Polishing steel

Raibeart · Post by **Raibeart** » Sun Jun 10, 2001 9:27 pm

Greetings All,

I started polishing my gauntlets this weekend using a soft buffing wheel mounted on a drill press and some fine jewlers compound. You can see the results here:

http://home1.gte.net/res031er/myarmour.htm

Although it looks ok in the picture, the polished gaunt still has some rough spots. It also took quite a bit of polishing to get it looking that good. I would like this process to be faster with better results. What would you all suggest? Stiffer wheel? A courser polishing compound. Faster tool for turning the wheel?

I also have some SS plates I've cut for my splinted arms. I used a grinder to clean up my somewhat uneven cut. Unfortunately This left some nasty burrs overhanging the edge of the plate. I have a feeling that I may be using too hard grinding wheel and it may be turning too fast. Any ideas here?

Dragon · Post by **Dragon** » Sun Jun 10, 2001 10:38 pm

I'll let more experienced voices answer the buffing question. Regarding the burrs, I use a 5" sanding pad on my drill. I usually use 100 or 120 grit sheets. First pass is 45 degrees to remove the burrs on both sides, then a pass along the edge to remove the course grinding marks. Then I gently roll the edge being careful not to roll it directly into the direction the drill is rotating. I'm kind of anal about my edge work, its all good enough to let my 3 year old son to play with, with no fears of him scratching himself, if its good enough for that, it ain't likely to hurt me or my friends.....

albatros · Post by **albatros** » Mon Jun 11, 2001 7:38 am

Ok for a better and faster shine try putting an 8" buffing wheel on one side of your grinder with the guards removed. You can press harder to get the deep shine the press lighter to really make it spiff, then hand polish with a soft cloth. Sanding pads work well for removing the burrs, I use an air sander with 120 grit pads, I remove the heavy scratches first, then switch to 180 grit, then finally to about 220 grit before heading to the buffing pad. Sanding pads on drills are to slow for my taste(air tools rock!) you could also use a file to remove those rough edges. I actually try to round the edges with the sanding pads.

I hope this helps!

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Conrad the Mad

Mad Matt · Post by **Mad Matt** » Mon Jun 11, 2001 11:00 am

No wonder it took you a long time drill presses are slow. They're supposed to be slow.

You want to be somewhere around 3500 rpm with a buffing wheel. Which is what a bench grinder runs at roughly. So take apart a bench grinder and remove the guards and put on buffing wheels. Then be VERY VERY carefull and wear safety equipment and don't wear gloves.

Cleaning burrs use hand files using a machine tends to end up missing something if you're not carefull. Plus files are cheap.

Use different buffing compounds start with coarse and work your way up. BUT use only one type of compound on a buffing wheel. Ie. you've got a seperate buffing wheel for each different compound.

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The budding mid 14th century German Transitional guy.
Mad Matt's Armory

sedric · Post by **sedric** » Mon Jun 11, 2001 4:42 pm

I use a rubber disk attached to my drill press. A 120 grit disk running at max speed with light to medium pressure.
Then I move to my bench grinder (clean any left over debre left over from the last project) with a scotch-bright EX2 wheel
http://www.mscdirect.com/PDF.process?pdf=969
Till everything is a nice satin finnish. Then I move to a buffing wheel with white compound and then finnish up with green chrome. This gives me a near mirror polish, if I take my time and do a though job at each step.

George · Post by **George** » Mon Jun 11, 2001 4:49 pm

8" buffer with a stif buffing wheel works good,

Grizzly has one on sell right now:

http://www.grizzlyimports.com/fcgi-bin/lookup.fcgi/products/lookup.cfg?q=sub_category&kw=Grinders

George

white mountain armoury · Mon Jun 11, 2001 5:00 pm

for belts i use 80/120/180/220 then switch to a sisal buff with emery rouge, thats where i stop, decent looking shine without realy looking too bright, finnish with never dull and a flannel rag.
i also prefer the slower 1750 rpms

woodwose · Post by **woodwose** » Tue Jun 12, 2001 2:18 am

with belts I go 80, 220, 400 then move to a sisal buffing wheel (prolly the same thing white mountain uses.. is it red?) then sometimes a finer buffing wheel, not sure what kind. also, at the belts and buffing wheels, when I can, I buff/sand in one direction, then when I go to the next belt I'll go in the other direction... if I get the light to shine on it right I can see the scratches from the last belt better that way

white mountain armoury · Tue Jun 12, 2001 6:06 am

yup thats the same way i do it Dweezle.
although i find i get more life out of my 220 belts by only having to take out 180 scratches with them

ToolGoon · Post by **ToolGoon** » Tue Jun 12, 2001 9:07 am

As a precursor to polishing I've doing my sanding by hand. This, as you all know, is tedious work. What kind of belt-sander do you guys use? I'm thinking of getting one as my next purchase.

Ben the tool goon

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He who lives by the sword, dies by the crossbow bolt...

Clay · Post by **Clay** » Tue Jun 12, 2001 10:04 am

As far as the burrs go, they're common when you use a bench top grinder or angle grinder on your plate. When I'm using an angle grinder and get those burrs, I just turn the piece I'm working on and run the angle grinder over the burrs lightly to get rid of them.

Raibeart · Post by **Raibeart** » Tue Jun 12, 2001 11:28 pm

Thanks everyone. The local Baron read my post and reminded me that he had a bench grinder with a full array of polishing wheels and compounds. In the space of a couple hours I polished off (pun intended) the other gauntlet and two elbow cops. Thanks Ulrik!

I know what I want for fathers day now

He also has a belt sander AND a drum sander for cleaning up my splints for my arms.