(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best abrasive & finishing products

I think it was u/purplepiratecrab that asked to know how the tumbling was going. Well, I think I’ve had good results with my first couple of test piece. One is an Axiom Tetra Bead-blasted Stainless Steel.

The spinner has good weight and balance, but I never cared for the bead-blasted finish. It was too rough and all the points and corners were far too “hot” for my taste. As it was my first foray into tumbling I threw all manner of media at it - Grits, SS Shot, Ceramic, Dish Soap, Baking Soda, and Polishes. There is plenty of advise online for tumbling stones, but surprisingly little instruction on metal (jewelry) tumbling. But I consumed what I could find.

I am using a Harbor Freight Chicago single-drum tumbler. I had gathered that the rubberized drum that comes with the tumbler was not ideal for metals like Stainless Steel (turns them black). So, following after a YouTube video, I assembled my own PVC drum. You do need to add baffles inside the drum. Otherwise, everything simply clumps at the bottom and nothing actually tumbles.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/08Yoc5CX4Il2v081JWrErA94A

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0NUNMe7gag16MZl6OG4FaAgzA

I ordered 1 lbs of Stainless Steel shot and 1 lbs of Small Ceramic Media from Amazon. Harbor Freight has Grit / Polish packs as well. Add water and a drop of Dawn dish soap and you’re ready to go.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017WQV6UM/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_HZNpDbEB0T5MA

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DY7PSBT/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_cYNpDbC80MBHD

https://www.amazon.com/Thumlers-Tumbler-Polisher-Accessories-Prepolish/dp/B000BUW610

While rock tumbling can takes weeks, metal tumbling over hours or days can get good results. If you simply want to knock off “hot” spots, 6 hours with some SS shot works great. I did that with a Brass Spinetic Micro-X which had super “hot” corners on it. Quite comfortable after that.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0EthP9bf8BLlK-E1OPfdYFYoA

The last round with the Tetra involved 7 hours with Ceramic Media, 6 hours with Shot and Pre-Polish, overnight with Shot and Polish, and then 6 hours with Shot and Baking Soda. Even without the rubberized drum you are going to get a lot of black dust in the polishing stage so the soda really cleans that off of SS and cleans your Shot at the same time (otherwise you’re left with gray dull shot at the end).

The results are very satisfactory for a piece with a lot of edges like the Tetra. The photos above don’t really do it justice, but what I ended up with was something very close to UQH’s Fine Stone-Washed effect - smooth slightly soapy feel. Much better than the rough, hot finish it had before. I then sanded and polished the flats on both sides for a nice contrast. The Vortex Buttons from UQHs really makes this a unique piece - far more fondalable than it had been originally.

You do need a bit of patience and willingness to experiment with various combinations to appreciate the varying results. I want to try adding plastic media for cushioning. And If you want truly mirror polished pieces then further sanding and a polishing wheel would be necessary. Definitely more experimentation and learning is in my future. Hope this has been informative. Cheers!

I really like the Bosch 6in Sanders with the turbo mode it makes it almost a grinder with much better control. Also forget sandpaper and do yourself a favor and get Abranet sanding nets and a pad protector. Those two pieces of equipment will cut down your sanding time on this job by about 1/2. Also you will use a ton less sand paper even though the nets are more expensive you will spend less.

You can use West system and spend the extra money but there are plenty of other very good epoxies available for much less than West system that work just as well or better.

Forget using their fairing compound and by the stuff from Jamestown that is premixed. It works very well and saves you endless amounts of stiring, you also won't get the pinholes you get using the west system.

Once you sand it down do an acid treatment or naval jelly to help convert any rust you can't get to a stable compound. Then do the epoxy right after.

