A nice shiny enclosure. But how?

Started by asfastasdark, October 17, 2008, 08:35:27 PM

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asfastasdark

I have an enclosure here and the idea is to sand it till it's shiny (I think it's referred to as buffed by the way), and I don't know how I should do this. I currently have 100c grit sandpaper, but I can buy different grits if needed. Could someone explain how to sand this/what grits, and also if wet-sanding is involved, how I would go about doing that?

The French connection

Hi! the picture are'nt there anymore but i remember that it was shiny as a mercury mirror...

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=46185.0

Dan
I know, but the pedal i built does not boost...it just increases volume!
My picture files:
http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/French+connection/
http://s193.photobucket.com/albums/z4/letournd/Pedal/

nosamiam

Do a Google search for "polish aluminum." You'll get TONS of valuable hits. It requires a little cash outlay. Maybe not much, depending on what you already have.

R.G.

Find and read about how to paint and polish a car, or just "metal polishing".

What you do is to sand with some grade of coarse sand paper until tool marks are gone and all you have are the scratches from the sandpaper left. 100C will do nicely for that.

Then you sand with finer sand paper until only the scratches from the finer sandpaper remain.
Then you sand with finer yet sandpaper until only the scratches from the finer-yet sandpaper remain.
Repeat until you can't see scratches from the sandpaper at all.

A good progression is 100 - 150 -220- 300 - 400 -  800 or 1000, then perhaps 1200. At that point you can go to a buffing wheel charged with polishing compound or automotive rubbing compound. All sanding over 220 or so should be wet.
R.G.

In response to the questions in the forum - PCB Layout for Musical Effects is available from The Book Patch. Search "PCB Layout" and it ought to appear.

asfastasdark


frank_p


Emery paper that is made for that, lukewarm water and a drop of soap for dishes.


smallbearelec


cheeb

Quote from: frank_p on October 17, 2008, 10:59:16 PM

Emery paper that is made for that, lukewarm water and a drop of soap for dishes.



Haha I wetsand with spit. Little more lubricant than water.

sean k

This might sound lazy but to save alot of time I'd usually polish something with red jewellers rouge on a cloth wheel in the drill straight away, then wipe it down with alcohol or turps, to expose any deep scratches straight away. Most surfaces are usually quite clean so I find the method of starting at 100 and working up just involves too much work getting rid of the scratches you actually make with course grits.

If I've got deep scratches after an intial polish I'll work them with 220 grit, then 400 and then straight to polishing again. An intermediate stage could be with fine valve grinding paste. I also tend to work to how bright I can get the hardest parts to polish, like indents etc 'cause it'll look worse if everything super bright except the bits that are hard to get at.

But these days I'm actually more a fan of scrubbed metal using a steelo pad or even wire brushes on a drill 'cause real shiny surfaces are damn hard to coat with anything that'll actually stay on it 'cause the nature of polishing makes it so smooth most clears can't key into anything.
Monkey see, monkey do.
Http://artyone.bolgtown.co.nz/

Mark Hammer

There's shiny (which you can achieve with polish), and there's smooth (which needs the multi-step sanding process).  If you have smooth AND shiny, then you have a "mirror-like" finish.  Some folks may find that "reasonably" smooth and very shiny is enough for them.

frank_p

Quote from: sean k on October 18, 2008, 05:41:41 AM
But these days I'm actually more a fan of scrubbed metal using ...  wire brushes on a drill ...

The best drills to do that is the cheap drill that don't turn too fast.  When working, I had a discussion with a guy that was making all sort of brushed finishes for industrial equipment and home decoration.  He told me that he tried many sort of expensive drill until he found that the cheep ones were great for that application because of the relatively slow speed they had.


Quote from: cheeb on October 18, 2008, 01:51:27 AM
Quote from: frank_p on October 17, 2008, 10:59:16 PM
Emery paper that is made for that, lukewarm water and a drop of soap for dishes.
Haha I wetsand with spit. Little more lubricant than water.

Do you sell those enclosures ? : "Hand made and buffed with genuine original saliva"
You must be thirsty when you finish a car job...


sean k

If I might elaborate.
I started on metal work a few decades ago and very soon into that I rebuilt a motorcycle that I'd crashed up. That baby gleamed after weeks of polishing but it was dull again after a month or two.

Over the years I try and let the metal speak, I even leave steel stuff lying about to get a little rusty 'cause I enjoy wire brushing it and having that black tarnished look with the rest that is brighter.

With wire brushes you can can really push them in and almost bind which is just one of many effects. Recently I found some oven cleaner, old style with a polishing paste in it, and the stuffs even better than the old stock in trade Brasso.

I think that polishing the crap out of something till every part gleams like its the sun itself is an absolutely required step to becoming a backyard engineer. It has to be done because it's almost about complete control... but as the years pass by I think we might listen a little more to what the metal, or wood etc, is wanting to say about the life that it's led and it's  part of the story.

