# How to get Near-Chrome Finish on 303 Stainless?



## ACHiPo (Nov 25, 2018)

I just finished 4 stand-offs for a vintage auto luggage rack.  I sanded them to 500 grit, then polished with Flitz on the lathe, but they don't have the mirror sheen I'm looking for.  I'm wondering if getting a Harbor Freight tumbler would be a way to get the desired finish?  If so, what series of media should I use?

This is what I have:



This what I want them to look like:




Thanks in advance!

Evan


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## Mark Needham (Nov 25, 2018)

Google, "Unitised Polishing Wheel" or ''Buffing Wheel and Compound". Shopping and youtube. I get mine from Aliexpress, Paladin.
Emery down to 1000, 2000 will make an improvement also. But the buffing will do the job, from where you are at, but with a bit more work...?


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## ACHiPo (Nov 25, 2018)

Mark,
Thanks.  A buffing wheel and rouge was my initial thought, but then I was thinking the parts lend themselves to tumbling.  I will need to figure out an arbor to hold the standoffs if I use a buffing wheel--not a huge deal.

I've seen very shiny rocks out of a rotary tumbler, but I have no experience on a vibratory tumbler, so didn't know if it could do wonders on stainless as well?
Evan


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## mikey (Nov 25, 2018)

+1 on the buffing wheel and compound. Also look at Mass polish if you want to do it manually.


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## Bob Korves (Nov 25, 2018)

Simichrome is a nice polish for final hand finishing of fine work.  Protects, too.


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## Jubil (Nov 25, 2018)

I agree with Mark & Mikey. Polishing to 500 grit then 555 , then flitz or semi-chrome. 
BTW I have never seen stainless shine like chrome, (if that's what you are expecting), close but not quite the same. May be due the hardness of the chrome.
Chuck


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## ACHiPo (Nov 25, 2018)

I know the color of stainless isn’t chrome, but a mirror finish gets close.  A buffing wheel and polish it is!


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## Latinrascalrg1 (Nov 25, 2018)

The way i got a chrome like mirror  finish from SS on a workpiece that I would put on a project like you are working on was a process of wet sanding progressivly down to 2500 grit before going through multiple polishing compounds/ Rouge  with different  types of cloth buffing wheel (Tight sewn- to Loose Buff) until i got the finish i was after which was a Mirror like surface.....Basically you sand and sand and sand then polish then polish some more and when you think you are done polish it again type thing!

Now if you are planning on doing more then the current polish project that consists of small parts then investing into a tumbler type polishing system could be worth the money because you do not need to be present as the tumbler does its thing but I Do Not Believe that it will produce the finish you are after without the Buffing process using polishing compounds.  As for the type of media to use i would think Aluminum Oxide of silicon carbide i. Different grits would do a good job prepping the part for final polishing  but ive never personally tried this method.


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## ACHiPo (Nov 25, 2018)

Latinrascalrg1 said:


> The way i got a chrome like mirror  finish from SS on a workpiece that I would put on a project like you are working on was a process of wet sanding progressivly down to 2500 grit before going through multiple polishing compounds/ Rouge  with different  types of cloth buffing wheel (Tight sewn- to Loose Buff) until i got the finish i was after which was a Mirror like surface.....Basically you sand and sand and sand then polish then polish some more and when you think you are done polish it again type thing!
> 
> Now if you are planning on doing more then the current polish project that consists of small parts then investing into a tumbler type polishing system could be worth the money because you do not need to be present as the tumbler does its thing but I Do Not Believe that it will produce the finish you are after without the Buffing process using polishing compounds.  As for the type of media to use i would think Aluminum Oxide of silicon carbide i. Different grits would do a good job prepping the part for final polishing  but ive never personally tried this method.


Great info.  Thanks!


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## Cadillac (Nov 26, 2018)

I do this all the time with stainless and aluminum pieces. Your gonna want to refine your scratches down to at least 800 to 1000. Then using a buffing wheel and I believe the white compound will give you a mirror finish. You need to remember your scratches should get finer with the different grits. If you see deeper scratches you have to get them out before going to the next grit. Beauty of stainless is once polished it’s done. No need for a clear like aluminum that tarnishes. Nice car by the way. Got a 428cj?