Good luck it's not an impossible job by any stretch and is good practice to learn and play with epoxy and fairing things. This will help in any future deck repairs or if you decide to paint the boat or another in the future! Have fun learning. And check out Boatworks Today with Andy for any fiberglass work and great how to's. He's one of my YouTube favorites!

https://www.boschtools.com/us/en/boschtools-ocs/random-orbit-sanders-1250devs-27677-p/

http://www.uscomposites.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Mirka-9A-241-APRP-6-Inch-Abranet-Assortment/dp/B001BKXW8A

Cleaning the frets is easy enough. Just put a little masking tape on each side of the fret to protect the fretboard, and get a bit of fine grit sandpaper. If it is just a little bit of tarnish then something between 1000 and 2000 grit sandpaper run across the top of the frets will shine them right up. If the frets have some minor divots in them then it will likely be fine with just the polish with the sandpaper. If they have some more prominent dents then you are looking at either a full fret level or at least running over them with a crowning file in order to restore the shape before polishing them up. If it the more serious work and you are interested in learning you could try getting something like this and doing it yourself (FYI there are a ton of good youtube videos that explain what to do such as on this channel). It takes a bit of practice, but it isn't really that hard. I do my own fret dressings and, while it is tedious to do right, it isn't really that difficult to do. You just need the right tools, a steady hand and a decent amount of patience. If you have a bunch of guitars, it can actually be beneficial down the road as fret work from a good tech/luthier ain't cheap.

As for stripping the finish.. Fenders use a Poly finish which is a bitch to get off (and the Mexicans are usually a pretty thick finish at that)... though I'm sure you could find something at a hardware store to strip it or you can use heat (just be very careful with this one). Taking it to a pro would probably cost a good chunk of change if you want it fully refinished, but it can't hurt to get an estimate.

Either way enjoy the project and best of luck again!

Glad you started this thread, OP. I've never used those bristle discs, but I've been experimenting with other discs recently after buying a 2' x 3' piece of 1/2" HR plate and having to remove the rust, paint and scale to get it ready to use as a work surface for a Nomad portable table.

I was impressed by the Scotch-Brite Clean & Strip XT—looks like a purple sponge...of death. That thing goes through scale like it's nothing.

I also like the super-course grit (36, 50) AlO sandpaper/flex discs (if you don't mind the scratches they leave). I wanted to put a thin layer of scratches on this new table top, and then semi-polish down the rest of the surface, and these discs were great for that while removing paint, rust and scale. (The idea is that when the scratches start to disappear, I'll know when I've worked through the surface and can try to keep it somewhat level.)

As someone who is mostly self-taught and works alone, I'd love to hear from the pros about their favorite discs and how they used them.

Also, where are the best places to buy grinding discs? My local welding supply stores are relatively expensive (and not very local to begin with) and I've yet to find a single online store where I can get everything I need.

Best deal I found so far was when I saw this five-pack of conditioning disc samplers (with a disc holder in each) for under $90. Pretty sure it was a pricing error.

Used a long marker, and angled it in maybe 20 degrees. Traced everything, then used a utility knife with a fresh blade and cut straight down. Peeled the majority of the material back with my fingers, Kaizen foam has layers you can peel back, but it won't come out in that layer perfectly clean. Test fit everything, cut away more where needed, in small increments because I wanted it super clean looking. Once I got the outline exactly how I wanted it, took a dremel with an abrasive stone head, and pointed it straight down and used it to clean up the lumpy, messy, bottom. Even punching straight down to remove material (especially for the magazine slots this was necessary) it was very effective. Just had to be careful with it, and it worked like a charm! Cleaned up the corners with some careful exacto knife work.

FastCap Long Nosed Pattern Marker https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002NQPEE6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_5k.1Db4YZ6WX8

(I didn't use this set, just using this link to show what I mean by abrasive stone head, I used a cylinder for the flat top, to flatten)
Oudtinx 100 pcs Abrasive Stone Points Electric Grinding Dremel Accessories Polishing Grinding Head Wheel Tool Kit For Dremel Rotary Tool (Red) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FN7G7JK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Vn.1DbBJJHE0A

link 1 - the notches are overkill, it's the straight edge you want because you're aligning the frets not the fretboard. Amazon has an 18" steel ruler that should work fine https://www.amazon.com/Westcott-Stainless-Steel-Office-Inches/dp/B000093IJ1/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483315326&sr=8-1&keywords=18%27+ruler