Maybe a little esoteric but I think thats what Mojo is. Give and take between animate and inanimate.
Monkey see, monkey do.
Http://artyone.bolgtown.co.nz/

frank_p


Well, it's a quasi industrial designer point of view.  I would not say esoteric but artistic.  I requires sensitivity, not a third eye.


nosamiam

If you're gonna polish aluminum and don't want it to dull in short order, you've got to coat it. Aluminum oxidizes if exposed to the elements. You can use this stuff from Eastwood http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=619&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=410&iSubCat=411&iProductID=619

It also comes in a non-aerosol version that you can dip things into.

Eastwood is also possibly a good source for other enclosure finishing products. Their thing is cars, but a lot of the info/techniques/products cross over.

R.G.

Quote from: sean k on October 18, 2008, 05:14:25 PM
...  I even leave steel stuff lying about to get a little rusty 'cause I enjoy wire brushing it and having that black tarnished look with the rest that is brighter.
You need to go put "metal patinas" into the google search window.

The practice of making metal acquire a colored chemically converted coating is an ancient and respectable art. There are zillions of old patina recipes, although it's remarkably hard to find them on the internet. It seems that all the internet references want to sell you pre-mixed patina goo. But that's another story.

I especially like Japanese Brown on low carbon steel that's been polished. The patina is almost monatomically thick and reveals the state of the underlying surface, but provides some remarkable artistic effects. Aluminum is harder to work with than steel in patina-ing, owing to its higher chemical activity.
R.G.

In response to the questions in the forum - PCB Layout for Musical Effects is available from The Book Patch. Search "PCB Layout" and it ought to appear.

davent

After all your wet sanding you can bring up a really nice shine on the aluminum by using Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish. The stuff works great.

http://www.mothers.com/02_products/05100-05101.html

dave
"If you always do what you always did- you always get what you always got." - Unknown
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/photobucket-hotlink-fix/kegnjbncdcliihbemealioapbifiaedg

asfastasdark

Cool! I started sanding my enclosure today with 100 grit today, and after a while I was already extremely surprised at the result of only one grit! I'm definitely continuing this, and adding labels using ink-jet decals from Smallbear!

frank_p

Quote from: R.G. on October 18, 2008, 09:29:51 PM
Aluminum is harder to work with than steel in patina-ing, owing to its higher chemical activity.

I am really not a chemisist, but in one of the job I had, I was making moulds for metal castings.  I was working with a "pretty" old man who was really a genious in machining (in the vintage kinda way).  He was really a good source of knowledge for everybody, but had this really strong and imprevisible mood swings and intolerance for the youngs.

Once in a while he would go: " Don't you toutch at that aluminium mould, I don't know if you have an acidic/corrosive sweat, so it's better if you don't touch it".  "Your fingerprints could be chemicaly grunging the metal, as to be perceptible on the final product. "   I was really, thingking: "Oh My God, this is going really too serious".  At the same time, I did not know, : because really never had woked with aluminium molds before...  (I am still at this point for this problem).  But the guy in question, was really serious about it.

So the question is: can you really give to the aluminium mold your finger prints, because your sweat is too acidic.  I must admite, I really don't know (But it seems too caricatural to me, in a "straight point of view") .  But given the depth of the traces: of the steel and carbide tools that were incrutrated in the aluminium (from machining), I was thingking: " This guy is out of his mind".      I mean, this could be possible, but it is not drastic compared to the traces of the passes of the cutting tools. 

I don't have a "set" opinion about this, but it seems to me liKe: "really not proportionate too reality".
On the other side, I like patina effects...  :D  But, what the hell, I've never seen patinina colours/effects that you could make with your bare fingertips...

It's too late... I have a music practice at 9:45am ...
I am going to be tired tomorrow.
See ya ...
F.H.P.

darron

#18
easy work!

here are a couple of pics of some of my mirror ones:






Sand your pedal down as usual with wet/dry. Progress till you get down to a smooth 600 grit (or even better, like 1200). With every progression make sure that you don't miss ANYTHING as you won't be able to get it out as the paper gets finer. Even a little scratch will stick out. Once you're done it won't though.

Then you need to buff it with a high power/speed buffing wheel made from cloth, using an aluminum buffing compound. You can use a little one in a drill but you'll be there all night... You don't have these tools or you wouldn't be asking how to do it. So...

Head down to your nearest bumper bar repair place with a prepared enclosure and if he's a nice guy he'll buff it for free in a couple of minutes. Throw the man a beer or something from your esky if it's a hot day!



there are a couple of good tutorials here:
http://www.effector-repair.com/index.php?main_page=HAMMOND&zenid=61f433bf863f2dda7a5424b2ed38178c
http://www.effector-repair.com/index.php?main_page=wahkyoumen



Blood, Sweat & Flux. Pedals made with lasers and real wires!

asfastasdark

Quote from: darron on October 19, 2008, 06:32:24 AM
You don't have these tools or you wouldn't be asking how to do it. So...

I think my dad has one, actually, I just never used it.