Cleaning Aluminium Plate Surface - what abrasive?

[FASTdan]

So making aluminium inlets I obviously have a range of waterjet cut plate profiles. The plate comes as you'd expect - generally with a smooth but dull finish. Now I 'could' get away with welding straight to this but I like to clean prior to welding for both welding and cosmetic reasons.

I started out using a stainless cup brush to clean only around each manifold port area (so local to where will be welded) on the surface of the plate. This is quick and from a welding perspective fine, but aesthetically the plate is left 'brushed' in the weld surrounding area and still dull everywhere else.

So then I played with rotary flap wheels in a cordless - big'ish ones, about 70mm diameter with emery/scotch mix, I'm not sure of the proper name for these. This gives a brushed finish and for the first couple of plates is quick and gives a nice even result. But they soon wear and become very ineffective leaving a non-uniform half brushed mess!

What other options do I have for something reasonably quick and easy to prep the whole surface evenly? I'm not looking for super smooth, just a bright even finish that doesn't require loads of elbow grease with scotchbrite after welding etc.

I do have a linisher but that is usually fitted with a 40 grit belt and seems a bit OTT for what I'm aiming for.

Thinking maybe orbital sander with correct pads?

 

[hillbilly234]

wire wool.

 

[FASTdan]

wire wool.

With the plate being profiled (large holes in it etc resulting in lots of stubbed fingers) and me doing 5-6 of these at a time manually wire wooling is out of the question. Thinking more power tool based.

I'm sure I've seen fabricators in workshops (old places of work) using a large drum type thing mounted in a drill, but I have no idea what these are or would be called....

 

[hillbilly234]

I ment something like a da sander(rubber)with a piece of wire wool under,very good device.

 

[pedrobedro]

Polishing mop or a buffing wheel ?

 

[rtbcomp]

Bead blasting?

 

[hotrodder]

SCM (surface conditioning material/media) abrasives, basically scotchbrite for powertools. Available as flap discs, discs for use with a nylon backing pad, pads for use with a holder like the 3m roloc system for example, belts (from powerfile to proper big sizes) and as sleeves for sanding drums

If i remember i'll take a pic tomorrow of a water cut edge on ally before and after tickling with an scm flap disc for a few secs

 

[bigbadbugga]

SCM (surface conditioning material/media) abrasives, basically scotchbrite for powertools. Available as flap discs, discs for use with a nylon backing pad, pads for use with a holder like the 3m roloc system for example, belts (from powerfile to proper big sizes) and as sleeves for sanding drums

If i remember i'll take a pic tomorrow of a water cut edge on ally before and after tickling with an scm flap disc for a few secs

Like these?

http://www.weldequip.com/polishing-flap-discs-115mm.htm

They are what I'd use.

 

[MattF]

wire wool.

Usually something to avoid using on aluminium. It has a bad tendency to embed particles of iron in the aluminium, hence leading to the possibility of rusty looking aluminium.