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Mitutoyo like finish

slow-poke

slow-poke

Ultra Member
Most of the time when I make something on the mill, one little shallow clean up pass and that's a good enough surface finish.

Sometimes I want the finish to look professional. My trial and error solution is to finish with wet sand 600 and then 1000 or so emery cloth.

So how do you guys go about this when you really want it to look good?

Project today is some sort of mystery steel, it does seem to machine nicely.
 
Same solution as always, buy another machine or tool.
In this case a surface grinder can provide a really nice finish.
 
slow-poke said:
Most of the time when I make something on the mill, one little shallow clean up pass and that's a good enough surface finish.

Sometimes I want the finish to look professional. My trial and error solution is to finish with wet sand 600 and then 1000 or so emery cloth.

So how do you guys go about this when you really want it to look good?

Project today is some sort of mystery steel, it does seem to machine nicely.
Click to expand...

Surface finish and tight tolerances are both the reasons why I wanted a surface grinder. Personally I hate a milled finish
 
slow-poke said:
So how do you guys go about this when you really want it to look good?
Click to expand...

Well, first of all, sand paper and me are not friends..

I'm, not as fussy as most members are.

When I am, I either tune the feed N speed or its a quick trip to the surface grinder.

On occasion I find a bit of rust makes a great finish. Or acid etch or anodizing or bluing or jewelling, or or or

As a last resort, I might use some sand paper or paint.
 
Surface grinder, Run up the sandpaper grits, Buffing wheel, Good sharp flycutter with a light DOC is also a viable option for a nice surface finish. All are nice arrows to have in your quiver depending on requirements. Sometimes you just need a nice finish, other times dimensional accuracy is important. Don't take something to the buffing wheel if you are trying to hold tenths on a size......It'll sure look purty though......
 
Quickest way is to glass bead blast. 5 gallon pail of the stuff from PrincessAuto. Lasts forever.
Works on steel and aluminum, results in a satin-like finsih. Makes anything look professionally made since it hides tool marks, esp. milling. Unlike sandpaper etc you have almost zero risk of ruining corner features such as chamfers. (I hate rounded over edges from buffing wheels etc)

gerrit
 
I use this wheel, also good to sharpen kitchen knives, or use my ball bearing finisher tool.
 
TorontoBuilder said:
For when you want to obscure affiliate links or other things for nefarious purposes.
Click to expand...

I habitually touch and hold first. That tells me what the link really says. I also copy and paste into an editor to disect and detect those with nefarious purposes.

This is especially important in emails to find those hiding behind a familiar name.
 
I forgot about bead blasting. There's also media tumblers too. Probably the least labour intensive option to a nice uniform finish. Those scotchbrite wheels on the grinder work pretty good too. I have a cheaper import from amazon, it's great to put a nice uniform finish on stuff. It WILL remove material though, so don't use it on critical dimensions.
 
TorontoBuilder said:
Just an FYI, for any links, everything can be shortened into a clean link by using the chain icon above to create this:
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Duh. I will try to remember to incorporate that. Thanks for mentioning

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Probably stating the obvious but as soon as you texture a metal part with abrasive you are deviating from the surface dimensionally fresh off the machine. So lets say 0.005" wiggle room of end mill marks or whatever & you are OK with that.

3M type scuff pads work amazingly well & last a long time. Use them dry or wet. A lot of Emory paper on the market is quite frankly shite. You can put these pads on backing blocks. Check autobody or paint supply stores.
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If you want to speed things up or have more curvy 3S shapes as opposed to planar you can get the same kind of scuff pads in rotary tool form. Some are generic hook & loop, some screw into the adapter. I have both but I prefer the screw in which has a specific adapter plate. I think there is a 3M standard name, but clones are available. I use mine in a Milwaukee cordless unit. Its very controlled.
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Susquatch said:
I habitually touch and hold first. That tells me what the link really says. I also copy and paste into an editor to disect and detect those with nefarious purposes.

This is especially important in emails to find those hiding behind a familiar name.
Click to expand...
so did you detect MY nefarious purpose that way?
 
Like Gerritv, I sand blast or glass bead the part depending on the finish I want to achieve. I like glass beads if I want the part to look cast and antique, the glass bead gives it a light porous pitted look, especially if the glass new. The sand blast is more like a frost finish, almost Mitutoyo look.
My other technique is the orbital sander with a 220 grit, it leave a nice swirl pattern. Both of these finishes tends to show finger prints or grease stains immediately, so a clear coat or paint is needed if you want the parts to still look new.
 
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