Polishing Stainless Welds.

seabeagle · Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 12:44 pm Post subject: Polishing Stainless Welds.

I'm working on a rail project and am looking for an easy way to make the welds look like the ones on the bow rail. I can polish the discoloration on the flat surfaces easily but, the weld takes much more work. The project will have a total of 18 welds, 6 base welds and 12 tee welds. What kind of buffing wheel or compound should I use?

SEA3PO · Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 1:26 pm Post subject:

You have a good hand... your welds look really professional...mine look like chewing gum...

What I did was buy a small 1" band sander from Harbor Freight (cheep one) and a mondo buffing machine (also cheep Harbor Freight) ... I sand the weld as smooth as I can...then buff the daylights out of it...using a rough compound then their stainless compound...that makes it look really nice... not as nice as factory welds but very acceptable.. I think that buffing machine was under a hundred...and the hand held belt sander something like $30....

Joel
SEA3PO

marvin4239 · Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 1:32 pm Post subject:

I'd use a STAINLESS wire buffing wheel and it you really want a nice job buff them with white buffing compound and a buffing pad.

seabeagle · Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 1:35 pm Post subject:

tsturm · Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 1:39 pm Post subject:

Use less heat & less fill. ( full-penn not required Wink

)
I would get out the flapper wheel with 220-320grit & clean thoes up. Then polish with a felt bob & finer & finer compound till you get where you like it ! Mr. Green

Doryman · Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 1:52 pm Post subject:

Ask Joe (of R-Matey). He and Ruth ran a polishing business for many years and know everything there is to know about it. You should see the polished fire hydrants and other objects in their immaculate garage!

Warren

seabeagle · Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 1:57 pm Post subject:

I'd gladly make them a warm hearty meal of Hamburger Helper if he would come to frosty Michigan with some tools. Wink

boscoj · Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 2:58 am Post subject: well that's a tough join . . .

well that's a tough join . . .

I guess this is a base/mount weld. Difficult due to the different mass in each donor. I would have turned the mount down so there was better heat transfer.

Now that it's joined I guess you can't put it on a lathe.

I would run the tip around again to pretty it up.

Or run the tip on the fat part to take the edge off and re-flow the existing weld.

Then a stainless brush with some compoud