Has anyone tried something like this for polishing stainless steel?

[Shrew]

I've diamond edged bevel grinders and fairly large set of polishing disks that I use on an an angle grinder. I've used them for beveling and polishing marble used in wall caps, window sills. The polishing disks vary in grit.

I've also used cut off wheels. I'm not sure I'm clear on the problems being described here. The tool is manageable. I don't see an issue with what the OP is considering.

[Seaward22]

Sorry for the duplicate posts. This is some of the stainless fabrication I’ve done with hand tools and elbow grease. The pivot cap on the kickstand was with 400->1500 wet and dry at 90 degree angles finished with 3M rubbing compound. The flamed fork covers and the unfinished flame plate on the ground. Also did a SS tube with a near mirror finish on my tiller, put a picture of that on my random photo album next time the winds are up.

[s/v Jedi]

Send them to electropolisher then oooh and ahhhh over them when they return

[Tillikum]

If you want to polish, a true mirror polish will resist tarnishing and oxidization best of all. If you can stand the reflections on sunny days.

Get some sewn cotton buffs and three or four grits of polishing compound and wait for a windy day to carry away all the cotton dust you will otherwise be inhaling.

Almost every surface you will be polishing on stanchions and rails is a small diameter round in section, so a basically flat buffing disk used on its sides as in a conventional autobody buffer is either going to be turning and polishing slowly, or will risk producing flats and gouges due to the inherently small contact area and the resulting higher pressure.

A stack of 4-6 loose-sewn cotton buffs used edge-on will be much less likely to do damage and will cut (polish) faster and better and at lower speeds than an autobody buffer.

You can drive that stack with a right angle drill or a flexible drive unit, if you can find one in the back corner of the boat yard somewhere - they're ancient antiques now.

But I suspect the best and fastest method is going to be one where you are wrapping what amounts to a polishing belt around three "sides" of the rail or stanchion and driving the belt at relatively low speed either with your arms or someone else's. In olden days they would have used a leather belt impregnated with whatever grit was desired. Now a paste polish would probably adhere best.

The closest I'm aware of now is emery cloth which be purchased in rolls. If you wanted to get clever you could buy some of the special tape made for joining sanding belts and drive them with a rubber sanding drum mandrel chucked in your right hand drill. A little water lubrication would probably be a good idea as well.

This is why such polishing is typically done before the said tube is made into something.


As for the old boy with "Mr. Friendly" in post #4, the larger the diameter of the blade the greater the inertia once it is up to speed. Anyone who has used a 10" disc on a big angle grinder will notice the effect. Same basic function as a gyroscope. That said, if you overcome the inertia or catch the edge, things can get interesting quickly! Then you need a grip like an old shipwright and to be applying same BEFORE required as you don't drop something like that in a fright unless you can run faster than it can.

[kubota]

with apologies to the "safe" crowd,
been polishing stainless like this for over 20yrs.
still own all fingers.
just cant carry everything on a cruising boat so
an angle grinder wears many hats.

however!!!
use very light pressure and keep moving.
the high speed will heat the metal and cause precipitation which will cause more rust than it cites.

and
use polish.
use a white brick of solid metal polish. not green or brown.
looks like c4.
keep the pad slick by pressing in brick.
this is for polishing, not scratch removal.
you can permanently damage the stainless.

that said, it works better than any portable solution i have ever found.

[jimellifritt]

Originally Posted by GILow

This one popped up on my facebook feed, and it caught my eye as I have some stainless steel bar to be polished for my chainplates.

Has anyone tried something like this with their angle grinder? I don’t own a bench grinder and would like to remain this way, but I do have a good quality angle grinder.

https://www.nismoon.com/products/woo...ing-wheel-disc

Matt

Yep I have it. Need rouge to polish. Varaiable speed is best. Use it on flat and large round, would not use on 1 inch or less.

[Nicholson58]

I have used a DA-Orbital with successively finer disks. 600 will give a ‘butler polish’. You can get Scotch Brite polishing disks for your right angle grinder.

[skipgundlach]

My anchor roller system (large plates from hull forward, reinforcing center yielding 2 rollers and a substantial cage) came in a brush finish.

I used a hard sewn cotton wheel and rouge, both white and red, to turn that fixture brilliant, on a simple, cheap, Harbor Freight 4.5" grinder. Starting at 10", I changed media when it got to about 3.5" in diameter. But the anchor roller and cage were brilliant when I finished.

I'm having some challenges with pix so I apologize for a following pic post...

[skipgundlach]

Originally Posted by skipgundlach

I'm having some challenges with pix so I apologize for a following pic post...

clip; here they are...

[Seaward22]

As promised, doing my once a year “if it needs it or not” brightwork. Here’s the near mirror finish I put on my tiller brace from SS I got from the local scrap yard and welded into a box for about $10.00.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by skipgundlach

clip; here they are...

I have used cloth wheels with aluminum polishing compound. I think your rouge is the way to go

[Joli]

I have multiple grinders from lots of makers, this is my absolute favorite and go to grinder. If I could only have one grinder, this is it

https://www.makitatools.com/products/details/9564CV

[Joli]

Best 7" polisher by far....Makita 9227c with the D handle.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Joli

I have multiple grinders from lots of makers, this is my absolute favorite and go to grinder. If I could only have one grinder, this is it

https://www.makitatools.com/products/details/9564CV

Originally Posted by Joli

Best 7" polisher by far....Makita 9227c with the D handle.

I have the 4542 grinder with the annoying switch but otherwise almost the same. I think it used to be the lightest in the world

Also, I have the same polisher, for which we got the sanding discs as well

[Mickeyrouse]

I have tried just about everything for polishing, including everything mentioned above. For final results and cleanliness I use hook-and-loop polishing pads. They are available in grits from 500 to 4000, from Festool and the slightly less expensive Mirka Abralon. A lot of custom paint and body shops use them for mirror finishes on paint. Not only do they provide amazing results on stainless, chrome, aluminum, etc., but if you’re wanting a Steinway piano finish on varnished surfaces I have found no better way. And I’ve tried a lot of ways on varnish as well.