Polishing stainless steel

[machurley22]

A sailing/engineering mate has just delivered my new stainless steel mast support. It's matt finish and although I hadn't been going to bother originally, he's made such a great job that I feel I should finish it off properly by polishing it. How would you do it?

Dave

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[kireonriley]

dont,polishin stainless is hard work you need a burnishing atatchment to fit on to youre drill and you will need some polishing soap and then hard work you will need a mask as it also a filthy job then dont even touch it ore you will mark it you can however get a nice finish by getting hold off some red 3m,s rubbing padfs (something like pan scourers but harder wearing)and rub or polish if ypou like untill you get a brighter aphearence this is a much more servicable finish than a full polshed finish DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE USE A WIRE BRUSH OR WIRE WOOL result will be desasterous kieron

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[ongolo]

I dont know how gib the item is, but the right hing to do is always electro polishing.
Lesser components of the alloy are leached out resulting in a higher concentration of chromium on the surface making it more corrosion resistant and looking real good.

Electro plating is exactly the oposite as electro plating.

reards ongolo

<hr width=100% size=1>1000 dream about it, 100 talk about it, 10 start and 1 completes it

 

[ongolo]

I dont know how gib the item is, but the right hing to do is always electro polishing.
Lesser components of the alloy are leached out resulting in a higher concentration of chromium on the surface making it more corrosion resistant and looking real good.

Electro polishing is exactly the oposite as electro plating.

reards ongolo

<hr width=100% size=1>1000 dream about it, 100 talk about it, 10 start and 1 completes it

 

[charles_reed]

Jeweller\'s rouge

and a buffing pad on an electric drill at high speed. It takes quite some time

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[Anchorite]

Re: The passive option

Stainless welds should be passivated, especially for marine use: this involves applying a thin paste (basic ingredient 22% nitric acid) and washing it off after an hour. This leaves a dull-ish sheen, by no means a polish but perfectly acceptable for this kind of fitting. Perhaps your fabricator has already done this? If he works regularly in stainless he will know where to get the goo - I've seen it in small jars in chandlers, I think Wichards - the s/s fittings company - do it. And no, it won't harm your fitting (quite the opposite).

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