link 2 That's overkill as well, you'll end up using just one or two of the files. I don't like the fret guards because it's more efficient to tape all the frets at one time than it is to tape up the guard 22 times. If you want to round the fret ends this file is similar to one I've used and will work fine. Just make sure the edge of the file doesn't saw the fretboard https://www.amazon.com/Nicholson-Triangular-Ergonomic-American-Pattern/dp/B001R1UZII/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1483315923&sr=8-12&keywords=triangular+file

link 3 - That's fine, there's another one $1 cheaper. They're basically all stamped out in China, and do the same as the $25 Stew Mac one. https://www.amazon.com/Pixnor-String-Action-Ruler-Guitar/dp/B01HM8SNHY/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1483316161&sr=1-3&keywords=String+Action+Gauge

Your choices are fine, but I'm a cheap dude. And while you're in the ordering mood, you might get a set of automotive feeler gauges. This is what you can use with the ruler to set the amount of relief the neck should have. https://www.amazon.com/OEMTOOLS-25025-Blade-Master-Feeler/dp/B000BYGIR4/ref=pd_sim_267_16?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BA62DPTD81NDZKM36V6C

More on neck relief from Fender's web site: http://www2.fender.com/experience/tech-talk/how-to-measure-neck-relief/

If you wanna learn how to work on your own guitars, Frets.com is a great resource, here's their link on neck relief and buzz diagnosis http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier/Technique/Setup/BuzzDiagnosis/Relief/relief.html

Good luck!

what's your machine, and where did you get the media? if you have links, that'd be great- lots of people here really want to try this but results and follow ups are really hard to find!

also it's terribly noisy- that uber cheap $60 harbor freight (we call it hazard fraught here) tumbler. I did use water, but it's totally not supposed to handle it. I was lucky and it was so hot that water couldn't get to the important components before drying to a fine porcelain dust. I can only assume the 60hz, 120v thing isn't quite as high energy as preferred. I actually quieted it to reasonable (save my hearing) levels by making a box out of EVA foam floor mats and setting it over the tumbler. I have plans to make a matryoshka-style deadener out of them, where I just stack on concentric tubes till it's quiet enough for me- though it might need a fan and a couple of tubes to ensure airflow. like I said, this thing gets way too hot.

also, I know that SLS prints do sand/chip more readily, as the have smaller, more segmented and uniform crystals, and produce faster results because of their largely isotropic surface detail and strength. I'm using PLA, which be comparison, is harder than SLS nylon when it comes to chipping and cracking, it's super hard to sand compared to most anyway.

also I know nothing about fluids that should be used. are there any tidbits I should know? I'm considering this media: https://www.amazon.com/Abrasive-Triangle-Aggressive-Porcelain-Tumbling/dp/B06Y5JRVRZ/ref=pd_day0_hl_328_9?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B06Y5JRVRZ&pd_rd_r=37e71d38-a7d0-11e9-b724-6d396220776d&pd_rd_w=ufD0q&pd_rd_wg=elKlz&pf_rd_p=ad07871c-e646-4161-82c7-5ed0d4c85b07&pf_rd_r=K4FZMC4RXMD9M6PEPQ6D&psc=1&refRID=K4FZMC4RXMD9M6PEPQ6D

I recommend something like this for removing the rust without damaging the metal. You just put it on the drill and let it do the work. The surface of the metal afterwards will be great for allowing paint to stick.
I'd go with rustoleum or some other rust proofing enamel for the paint. I also recommend either a white primer or white paint as the first coat, then your color, then decals, then clear coat. Be careful when clear coating decals. Thin coats and lots of dry time in between coats will prevent the decals from getting fucked up by the solvents in the paint.

You'll need to scuff the paint in between coats and wetsand off any fish eye before applying clear coat as well as wetsand clear coat to remove any funky textures or fisheye. Then you'll need to give the clear coat a few weeks to fully dry.

Once everything is dry, you can compound with something like meguiars m102 and a microfiber towel.

It's a ton of work, but also pretty rewarding and educational. You realize how much work and attention to detail it takes to produce a good paint job.

