Buffing Sheet Metal

A typical sheet of metal that you purchase from a metal supplier is dull and flat.

Buffing sheet metal.

To give it a glossy shine like that of chrome it needs to be polished. In polishing 101 the first video of this series i discuss how to buff and polish metal. The cloth buff holds or carries the compound while the compound does the cutting. Choose the most applicable buffing compound depending on the work surface material to be polished.

If it is possible you should repolish the entire surface of the metal so that there is not one spot that is brighter than the rest of the surface. Start with the coarsest applicable compound. You can restore shine. For small items like pots and pans first clean the item with soap and water then apply an aluminum polish or a paste made from cream of tartar.

When you are done you should have a piece of metal that no longer bears any traces of. Make sure you have the right tools and the patience to complete all of the steps. In the picture you can see the other side of. Polish aluminum sheet metal to mirror finish.

I polished that aluminum myself but i didn t polish the whole sheet to a mirror finish. When i turned my tardis model into an infinity box i used some pieces of polished aluminum for some of my mirrors. However at the very least you need to polish the area that you sanded to restore the finish. Galvanized metal is a specially made material that provides added protection against corrosion and oxidation characterized by an outer coating of zinc oxide.

See our polishing compound and jewelers rouge chart. Metal polish soft rags garden hose wax uses for galvanized metals vary wildly from large sheet metal pieces to small screws that are used in wood projects. Galvanizing metal is the process of dipping it in a solution of molten zinc. How to polish metal basic instructions.

The zinc acts both as a. This video covers the theory behind buffing and polishing. Once dry the metal usually iron or steel is protected from corrosion and rust. Sand the sheet metal then apply a cutting compound and use a rotating buffing tool to polish the piece.

Polishing aluminum is a time consuming process but can be done with great results.