im building a bike, i couldnt come up with a color that seemed right for the frame and decided i liked the raw look with some clear to protect it from rust. then i got to thinking about the bar i used to work at had this cool pattern in the stainless steel top that looked like it was done with a grinder or somthing, anyone know anything about that? im thinkin i can just kinda go at it with a course brass brush on my angle grinder and see what happens, unless anyone knows a better way ?
You can use just about anything that will cut into the metal. Scotchbright pads, flapwheels,grinders. Practice on a few scrap pieces first. You can get some cool designs with practice.
I used to put a "brushed" finish on aluminum by replacing a buffing wheel with a 10" scotchbrite wheel. It didn't hurt that it was spun by a five horse motor. This might work on steel too, although a coarse wire wheel might work better.
i used to make brushed finishes in steel and aluminum by just using 120 or so grit emory cloth and just keep my direction of scratch running in one way. kind of like draw filing. really you could use any grit like 220 or less, but it does kind of need to be course. just my .02.
I've seen some intersting effects using candy clears over different levels or degrees of sanding and grinding.
Take a $1,99 2" wire cup brush from Harbor Freight. Spin it up to a grinder to get all the bristles same length. Chuck in drill press and using a uniform pattern and pressure apply your design to workpiece. It's called jeweling or engine turning? I just tried for first time yesterday and didn't look too bad.
It's a lot easier to do with the right stuff, hell even a scotch brite roloc works better than a wire cup, and doing it aluminum with a wire brush will chew up the aluminum.
For a brushed finish I've used flapwheels with good effect, but they can remove a lot of material in a hurry. Practice on some scrap first. If you're looking to make silly grinder marks and just "rat" it up for no apparent reason... um, don't.
The guys that build stainless steel piping for dairies and the food industry use flapper wheels to match the brushed look of the stainless pipe after the elbows are welded on and the welds ground smooth. In this case the grain goes around the pipe as apposed to along the length of the pipe or a swirl pattern. For a frame, I'd go this route.
engine turning = overlapping circular scratches in a finish brushed aluminium = straight scratches running the length of the piece i've never done engine turning but for brushed aluminium i use my belt sander or even just a sanding block
i think engine turning was the term i was probly looking for. and it would be on steel. i think the straight lines of the brushed look would be hard/not turn out well on a frame, i dont know. ill probly expiement with flappers and brushes on the part of the frame im cutting off
We do some counter tops at my regular job, with a random pattern with a grinder and a 4" flexable sanding disk something like 60 to 120grt depending on job just hit it at random angles and in a random pattern, Dunno if that's what you're looking for or not
I think it was on the Sherwin Williams custom paint site that I just saw that they did a brushed look on silver paint. After they brushed it with a scotchbrite they took 3m powder guide coat and coated the surface. They then wiped down the surface leaving just enough to give it a sort of aged look. They then cleared right over the guide coat. I am sure it would work on bare steel and help blend in areas as a frame has a lot of nooks and crannies. There are also plenty of chemical finishes such as fake rust and gun blueing? Good luck!!
If its engine turning, find an old valve and glue sand paper on it if doing steel or scotchbright if aluminum and do it on a mill or drillpress.
ZMAN; perhaps the scotch brite roloc that I used was coarser than yours or maybe my cup brush was softer! My results were the scotch brite scratched a lot more than the brush so thats the route I'll take. Purty is as purty does. Buffalo Bill.
we are getting ready to do a large panel of aluminum at work i will have to take some pics. here some links i found on google http://www.cs.ucr.edu/~eamonn/et/Harleyall.jpg http://volvospeed.com/Mods/engine_turning_jewling.html
Wrap the tubes with duct tape like a barber's pole, then brush the exposed portion by hand instead of with a machine. Then wait for the clear over bare metal durability issues that will result. Good luck
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