have to be very careful when sanding Bakelite because you'll eventually reach a point of no return where you expose the pulpy filler underneath..... kind of like sanding through some thin veneer on a wood cabinet.  I have seen a cabinet wet sanded  using 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 and 3000 grits and followed up with Novus #2 polish that looked very nice.