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## BROCKWOOD (Nov 26, 2018)

A 426 Hemi would be a sight to see in 1 of these LOL. The true knockoff wheels lead me to believe it's a 66 Cobra (rumored to have been built with 428s). I've never known a non functional hood scoop on the real deal though - not that I have much more than books to go by. Hope the OP will school us on what he has there.


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## ACHiPo (Nov 26, 2018)

Cadillac said:


> I do this all the time with stainless and aluminum pieces. Your gonna want to refine your scratches down to at least 800 to 1000. Then using a buffing wheel and I believe the white compound will give you a mirror finish. You need to remember your scratches should get finer with the different grits. If you see deeper scratches you have to get them out before going to the next grit. Beauty of stainless is once polished it’s done. No need for a clear like aluminum that tarnishes. Nice car by the way. Got a 428cj?


The car pictured is not mine, but a buddy's.  He built a stunning car--an ERA 427 Shelby Cobra that he narrowed the hips on (the narrow hipped 427 street cars are the rarest of the rare--they built about 10 of them).  He's the one that gave me the idea of putting an original luggage rack on the back of ERA (won't be a narrow-hipped car, but will be street trim--no pipe, scoop, or roll bar).  His car has a 427 side oiler.  I built a 470 out of a 427 new side oiler BBM cast iron block.  My motor is pretty tame--it only makes 450 HP and 500 ft-lbs of torque--just about right for a nicely mannered street 427.

Next weekend I will fab an arbor to hold the stand-offs so I can complete the sanding up to 2000 grit, then polish.  Thanks for the tip!

I think I'll pick up a polisher at Harbor Freight (unless somebody tells me it's a waste of money).  My 8" bench grinder is 1750 RPM--good for grinding tools, not so good for buffing.  While I'm on the topic, what do folks recommend for polishers and wheels?  I've seen the long shaft versions as well as the ones that look like bench grinders.

One other question about polishing stainless--I assume a respirator is a good idea to avoid breathing what's coming off the wheels?


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## Pro70z28 (Nov 26, 2018)




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## Cadillac (Nov 26, 2018)

Unless your doing wheels or parts that aren’t accessible from a bench grinder wheel I would stick with a bench grinder. Wheels you can check Eastwood company,casewell,even grizzly has them and the compounds. I use the sewn ones which are a little stiffer. I don’t like the floppy ones that are a bunch of disc on a arbor. You’ll need a wheel for each compound so you don’t contaminate wheels. I use a bunch of old hacksaw blades bunched together to ruff up wheel when it gets glazed. Works great. A regular bench grinder will do the job you don’t need a specific polishing grinder unless you need the long shaft that comes with that polisher. And rubbing alcohol cleans all the left over compound perfectly. Can be a bear to get out of corners without rubbing alcohol.


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## Pro70z28 (Nov 26, 2018)

I've polished parts for the Camaro. Sand with progressively finer wet dry sand paper until you get to 1000, making sure your'e getting all the smaller and smaller scratches out in each finer step, then polish with compound and finish it with a final cut polish. As previously stated, use a polishing wheel or you'll be at it for a long time. Sorry, this is an old point & shoot camera photo, so it's a little fuzzy. The parts were actually pretty close to chrome. The downside is the finish won't last like actual chrome, so it needs constant attention to keep it's shine.


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## ezduzit (Nov 26, 2018)

A polisher is useless for this, as are Simichrome and Flitz. You need the cotton buffing wheel on a bench grinder, using black rouge. No need to sand finer than 400-500 (actually 320 will do). The wheel will do the rest. Clean with industrial alcohol, not rubbing alcohol.


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## ACHiPo (Nov 26, 2018)

ezduzit said:


> A polisher is useless for this, as are Simichrome and Flitz. You need the cotton buffing wheel on a bench grinder, using black rouge. No need to sand finer than 400-500 (actually 320 will do). The wheel will do the rest. Clean with industrial alcohol, not rubbing alcohol.


What do you mean by a polisher?  I meant something like this:
https://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-buffer-94393.html

Is this the black rouge?
https://www.harborfreight.com/1-4-quarter-lb-black-polish-compound-96779.html

Sewn wheel:
https://www.harborfreight.com/6-in-spiral-cotton-buffing-wheel-69700.html


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## ezduzit (Nov 26, 2018)

ACHiPo said:


> What do you mean by a polisher?...





