Cleaning up old Craftsman Table saw: question

[Franklin Scott]

I hope this isn't too off topic. Mods please let me know or move if necessary.

I bought a 78' Craftsman contractor's saw a few weeks ago to restore and use. The saw disassembling and cleaning up of the mechanical parts is done and now I am on to assembling and cosmetic details.

Pic for those who are interested:

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii112/BillZBub68/20150621_081740_zps7zbn7ahp.jpg (http://s262.photobucket.com/user/BillZBub68/media/20150621_081740_zps7zbn7ahp.jpg.html)



I decided to paint the case and took off the front logo plate. Now the case looks great but the front plate has some corrosion on it and I can't quite tell if it's rust or not. Firstly, I'm not sure if it is steel or aluminum. I'll have to put a magnet on it next time I'm out. Anyway, 0000 steel wool isn't taking off the spots and its even dulling the finish. If it's rust, I might get away with soaking it in a rust remover but I don't want to ruin the graphics. Maybe a polishing pad on a buffer?
Has anyone dealt with this issue when restoring their Craftsman Saw?

UPDATE: It appears to be aluminum. I'll have to check out some aluminum polishers that hopefully won't mess up the graphics. Any input would be helpful.

Pics:

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii112/BillZBub68/20150621_081811_zpsam3qzlo5.jpg (http://s262.photobucket.com/user/BillZBub68/media/20150621_081811_zpsam3qzlo5.jpg.html)

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii112/BillZBub68/20150621_081819_zpsubiimtkk.jpg (http://s262.photobucket.com/user/BillZBub68/media/20150621_081819_zpsubiimtkk.jpg.html)

[mark kosse]

howdy frank, those corrosion spots aren't going way without sanding them off. boeshield will lessen noticing them some and protect from future corrosion but only sanding will make them disappear.

[Lee Schierer]

Your front plate is definitely aluminum. You might be able to clean them up with some buffing.