Polishing A plate lamellar

[Smite Evil]

I have unlaced my lamellar and I would like to clean/polish it before lacing it again. Any thoughts/tricks to make this process easier? The material is titanium if that matters.

[Sean Powell]

Ideally tumbling in sand and then corn-cob or walnut hulls is probably easiest if you have access to the right equipment. You can go the industrial route or you can throw them in a barrel with playground sand in your trunk and drive to and from work for a few days. I wouldn't suggest putting them in a heavy sack of sand and into a dryer unless you hate your wife or are using a dryer you don't own. (any connection with someone who may or may-not have done this to the university dryers is unfounded)

Sean

[Smite Evil]

What will the result of this process be? Is it primarily for cleaning, or will this add a polished/shiny look? Right now my plates are dull grey and they seem to shed black dust on my hands while I work I would be happy enough if they where just cleaned with it so I will try this. Probably large coffee can duck taped closed and rolling around in my truck bed.

I am thinking what 100 plates at a time? maybe 3/4 fill of sand?

thanks

[Konstantin the Red]

Ti is always going to be more or less model-airplane gray -- a little lighter or a little darker. Particularly if you use fine sand to tumble.

Polish-tumbling usually means things like rouge, borne by crushed walnut shell media.

[bsrlee]

Almond 'shells' crushed up were (and possibly still are) used to polish turbine blades in naval power plants because they don't wear away metal significantly but do remove the various oxides. I suspect crushed walnut shells would do much the same.

People who do bulk reloading for modern firearms use vibrating drums filled with 'special media' (which I suspect is just crushed nut shells and a lot of hand-wavium to justify the price) to clean and polish their brass casings & it works well, it just takes a lot of time.

[WaaaghBoss]

Almond 'shells' crushed up were (and possibly still are) used to polish turbine blades in naval power plants because they don't wear away metal significantly but do remove the various oxides. I suspect crushed walnut shells would do much the same.

People who do bulk reloading for modern firearms use vibrating drums filled with 'special media' (which I suspect is just crushed nut shells and a lot of hand-wavium to justify the price) to clean and polish their brass casings & it works well, it just takes a lot of time.

I have a brass tumbler and use it to polish small bits of armor as well as small automotive parts and nuts/bolts when restoring cars.