Uniform finish on stainless sheet?

[astro_al]

Hi guys, simple one this time.

How do you get a uniform finish on a stainless sheet after welding / bending / whatever. Assuming you can't just keep the plastic sheet on it and leave the finish untouched beneath. What then?

I can get a nice finish with various rotating bits and bobs from the usual suppliers, but I've yet to find something that you can't see your 'strokes' of movement across the sheet as you polish it with.

Any inputs for a totally uniform finish - like for example a stainless table top with no variation.

Cheers, Al.

 

[fingers99]

Tricky -- you want something like a polished finish?

I'd use all the usual bits and bobs and then wet or dry in increasing grades up to 1200 or so, used slightly wet, in a palm sander. Then polish (solvol, etc.). But you'll cetainly know you've done it.

I'm going to have a similar challenge when it comes to repairing the front of a chargrill that someone put a cold chisel through so he could get to a gas valve ("I couldn't work out how to take it apart...........")

 

[drivewasher]

My mate had a ss backsplash fitted in his butty shop. The fitter just polished it with a kinda cloth buffer on an angle grinder but applied it hard in dabs along and down evenly. It gave a really nice finish, but obviously it wasn't a mirror type finish. (do they call that linishing?)

It did hide all the little marks and scuffs though

 

[Hitch]

Been doing some work in a big SS fabrication place today, happen to be in the polishing/ finishing bay....

For even satin finish, they appear to use scotchbrite wheels, then a very dangerous looking tool, short nylon bristles, interleaved with very long flaps of abrasive, like emery cloth. Seems the long flaps virtually eliminate any chance of digging in.


Otherwise a scothbrite wheel(not disc) used carefully shouldn't prove troublesome, a few rubs along the direction of travel with a scothbrite pad by hand should even out any difference.

Trick is keeping the abrasive nice and flat, so one edge doesnt work harder than the other. If its a brand new wheel, just take off the corners slightly before attacking the piece.

 

[Weldingartisan]

If it's a grained polish to restore/refinish over a small area, try Garryson blocks. They're an abrasive rubber compound available in different grades. The 'blue' grade is a good match for commercially polished 240grain sheet/tube. W/A