Angle grinder is best, but yhou can use a drill with a cutting disc that looks like this. HOWEVER, don't use a disc like I linked to, you want a cutting disk, and you cut straight down the front of the safe to cut the hinges off. Ask homedepot what the best disc is...They'll know... It will take some time, and make sure you have water on hand in case the sparks get smoky in the dust.

Source, I lost my combo and sentry sent it to me....Recently my ex took a sledge to it and got my booty.....



HOWEVER, the odds are REALLY slim that anything inside it is dangerous, but it was pretty well hidden, so it could be ANYTHING. You should be careful. Like I said earlier, if you have the Serial Number, send it to sentry, these are the instructions. call ahead to make sure they even HAVE combos for that SN....Otherwise you'll be wasting your time.....If you are a member of AAA they might notarize your letter for free...

Rejoice, for the things you need are cheap. Get a split shank, tuck a bit of silicon carbide wet/ dry sandpaper in there, and rock it out. Start coarrse, at least 220, then take as many steps to fine sanding as you like. You can get sandpaper up to 3,000 grit, 3M makes an excellent one. You also might choose at some point in coarseness to use diamond paste on a bit of hardwood dowel. The dowel would get ground up a bit, but this actually makes it a better carrier of diamond. Foredom handpieces grip odd size tools just fine, unikle dremels. Finally, polish with cerium oxide+ water paste on a bit of leather or cloth, a bit of old t-shirt stuck in the split shank works.

Have a little tray to immerse grinding tools just under the surface of water to keep them cool, this also minimizes dust, which is moderately hazardous to breathe. Use sandpaper wet, but diamond paste is oil based and doesn't like water. Diamonds are the most water repellent thing we commonly encounter, but they attract oil.

With this setup, you will find it fast and easy to polish flint and quartz. Polishing every curve of a complex carving is NOT easy, but this basic setup will get a polish in the easy areas quickly.

If I had your budget and no files, I would get THIS and [THIS]
(http://www.amazon.com/DMT-FFC-Diafold-Diamond-Folding/dp/B00004WFU2/ref=sr_1_8?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1371593748&sr=1-8&keywords=diamond+files) or I would shop around some more for the best diamond files for the best price. Of course your choice of Nicholson files is a good one too. I like Diamond for abrading metal and, well, any damn material I feel like.

Harbor freight also carries diamond lapping plates with a coarse 180 grit plate. Like everything from HF it needs to be fixed before you can use it though.

I've been doing my coarse work with a Lansky Extra-Coarse Diamond Hone that I mounted to a handle and I have no regrets about that. It chews through everything and even though it has been used for well over 300 hours since I bought it, the diamonds seem to still all be intact.

TL; DR: Don't even bother getting the paint stripper, if you insist on fresh brick it's easier to rip the painted brick out and put up fresh brick.

I think I ended up not being able to get SoyGel, which is commonly recommended so I used a Blue Bear solution and I think Ready-strip. I got one off Amazon, ran out and grabbed whatever they had at Home Depot for the second attempt. Both of them stink to high heaven, so you need a really good gas mask and ventilation. Nobody else should be in the house. Though save your time, money and brain cells, because it didn't work for me:

My brick was heavily caked from multiple layers of paint. The stripper actually did a good job on the first layer, and then there was this resilient horrible looking off-white underneath. I don't know if it was stubborn because it was a better paint (maybe oil?) or just because it was mechanically locked onto the brick surface whereas the previous coat was just on top of this one. Anyway, the gels didn't work, so I bought some wire bristle cups for my angle grinder to try to pull the paint off without destroying the surface of the brick.

My whole house shook from my fireplace laughing at the tickle from those things. So I stepped up to these. It was more effective, but slow. At some point my angle grinder burnt out, so I was back at Home Depot buying a new angle grinder, and upgraded from a 4 amp to a 7 amp. I also got some of these, which looked way too strong but I was getting desperate.

