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Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
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for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Polishing large (4 ft dia.) SS 304 spherical surfaces
We are a metal fabrication sculpture company, and have been very successful in producing high polished SS 304 spheres up to 48" in diameter, and even though we can produce larger, we are having problems with final surface finish, as swirls are always there, distorting from the beauty of the sculpture. Can anyone advise products, equipment, methods?
manufacturer - Apple Valley, California
March 22, 2010
March 25, 2010
There are no secrets. Just observe the following points:
1. Absolute cleanness of the area and work, specially when a change to a finer mesh or particle size is taken. Remember all you need to scratch a surface and ruin a previous step is ONE SINGLE larger particle. It can come from air dust, neighbour grinding operations, dirty clothes, hair, hands, rags, etc.
2. Use only abrasives of premium quality (particle size uniformity).
3. Cross direction every time a finer abrasive is used. This lets the operator make sure there are no deeper scratches behind before going to the next step. It may be difficult when rotary equipment is used but is not impossible.
4. Do not rush. A superior finish takes lots of time.
Monterrey, NL, Mexico
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