Is it ok to buff gears for shine?

Once the gears are cleaned and oil free they are, of course, shinier than when they came out of their hundred year old grime, but they don't look like new. Is it ok to buff them? Or use a 0000 steel wool or 3000 grit sandpaper? I ask because I've restored old tools using those and really brought them back to life. I don't want to damage a gear just to make it prettier so I'll wait for advice.

I've done that and see no problem, nor have I incurred any problems from doing so.