Between the stronger angle grinder and those wire discs it was actually chewing through the paint pretty good. Mind you, I had built a Dexter-quality tent of drop sheets around my fireplace with 2-3 layers on each side to try keep the brick and paint dust from going through my home. I had a purple respirator, eye glasses and full face shield and would have to stop because the tent would get so filled with red dust in the air you couldn't see anything. It took me weeks to scrub all the red dust off everything, I had to paint the ceiling and walls because the inside of the tent walls were so stained with red dust, and I'm sure I still have plenty of it in my lungs that will eventually kill me.

I ended up cleaning all the brick to 'good enough', since I was planning on white washing anyway. It'd be impossible to get it completely red again. Then I went through the process of repairing all the brick I chipped and cleaning out the mortar. Then I repointed the mortar and did my white wash. That was a mistake, then the mortar was all colored, so I removed the fresh mortar again, touched up my paint, then repointed the mortar a second time.

In the end I'd say it actually came out really nice. You couldn't convince me to do it again with a gun to my head. Oh, and I'm wrapping up a major remodel and we just decided that we're going to have the entire fireplace resurfaced because brick doesn't really fit our house anymore. Shoot me.

​

depending on how rough it feels I would suggest starting with an 80g or 100g and then finishing with 120g and 220g. You can skip the first one if it is not super rough. Get one of those sanding sponges with the different angles on them. That will be easier on you hand than just sand paper. Becasue of the shape you'll want something that you can wipe or spray on. Use 4-5 thin coats. The easiest/cheapest option would be a wipe on poly or even better an Aerosol Spar Urethane. EDIT Also, sand lightly in between coats with 220 or higher. This helps the next coat stick.

You might also consider trying to fix a few of those larger cracks by filling them in with a two part epoxy

Good luck! It will be a nice surprise for her when she returns.

Allright, here goes.

What I would do is aim for [something roughly this shape](https://i.imgur.com/gwSfsSJ.jpg]

What I'd do is cut according to this sort of plan and use an anglegrinder with cut-off disc to chop the tang out (marked in red), then use a dremel (Marked in blue) for the fine cuts. I would then round off the shoulder of the blade with a round chainsaw file to remove the risk of stress raisers.

Once there, I'd use a Warding File to file in the little notch step down at the bottom of the tang, from a rough squared-out cut , to become a round circle along its length. That's going to become your Pein, when the whole thing is assembled.
I'd then put that pein part in a flame - ideally a blue gas flame, wrapping the blade in a damp cloth to ensure its not getting hot. you'll ideally want to get that part glowing red-hot. What that'll do is completely blow the temper on that part of the tang, so its no longer hardened at all. that'll let you pein it over later.

Then I'll take two pieces of steel, curved into arcs and I'll clamp them down, and start to drill the centre - that will depend on the blade of course, but what you want in effect is a slot, for your since its from a blade that's probably going to be a () shape, or maybe even a <> shape.

you'll use that warding file to slowly widen the drilling, taking it from two holes side by side into a rectangle, then widening it and shaping it to match the blade cross-section. Once that's done, repeat on the second one, to sit on the other end of the tang. For it, you will probably want to use a small 4-inch square-cut file to get that to fit. You want to use a square so that the pommel end guard doesnt swivel around at all.

that's then topped off with a little pein block which serves a double purpose - it makes it easier to repair if it ever has a problem (just file it off and put a new, smaller block on) and, as that part of the tang was filed round, you just need a drill to make a round hole, instead of a rectangular hole. (also a small pein is easier to do - just clamp in a vise and hammer over like a rivet. Having softened the metal by getting it glowing red earlier, you can probably do this part cold, so no torches needed.)

lastly, I'd then make a two-piece wooden grip, the bread around the tang in a sandwich, in effect, out of beech or similar hardwood (though poplar should do for that, and its easy to carve out the slot for the tang in.

I'd make that a bit thinner than you expect it to be - over-bulky grips are a common mistake - Glue it together, and wrap it in fine cord with hide glue and then I would follow this fantastic tutorial guide from Peter Johnsson to wrap a section of fine vegetable-tanned leather round it, wrap that in cord, and have a beautiful leather hilt at the end.

