Once your surface is adequately prepared, you can set yourself up for polishing. With patience and attention to detail, you can create a chrome-like shine, making this process perfect for automotive work.įor this finish, it is even more essential to ensure you’ve gotten rid of all scratches and defects as they will stand out even more on the finished product. The polishing smooths out crevices where rust particles collect and take hold. Unlike the brushed finish, a gloss finish actually improves the corrosion resistance of the stainless steel. It’s also great for masking the after-effects of welding. This creates that shiny look we humans are so drawn to while, as a bonus, making cleaning easier. Mirror finishes are highly reflective and created by continuing the progression of finer abrasives and adding in a polishing compound. You’ll want to work with a high quality abrasive and set your machinery up so you can create uniformity with the lines. If you live close to the beach, it may be worth investing in a rust-proofing option suited to your project. Keep in mind, this finish does reduce the corrosion resistance of the stainless steel. It’s often used for kitchen appliances because no-one likes being blinded when they’re just trying to make their morning cup of coffee. It creates decorative appeal without reflectiveness, making it great for surfaces that will be exposed to a lot of sunlight or bright indoor lights. Brushed finishīrushing the stainless steel produces a pattern of light, parallel lines. From here, you can continue the polishing process to create more visually appealing looks. It gives you a smooth, less pitted surface and is great for practical applications. This is the pre-polished look that you’ll get after using the finest grain abrasive. It’s inexpensive, less time-consuming and great for surfaces that don’t need to be overly attractive (think kitchen sinks and metal work benches). Otherwise known as a matte finish, the milled look is pretty bare-bones. Getting a fine bit of metal stuck in your eye is not fun, especially since your salty tears create the perfect conditions for rust to form around the metal (not kidding, you can get rust in your eyeball). There’s also a range of machines that can completely automate the process.Ī quick note on safety: make sure you wear goggles when working with metal, particularly while operating machinery. Larger projects may require a grinder with polishing wheel. For smaller jobs, you can use a drill or dremel with polishing attachments.
The machinery you choose will depend on the nature of your project.
Work sav r stainless steel polish professional#
To get a professional finish on your stainless steel, it’s important to use equipment that maintains constant speed and abrasives that can maintain their grit for an extended period. If there are scratches to remove, you can use sandpaper, gradually progressing from coarse to finer grit until you have a smooth, uniform surface. If you’re working on an automotive project and have bitumen spots on the steel, kerosene does a brilliant job of dissolving the tar with minimal effort required. If the steel is scratched or dented, you’ll need to prepare it before polishing so you don’t end up with a shiny surface beautifully highlighting all the imperfections.įirst things first, make sure the surface has been thoroughly cleaned.
The tools and techniques you use are going to depend on the size of your project, the initial condition of the steel and the end result you’re looking for.
The process for polishing stainless steel does vary from that of aluminium, so we’ve broken it down for you in this easy to follow guide. Whether you’re restoring a beautiful vintage car, doing home renovations or shining up an antique, there are some basic guidelines you need to follow in order to get the best results for your project. Nowadays, with water literally on tap, our deeply-rooted reflection-obsession manifests itself in our love of glossed up metal. An evolutionary artefact from a time when the glimmer of water was a beacon of survival.
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