Letter 15012

Polishing of SS balls  

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In the manufacture of Stainless steel balls (304 and 316) the balls are polished in a barrel with various chemicals (either alkaline or acidic). Though a desired level of polish is obtained, the metal brightness is not achieved.The balls look greyish instead of looking silvery bright.

Can you kindly suggest a practical working formula for achieving the polishing and silvery bright appearance?

RAMANATHAN
Hyderabad,Andhra Pradesh, India

Hi Ramanathan,

You can burnish with rice husk, it provides a good media and the High Silica content of rice husk makes it a slightly abrasive medium also. This will make the surface brighter.

There are also other options of chemical polishing, Electro polishing available to do this job. The usage of alternative depends on the application and budget you have.

After drying the balls can be tumbled with rice husk in a inclined barrel lined with fireply sheet, I hope this will help you. Good luck ...

Karthik
- Singapore

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