/u/GoontenSlouch, /u/ArtemisPicks, I did this one by hand and I wouldn't recommend that because it took far too long. I just wanted to try it out at first.

I will likely start off on the rest of them by taking the edges off using these sanding disks. I also have these sanding drums on the way to reach the tighter spots.

After the rough shaping, I put the pick into my vise and used a wide strip of 320 grit sand paper to round off the shaft. I worked on one side for a while and flipped it 45 degrees and did the same for each side. After that I used 400 grit sand paper in a thinner strip to clean things up. I wanted to make sure they were nice and round and free from any pitting the sandpaper may have caused. I may have to turn back to the needle files to put the bevel on the flag.

/u/MeacK777, these are the only dimple picks that I have right now. I have another set on the way that I will detail when they arrive. If you have the time and dedication to put a lot of work into your tools, then these are a solid option. The metal is quite durable because it took more work that I expected.

If you have the money I like using formula 420. It's only $8 at my local smoke shop, and will clean my bong at least 10 times. It always works great, and you don't need to use that much. I would also invest in a pipe brush, they work great for down stems / joints.

Hello,

Professional amateur rollerskier here:

Step 1. Pick up some rollerski specific carbide steel tips such as these


Step 2. Use them and keep those tips SHARP! So many people do not sharpen their tips before they go out to their detriment.

For sharpening I reccomend buying a dremel tool such as this and then using these tips

Step 3. Sharpen often! In my opinion, it is better to sharpen a little bit every time than a lot every once in a while.

I hope this has been helpful!

something like this on a die grinder would be your best cheapest bet, a lot of the guys ive seen use a bigger version of that with an electric straight die grinder

and no not jsut clean of grease, you want shiny bright metal

If you go the sanding route (which may not be the best way to go), you do NOT want to use diamond polishing pads. Those are for polishing, as in turning smooth concrete into mirror finish concrete. Not for something as aggressive as what you're looking to do.

You'd want a diamond grinding cup like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CQQR3DW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_I1eCCbNMJCFJW

With an angle grinder. It'll grind the concrete down to a finish that's smooth to the touch. It will go quick, less than an hour.

It will be MESSY. Grinding concrete creates a bunch of fine concrete dust that gets in your face, eyes, nose, etc. You'll want goggles and a face mask.

I’d use something like this.


2" x 1" x 1/4" Shank Mounted Flap Wheels, 80 Grit Aluminum Oxide - 5 Pack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M295SA2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_iiMnDbWJYS0R6

dry,

https://www.amazon.ca/Ocr-Concrete-Diamond-Grinding-Grinder/dp/B01CQQR3DW/ref=asc_df_B01CQQR3DW/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=292953024923&hvpos=1o7&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8380050951177615494&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1001920&hvtargid=pla-493842304061&psc=1

I haven't used one on a regular corderite shelf. Only silca carbide. I suspect you'd need to be a lot more careful with corderite. That said, I use silica carbide for bisque firings too, they're more expensive but it's worth it.

Also if you want to expose aggregate you'll want a grinder wheel like this. Even at 50 grit the it will take you forever to expose aggregate. This one will uncover aggregate in about 5 seconds. It will attach to any 5/8-11 polisher. https://www.amazon.com/Ocr-Concrete-Diamond-Grinding-Grinder/dp/B01CQQR3DW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1479154313&sr=8-4&keywords=diamond+cup+wheel

You know with just an ounce or two of 91% alcohol and salt (I like coarse kosher salt) plus ~10 seconds of shaking and it is all done. I plug up the down stem hole with TP, and when I'm done, I use the left over alcohol with a paper towel to clean up the resin that gets in the sink from cleaning the bowl. I use a nylon pipe brush for the down stem, just drop the down stem in the bottle of alcohol and go to town with the brush. Entire process takes no more then 3-5 minutes.

Yup. It's basically a thin (1/8") interface pad.

5": http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013E0R6Y

6": http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005UETZH0

Here's a starter kit for 6" with a sample of grits and a pad protector: www.amazon.com/dp/B001BKXW8A