[Ray in La Mesa]

Polishing the cowl band is a real challenge. I took a piece of 1/2" ply wood,1/2 a 4'X8' sheet, traced the inside of the band and cut to fit. Then tapered the edges to fit inside the band and,screwed angle brackets on the bottom corners to run the long bolts through.
Then I cut the center of the plywood out leaving a 5" wide strip with the band mounted on the outside, like a giant horseshoe. This gives you a stable jig to hold while buffing so the tendency of the buffer to grab and throw is greatly reduced. Good luck.