Brushed aluminum finish ideas?

[rottenleonard]

Great Idea on the new forums, So I sell these seats, and do a "brushed finish" by first hand sanding with 150 grit and then going back over it with a red scotchbright pad, anyways my right arm is getting bigger than my left arm and not for the typical reason , I've got to think there is a more automated way to do this, belt sander is not good(balls up and makes a lot more work) Andy Ideas?

Here is the finish on my seats

[metalman4u]

If the parts are still flat, make fixture to hold a DA sander or a drill with a flap wheel and clamp it to the torch mount on your plasma table. Program the pattern you want the finish to look like and let the machine replicate your arm movements. A plasma table is basically a robot. Just change the tool it is holding in its hand. Clamp a plate or board to the top of the grates to hold the parts so they will stay put while they are being sanded. If your machine has a controlled z axis you can program some really interesting patterns...

[tmgnewport]

I use a Metabo SE12-115 burnisher for plate brushing and polishing. It is not a cheap tool and the consumables for it also aren't cheap but it yields excellent results and the savings in labor costs are huge. If you do a lot of metal finishing (brushed or polished) it pays for itself pretty quickly.

[hinesigns]

How do you enter this draw on this forum?

[rottenleonard]

I use a Metabo SE12-115 burnisher for plate brushing and polishing. It is not a cheap tool and the consumables for it also aren't cheap but it yields excellent results and the savings in labor costs are huge. If you do a lot of metal finishing (brushed or polished) it pays for itself pretty quickly.

That looks like the ticket, do the wheels last very long?,

[tmgnewport]

Yup they do. For brushing, I use the 120G trizact belt and then a scotchbrite wheel to soften the grain depending on whether I'm trying to match an existing finish. For polishing, the trizact belts from 120G up to 2000G (6 steps IIRC) then a couple polishing steps. Sounds like a lot of steps, but each one goes pretty quickly. Beats hell out of burning through 6" sticky pads trying to get a fine finish.

[toddr28]

I have a dynabrade with a 4" air tire. We do a lot of typical brushed stainless handrails and such. This would make short work of the aluminum. They are pricey but check Ebay. Definitely worth the money