Polishing Steel

Jewelry Discussion
1

There are many ways to polish steel, but it is hard to recommend
a method without knowing the condition of the steel and what type
of finish you want to end up with. If you can post that
I’d be happy to share a good method or two…

2

I should have mentioned that the steel we need to polish is
3/16" plate 316 stainless steel.

We would like to polish it to a good shiny finish.

Phyllis Richardson

3

I should have mentioned that the steel we need to polish is
3/16" plate 316 stainless steel.

One word of caution which may be obvious…Don’t use steel wool
on stainless unless it is also made of stainless! The tiny
fibers will contaminate the plate and you will wind up with rust.

Sharon Z.

4

Hi Phyllis, Is this stainless Steel? If you can get most of the
roughness out of the steel. If you can remove the porthole the
best way to polish to a high finish is on a polishing machine
using a stitched calico mop with a polishing made compound for
polishing steel. This could take a lot of the hard work out of
the job.

Richard Whitehouse
Silversmith & Jeweller

http://home.clara.net/rw/
Email: @Richard_Whitehouse1
UK

5 
    We need to polish is 3/16" plate 316 stainless steel. We
would like to polish it to a good shiny finish.

Phyllis, I polish my steel tools for working in metal,
especially after one of the males in my household get hold of it.
I begin with sanding disks in various grits to bring it to a
uniform finish, ending with 400 grit. Then I charge a hard felt
wheel with White Diamond polishing compound. This brings it to a
smooth, shiny matte finish. To bring it up to a mirror polish, I
charge another hard felt wheel with Fabulustre polishing
compound and finish. This is usually sufficient for my purposes.
If it needs to be even more reflective, charge another hard felt
wheel with Zam and polish. Don’t use these wheels for softer
metals. Reserve them for steel only. Otherwise, it picks up
miniscule bits of steel which scratch soft metals. Also, be sure
to use hard felt wheels, or heavily stitched muslin or leather
wheels. You need a very firm surface for polishing steel. K.P.

6

I just wanted to remind everyone of the importance of wearing a
very good mask while polishing steel. I know a guy who was
polishing some forming stakes for an art school, wanted to smoke
as he worked, so he didn’t wear a mask, developed a sore or
bubble of some kind on his lung, he kept working, and his lung
collapsed. He was in the hospital for a week or more and then
time recovering.

Just a reminder!

Elaine

7

Hi Elaine, I am planning polishing my stakes. I wasn’t aware that
there was a problem with polishing steel. Could you explain what
the problem is please in a little more detail?

Richard Whitehouse
Silversmith & Jeweller

http://home.clara.net/rw/
Email: @Richard_Whitehouse1
UK

8

Hi: there is a green polishing compound made for steel that I
use on my burnishers etc. that puts a mirror shine on steel,
check your catalogs for steel polishing compounds…Dave

Kickass Websites for the Corporate World http://www.kickassdesign.com
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http://www.opendoor.com/stephensdesign/bent/rcag.html

9

All I know is that tiny particles of steel gathered on his lung
until a bunch in one place caused a sore of some type, which,
with further aggrevation, cause the collapse. Off to the
hospital. Inadequate hospital, flown to a better one. He lived,
but with many weeks lost productivity and unpleasantness.

Elaine