All of the armor is cold cast fiberglass. I finish out the armor by sanding it smooth and shiny and then use Mother's or Maquire's metal polish. After I got it as shiny as I could, then I weather it with acrylic craft paint. I use black, burnt umber, and a light grey to do the weathering.
In your question about "silver polish" are you referring to Rub n Buff? I use R+B on many things and I have never had it rub off to any extent.