Polishing oils are used to lubricate the metal as it is polished
by a very fine grit wheel or cotton with embedded compound wheel.
It is used most in mass production where the polishing of something
such as a saw blade happens very quickly creating a lot of heat.
The lubricant removes heat and prevents removing the temper of the
hardened steel.
It is also used in consumer metal polishing compounds and wax
such as aluminum polish, brass polish, silver polish and so on to
prevent rust and oxidation staining and protect the metal from
oxygen.