How To: Brushed Stainless Finish

[Jarh73]

Just after some advice from the collective.

I have almost finished the frame for my MIG welding trolley and I have made it out of 1"x1" SS RHS 1.6mm wall.

Aside from a bit of the stainless distortion its going quite well.

As I'm MIG welding the welds are quite nice but not obviously TIG quality so some welds I'm grinding flush.

The RHS has the brushed finish and I would like know how to blend the welded/ground area with the brushed finished.

It need not be perfect just tidied up a bit.

Its not all welds either just a few on the exposed faces majority of the fram will be clad in aluminium tread plate.

I have done a LOT of work polishing stainless in the past and I know how to get a mirror finish but that's a bit excessive for my welding trolley.

The reason I built it out of stainless is simply because I wanted to give the new Kemppi MIG a run and I'm very happy to say the least. The weld penetration is fantastic and gives me excellent confidence to grind welds flush.

Cheers

Justin

[Crunchie]

If you have a buffing machine, there are buffing wheels (mops) that look like a hard plastic scourer that you wash the dishes with. Try Australian Industrial Abrasives :: 3M Roloc system (http://www.australianabrasives.com/3mroloc.htm)

[Corgan]

Hi Justin,

I have some experience with this.

I use pferd surface polishing wheels in p100 or p180 grit (i buy them from tradetools for about 20 bucks each)

they come on a spindle and you just throw them in a drill, and they are basically scotch brite on a wheel.

i grind the welds off with a 120 grit fiber disc, then you have to refine the grind lines with a series of surface polishing discs. i also use pferd surface discs which have velcro backing. i go from the 120 grit fiber disc to a brown pferd disc, then red, then grey and then the wheels.

it helps if you have a speed controlled grinder but you probably know that if you've done lots of stainless polishing.

an easy way to mask areas off, for example if you are blending in a corner and you would like the brushed finish to have a mitered look, is to get a bit of aluminium drinks can, cut a very straight edge and clamp it in place as a mask.

then you can polish one leg of the corner one way, mask off where you want the polish to change direction and go over it the other way, if that makes sense.

here's a pic of some blending done with this procedure:

http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/6571/pb131241.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/192/pb131241.jpg/)

[Corgan]

and here's a link to the product, note this is the pferd usa site. couldnt find an australian site but tradetools definately stock them

PFERD POLINOX™ Mounted Flap Wheels - Mounted Flap Wheels PNL (http://www.pferdusa.com/products/204p/204p01/204p0101P.html)

[malb]

Used to do a lot of this some time ago doing SS furniture. Our standard approach was.

Tig weld and fill with 316 filler rod.
Grind weld with 60 grit flap disk in angle grinder to flatten weld.
Flush and smooth with 80, 120, 240 grit paper on velcro backing disk with angle grinder.
Refinish with a specialist tool like an angle grinder with a long spindle mounting a 125mm (D) x 125mm(W) Scotch wheel similar to the Polinox wheels previously linked. These wheels were available in a range of grades to about 600 grit, we use 240 for general finishing and 400 for fine when required. Basically brushed entire visible structure to finish it without blend marks.

For masking mitres we used appropriately sized triangle plates from 1.6mm SS, with the long side beveled to a fairly sharp edge. Lasted a long time (about 2years commercial finishing) and easy to touch up if wearing unevenly. We also had a specialist 3M ali adhesive tape for masking when the plates weren't practical, but it was single use and expensive.

[Claw Hama]

Back in a past life as a sheet metal worker we used to use a cotton polishing wheel (the type you put on your bench grinder roll the face in contact cement and then roll it in fine abrasive powder (ilmenite) or similar. let dry and put it in a drill, yes speed control is good.

[Jarh73]

Thank you very much people! Very much appreciated!

To Corgan I might add I loved the furniture you made and that's exactly what I had in mind for future projects. Last few years I have been getting into timber and really like to combine metal and timber. Some say that is sacrilege! Well thats what the guy I bought the recycled timber for the giant bed I built said: "you shouldn't combine steel and timber".

Cheers

Justin

[Corgan]

thanks jarh. its good fun and i think stainless and timber go very well together.

malb i like the thin sheet bevelled approach, not really sure why i didnt think of it. i spose i had alot of bundy cans sitting around :U

they work well for probably 1 piece of furniture with full miters before the ali gets sanded unevenly

but i guess on the flip side it just means another bundy can is required

[Claw Hama]

Timber goes with everything!! don't be be put off by fools.