ACHiPo said:


> ...*I think I'll pick up a polisher *at Harbor Freight...



THAT polisher.

A polisher is what you use to polish your car.


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## RJSakowski (Nov 26, 2018)

For small projects, diamond paste works well.  It is available from MSC and McMaster Carr in grits as fine as 14,000.  It cuts fast and requires very little to do the job.


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## mmcmdl (Nov 26, 2018)

Passivate then electroplate .


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## Cadillac (Nov 26, 2018)

mmcmdl said:


> Passivate then electroplate .


I think that’s why I love polishing so much. Don’t get me wrong I have a pro street Harley and absolutely everything is chromed except the tins,seat,and tires.
You can take a dirty piece of aluminum, stainless,brass, what have you. Put aliitle time and love into it and you can get some pretty amazing results. “If you know what your doing”. And not cost a dime but time and effort.


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## mmcmdl (Nov 26, 2018)

Cadillac said:


> I think that’s why I love polishing so much. Don’t get me wrong I have a pro street Harley and absolutely everything is chromed except the tins,seat,and tires.
> You can take a dirty piece of aluminum, stainless,brass, what have you. Put aliitle time and love into it and you can get some pretty amazing results. “If you know what your doing”. And not cost a dime but time and effort.



Liquid hand soap with that fine grit , warm water and scotch bright works for me .


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## Mark Needham (Nov 26, 2018)

The "unitised wheel", I spoke of, is also damned handy to deburr machine metal items.
Running a part under the wheel, makes it go from NICE to WOW. Not to polish, just to remove the micro, sharp edges that are present.
The polisher would be a nice assett. Put a Unitised wheel on one end.
Using the buffer, different wax for different metals.


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## barnett (Nov 26, 2018)

I find the only way to get shiny, really shiny is it has to be SMOOTH. I sand to at least 1200-1500 before I even start to polish.
Made a few stainless belt buckles a few years ago.  I use the unitised wheels a lot and use the 555 compound too. With a lot of sanding, polishing and elbow grease, you can get a really  shiny, almost chrome finish.
Just my 2cents !


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## ACHiPo (Nov 26, 2018)

mmcmdl said:


> Passivate then electroplate .


Ok, so that's a LITTLE more involved than I had in mind


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## ACHiPo (Nov 26, 2018)

Mark Needham said:


> The "unitised wheel", I spoke of, is also damned handy to deburr machine metal items.
> Running a part under the wheel, makes it go from NICE to WOW. Not to polish, just to remove the micro, sharp edges that are present.
> The polisher would be a nice assett. Put a Unitised wheel on one end.
> Using the buffer, different wax for different metals.


Mark,
I like that idea.  Empire Abrasives also makes Scotchbrite-like belts (look like the same material as the unitized wheel) I might try.
https://www.empireabrasives.com/1-x-42-surface-conditioning-sanding-belt/

Evan


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## Latinrascalrg1 (Nov 26, 2018)

I forgot to mention above, the Very Best High polish outcome ive achieved I followed an old timers recommendation to change the sanding direction by trying to Cross sand the previous grit marks as close to 90 degrees across the previous sand marks as possible.  Doing it this way works the corser sand marks down to a smoother finish with much greater efficiency without changing  the final shape enough to be a problem.

If you already have a lathe you can bypass the polisher assuming  you wouldn't mind getting your lathe a bit dirty!   And those scotch brite belts for the belts grinder work great so long that you pay very strick attention to the material  you remove from pass to pass or risk removing more stock then targeting!


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## ACHiPo (Nov 27, 2018)

I brought the parts to the current finish with wet/dry sandpaper followed by Flitz on the lathe.  Cross sanding will be tough on these parts.


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## homebrewed (Nov 27, 2018)

You can get up to 100,000 grit diamond paste from a good lapidary supply outfit.  The key to getting a good polish is avoiding cross contamination.  If your 10,000-grit buffing pad gets contaminated with 600 grit, you will never get any further than a 600-grit finish.  I used to polish samples for microscopic examination, with the final step being a pass with 50nM (nano-meter) colloidal silica.  That size of "grit" polished samples down to the atomic level, showing no evidence of scratches with SEM examination @50,000X and higher.  At that level polishing action is closer to chemical etching than physical polishing, hence it is dubbed CMP -- chemo-mechanical polishing.


