[clayfoushee]

Jeff,

Never used stainless, but I would imagine that the shiny coatings you are seeing are Jet Hot ceramic coated silver. There are also a number of shops around the country that do the ceramic coatings. The ceramic coating can tolerate the heat without changing color. You can also use a good metal or aluminum polish to keep them shiny.

My guess is that uncoated stainless would change color given the heat those pipes are exposed to.