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## ACHiPo (Nov 27, 2018)

After thinking about it overnight, I decided against getting a buffer right now.  I did order black, green, and white rouge with a selection of drill and Dremel mounted buffing wheels.  Given the shape of the stand-offs I think they'd be dangerous to buff, so I like the idea of spinning the stand-offs and holding the buffing pad, or clamping the stand-offs and using a drill or Dremel.


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## Cadillac (Nov 27, 2018)

It is a challenge holding parts some time. With compound it gets slippery. Ive throw my share of parts across the room.  Then having to repolish because of the huge scratch I just put in it.
With a lathe I would use a expandable arbor in Chuck then mount your piece. Spin the part and use a drill,or what have you with your buffing wheel and go at it. Will cut time down a lot with spinning part. Here is one tool I use almost every time I polish. Put a 3”x1/2 wide wheel on it.  Works great they spin a lot faster than drills and such.


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## ACHiPo (Nov 27, 2018)

Good idea on the pneumatic die grinder.  I'll try the Dremel first (it spins fast, too, albeit with smaller pads).


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## P. Waller (Nov 30, 2018)

A company that does electro polishing would knock them out in no time.
Before someone chimes in that this is EXPENSIVE and only used in industry the original question is how to do it.

A better thread title would be How To Get Near Chrome Finish On 303 SS As Inexpensively As Possible At Home.

This will keep people that work in the business from suggesting options that are cost prohibitive, such as myself.
Polish it by hand a mentioned above, you have time for this.

Good Luck


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## WarrenP (Nov 30, 2018)

Not to argue but, since this is a "do it your self" forum I think the question is appropriate. If someone wanted to know how to paint a bicycle you wouldn't tell him to take it to a professional, you would explain how to do it. 
I think if you know a way to do it better ,being in the business, you could have suggested how you might do it if for no other reason as to give thought about how a professional might do it.
This forum wouldn't work well if everyone said, well a professional could do it easy, and leave it at that. Have a good day.


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## savarin (Nov 30, 2018)

As many have said, go down through the grades of wet n dry starting at around the 180 mark, 240, 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000.
Then use tripoli on a hard buff followed by rouge on a soft buff.
Cut your wet n dry sheets into circles and stick them onto a foam disk. I use a rubber disk with the soft foam stuck to that then the wet n dry disk stuck to the foam with spray on contact adhesive.
Using WD40 as the wetting agent (test to see if your wet n dry will stand up to wd40) sand of all the scratches till its uniform, wash, change to next size, using wd40 should make the spray on glue semi release to swap the sanding disk.
Depending upon how bad the starting finish is will dictate what number grit you start with and its also possible to skip a grade as tripoli will remove a heap of marks. The rouge will bring up the final shine but wont remove any but the finest of scratches.
Use the buffing wheels on your bench grinder.
I would bolt your standoffs to a mandrel so I could apply more pressure without them spinning out my hand.
Start them in the lathe using the abrasive cut into strips and glued to strips of wood like a wooden ruler so you can get into the corners, use wd40 as the lube and cover the lathe with cloth.
When using a buffing wheel only apply pressure from below the centre line as if it grabs it wont throw it at you.


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## ACHiPo (Dec 2, 2018)

Thanks for all the advice.  I ended up making a make-shift arbor out of 5/16" socket head bolts.  The key was dropping down to 120 grit on the belt grinder to remove all deep scratches before moving to 220 dry, then 220 wet, 400 wet, 600 wet, and finishing with 1000 wet.  Then a few minutes with a Dremel and a sewn buffing pad in a drill press with black rouge and I got acceptably shiny parts.


The part on the right is "before".  It's hard to get a good picture of shiny parts--the part on the left is polished--not sure why it looks dull at the top.


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## Briney Eye (Dec 4, 2018)

ACHiPo said:


> I just finished 4 stand-offs for a vintage auto luggage rack.  I sanded them to 500 grit, then polished with Flitz on the lathe, but they don't have the mirror sheen I'm looking for.  I'm wondering if getting a Harbor Freight tumbler would be a way to get the desired finish?  If so, what series of media should I use?
> Evan



Robin Renzetti just posted to Instagram yesterday that he uses Cratex and Brightboy abrasive sticks to polish parts, and he gets some beautiful finishes.


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## ACHiPo (Dec 4, 2018)

I may have a stick.  I forgot all about it!  Thanks!


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## Latinrascalrg1 (Dec 5, 2018)

So far you got them on the right track but to be completely honest, for the project you are making them for i wouldn't  agree that they are ready  to install on such a Beautiful Machine in their current condition!  You can clearly see the tool/sanding marks on the larger diameter flat surface.  I know it is a very very tedious job but i would suggest that you go to at least 2000 grit wet sanding...... if done properly and diligently I have no doubt those standoffs will glisten as good as  Show Quality Chrome job. 
FWIW.... Im not trying to say that the current state of polish the parts are  in is a "Bad Job"  only that they could ABSOLUTELY be much better if you do the extra work! Besides That Beautiful Automobile they are destined for Honestly Deserves that Extra Finesse!  Even though a million  people will look at it and see nothing but "perfection" each time you see it those scratches will be the ONLY THING YOU CAN SEE and you will want nothing more then to kick yourself for not following through with a job that you could have done better on if only for yourself. Please forgive me if i overstepped my bounds,  I meant no offense.


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## ACHiPo (Dec 6, 2018)

Latinrascalrg1 said:


> So far you got them on the right track but to be completely honest, for the project you are making them for i wouldn't  agree that they are ready  to install on such a Beautiful Machine in their current condition!  You can clearly see the tool/sanding marks on the larger diameter flat surface.  I know it is a very very tedious job but i would suggest that you go to at least 2000 grit wet sanding...... if done properly and diligently I have no doubt those standoffs will glisten as good as  Show Quality Chrome job.
> FWIW.... Im not trying to say that the current state of polish the parts are  in is a "Bad Job"  only that they could ABSOLUTELY be much better if you do the extra work! Besides That Beautiful Automobile they are destined for Honestly Deserves that Extra Finesse!  Even though a million  people will look at it and see nothing but "perfection" each time you see it those scratches will be the ONLY THING YOU CAN SEE and you will want nothing more then to kick yourself for not following through with a job that you could have done better on if only for yourself. Please forgive me if i overstepped my bounds,  I meant no offense.


No offense taken.  Just a brief update--I received the hardware from McMaster Carr Monday, and I was all set to send the stand offs and hardware off to the builder Tuesday.  After looking at the hardware, however, I realized that I really need to machine down the heads of the carriage bolts, and polish them as well, as they are just machined stainless.  Sooooo...I figured if I have to do the bolts anyway, I really should take another shot at the standoffs as they are not as good as I want them to be.  I called the builder, confirmed that it wouldn't affect the schedule if I don't send them until next Monday.  I'll take pics of the "really final" product before I pack them up and ship them.


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## P. Waller (Dec 7, 2018)

Curiously enough I ran a job the last 2 days from 1" SS round bar, it was only 100 parts and the drawing only specified 3XX SS so I picked a bar off of the drop rack and made 45 parts before the bar ran out, Went back to the drops and grabbed another 24" bar.
The difference in finish was striking, I assume the first bar was 303 and the second 304, the finished dimensions also changed, this is a CNC lathe so adjustments are easy.
304 part on the left and 303 part on the right, same machine, setup, tooling, programmed speeds and feeds and coolant turned within minutes of one another.
I have never tried polishing 303 so have no experience there, it may not be possible to achieve the mirror finish that is easily accomplished in 304/316.
It machines much easier however, think screw machine stock. The 304 had a shiny finish and the 303 was dull.


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## ACHiPo (Dec 8, 2018)

P,
That is interesting--quite a difference in finish, and the 303 on the right looks a lot like the parts I made when they came off the lathe.


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## P. Waller (Dec 8, 2018)

The addition of sulphur makes it far easier to machine, as mentioned I do not know if it will polish to an 8 finish but suspect not.
If you require a 7 or 8 finish you may have to do it again in 304 or 316.
Aside from the finish and a slight dimensional change in the boring operation the most notable difference between the 2 materials is chip formation and sound.
The drilling op got a good deal louder in 304 but a single OSG .368" screw machine drill did not seem the worse for wear after 100+ parts.


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